Report of Visit to Juche Korea for the 70th anniversary of the foundation of the DPRK

                                                             

A delegation of the Juche Idea Study Group of England, Association for the Study of Songun Politics UK and UK Korean Friendship Association, visited  Juche Korea for the 70th anniversary of the foundation of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea ,the homeland of the Juche idea and cradle of the people's happiness from  the 4th of September to 11th of September .
   Despite the mainstream media continually harping on about the DPRK being isolated  , Pyongyang was packed full of foreign visitors which  included the famous  French actor Gerard Depardieu and former East German Premier Hans Modrow . By Friday the Koryo Hotel was packed out .Our delegation was invited by the Korean Association of Social Scientists and attended the International Seminar on the Juche Idea and 70 years of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea ,which was attended by delegates from Bangladesh, Brazil, Czechoslovakia , Denmark , India, Nepal , Mongolia, Japan , Russia , Poland , Ukraine ,Nigeria , Guinea , Ethiopia,Sweden and other countries.
   It was a truly epic visit.  Being in Juche Korea again it was truly great to see a society without unemployment , homelessness , beggars and criminals .Also a society with social equality I feel truly energised and determined to fight for the Juche idea now !
                                                   

     Our delegation consisted of 5 members: myself , Shaun Pickford , Alex Meads , James Taylor  and Mitchell Wells . Ages of the delegation ranged from 22 to 58 and consisted of members of 3 parties , the New Communist Party , Communist Party of Great Britain Marxist-Leninist  and the Labour Party . Some liked myself have studied Juche for more 30 years , others had just started. The delegation met up at London Heathrow on Sunday night and we travelled first to Beijing . We encountered  a lot of bureaucracy there and spent nearly 2 hours trying to get through border control. This time we had to be fingerprinted for the visa free channel !
   We arrived at Pyongyang Sunan International Airport in the afternoon of Tuesday 4th of September .We were greeted at the Airport by our guide comrade Lee from the Korean Association of Social Scientists , a tall friendly man who is very firm in his principles and beliefs. Comrade Lee insisted that we just call him Lee .We were driven into Pyongyang on a small bus together with the Swedish delegation. Looking out of the bus window I saw green lush fields . Before our visit the imperialist media have propagandised about drought , "crop failure' , 'famine' and 'mass starvation ' etc but it looked like an abundant harvest to me . During the visit  as on my 14 previous visits  I saw no homeless people on the streets , no one begging , no drug addicts or alcoholics or gang violence . Some of the delegation pointed out that there are no lumpens in Pyongyang and that the DPRK is a very disciplined society . I felt the contrast to Juche Korea when I came back to London. I decided to go out and buy some fish and chips . During the 10 minute journey to the chippie I encountered  2 people begging for money and a woman offering sex for money  ie a prostitute . In Pyongyang we saw no such people . People on the delegation agreed that Britain is a broken society whereas the DPRK is not.                                      

    Our delegation visited the Korean Revolution Museum , Fatherland Liberation  War Museum ,the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun several factories , the Pyongyang Teacher training college, the Tower of the Juche Idea , the Pyongyang Metro, the Mangyondae Children's Palace  and many other places .It was good for the first time visitors on the delegation to see the captured US spy ship the "Pueblo' and the magnificent Pyongyang Metro which is truly a great sight to behold.We attended the mass game 'Glorious Country ' and also the joint concert given by the State Merited Chorus and the Samijyon Orchestra  as well the grand military parade , civilian mass demonstration and torchlight procession
 .We were able to witness first hand the single hearted unity of the Korean people around the leader, the Workers' Party and the Juche idea by seeing the military and civilian parade , the torch light parade and the mass game "Glorious country " . There is no doubt that the imperialists are trying to destroy this unity but have failed to do . Also the sanctions have failed and the DPRK is very good shape with well stocked shops.
                                                 

   Visiting the Ryuwon Footwear Factory we learnt that it had already hit its target for the yearly plan in August  as have over a 1,000 factories and units in the DPRK. The DPRK has a planned economy and the Taean Work system is in force despite rumours to the contrary spread by certain forces. We also visited two other factories .What impressed me was that the factories we visited were remarkably clean , in fact spotless unlike factories in the UK which would be full of dirt and grease . Each factory had a revolutionary history room as well as a room for studying ideology plus excellent welfare facilities for the workers even swimming pools and sports courts . You would never see that in a capitalist country .
 Despite the sanctions and blockade , the DPRK is investing heavily in science and technology .I
was amazed by the Pyongyang Teacher Training College which was celebrating its 50th anniversary .
Here they were using the latest technology and applying it to teaching . There was even virtual reality something which I could not imagine being applied to teaching . I even had a short conversation with a virtual pupil.
                                 

    At the Korean Revolution Museum and Fatherland Liberation War Museum the delegation learnt that the DPRK is still maintaining the anti-US line despite propaganda from certain outlets  such as the CIA backed website 'NKNews '  and also some ultra leftists have claimed that such a line had been abandoned  etc, that the DPRK was turned away from anti-imperialism . I noticed that during the military parade  the tanks of the Korean People's Army had the slogan 'Let us wipe out the US imperialist aggressors the sworn enemy of the Korean people !'. I felt doubly reassured that the DPRK would eternally maintain the anti-imperialist banner.In discussions with Korean comrades were told that the DPRK will keep the nuclear deterrent as long the US nuclear threat against the DPRK exists and hostile policy continue to exist .
                                 

 We also participated in the international Seminar on the Juche Idea and the short study course of the Korean Association of Social Scientists . The seminar was presided over by comrade Pak Kwang Ho
vice-chairman of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea , comrade Ri Hye Jong President of KASS and vice president of the Academy of Social Scientists and  Dr Ogami Kenichi secretary general of the IIJI. There is no time to go into massive detail here but there was plenty of emphasis on self-reliance and self -development etc and no "reform " or opening up " etc.Indeed we were given an an excellent lecture by video which explained that the history of the Korean revolution is the history of self-development . Similarly one of the papers presented to the International Seminar on the Juche idea was about the independent national economy .
    At the Korean Revolution Museum which had been renovated and I had not visited for 10 years the guide explained how the DPRK has an independent national economy and a self -reliant munitions industry . Here at the Korean Revolution Museum  we learnt in detail about the struggle to found the Democratic People's Republic of Korea . In particular we learnt about the extremely radical land reform  in which land was given to the toiling farmers free of charge with no compensation being paid to the landlords , this is unique in the world . I read how some socialist countries compensated the landlords and also how some neo-colonial countries refused to redistribute land but instead opted for the 'willing seller , willing buyer' formula .
   The grand military parade and the torchlight parade were truly fantastic , totally out of this world .It always great to see a DPRK military parade , this was my 5th one . I was impressed by the incredible discipline and precision shown by the KPA troops .It was great to see the tanks of the KPA thundering by with the flags of the DPRK , the Worker's Party of Korea  and Supreme Commander proudly fluttering on them . Revolutionary songs such as 'We Follow Only You ' and 'Peace is Our Bayonet ' were played . I also recognised the theme tune of the film 'Order 027' when the KPA special forces marched past.
  Seeing the civilian mass demonstration after the military parade , we saw slogans such as "Forward along the road of socialism ", "Lets us live our own way " and " Long live the revolutionary spirit of Mt Paektu " which implicitly rejected "reform " and " opening up " and were basically anti -revisionist and rejected big power chauvinism. Generally the emphasis in the DPRK is on ideology this was evidenced in a number of ways  such as  teams of housewives militantly waving and swirling red flags to encourage people to hit higher production targets.
   There were so many high points of the trip it is difficult to write about them all . I think most in the delegation agree that the biggest highlight was actually seeing dear respected Marshal
KIM JONG UN  who waved at the crowd .  I waved back We were very near . We saw the Marshal again at the  mass game 'Prosperous Country '.  I remember seeing respected Marshal KIM JONG UN at the April 2012 military parade and several times during that visit . Respected Marshal KIM JONG UN looked very well and very happy.
                                       

  For me one very special highlight was to ride on a trolley bus to the Arch of Triumph. However it was no ordinary trolley bus but a 1960s trolley bus that had actually been used by the great leader comrade KIM IL SUNG and the great leader comrade KIM JONG IL in the 1960s . This was  a rare privilege indeed. In London the reactionary anti-popular government abolished trolley buses in the 1960s and had scrapped trams in 1952(a totally foolish and blockheaded policy ) but People's Korea uses trolley buses and trams . It had long been my secret dream to ride a DPRK trolley bus or tram . I remember my mother saying that the trolley bus is the best way to travel , it is sad that she is no longer alive  as I could tell her I had been on a trolley bus !. We walked along the streets to the trolleybus , we saw red flags flying on the construction sites . Comrade Pak a senior cadre of KASS said  'Now you will travel like a Pyongyang citizen  " . The ride was very smooth just like my mother said it was . Public transport fares in Pyongyang are incredibly low just about 2p or 3p for a bus journey or a Metro trip,
  We were able to visit the Pyongyang Mission of the Anti-Imperialist National Democratic  Front of south Korea , the vanguard of the south Korean revolution and patriotic anti-imperialist resistance organisation. We were shown a video about Korean reunification and the Panmunjom  4.27 summit and treated to an excellent lunch during which we had excellent conversations. Comrade Park stressed how respected Marshal KIM JONG UN is leading the struggle to reunify Korea.We talked about the current situation on the Korean peninsula and the independent development of the DPRK .The delegation were even introduced to the chief and the cook of the AINDF mission..I was happy to be presented with a pot of sweet Korean honey by the AINDF comrades  !
   We also briefly met comrades of the Korean Committee for Cultural Relations with Foreign Countries and members of the Korean Friendship Association who were staying in the DPRK. The delegation  handed a gift for dear respected Marshal KIM JONG UN over to Ri Hye Jong President of KASS and vice president of the Academy of Social Scientists. I was also able to briefly meet
comrade Pak Kwang Ho vice-chairman of the Workers' Party of Korea.
  I will conclude my report here as there is so much to say.This is a brief report an expanded version will be written later .It was sad to return to the UK after such a a wonderful visit . I would have liked to stayed on for a few more weeks .Juche Korea is a paradise!
and it makes you feel younger being there. I am resolved to fight more harder for the Juche Idea.
. My special thanks to the Korean Association of Social Scientists for inviting us and their hospitality , also our guide comrade Lee who worked hard , to KASS Section Chiefs Kim Chol Ho and Mr Pak, to the staff of the Koryo Hotel such as the waiters and waitresses and the bookshop staff . My thanks also to the wonderful Air Koryo stewardesses and to comrade Kim Song Gi at the DPRK embassy in London who helped us a lot in arranging the trip.
  Dr Dermot Hudson
Chairman Juche Idea Study Group of England
President Association for the Study of Songun Politics UK
Official Delegate , Korean Friendship Association UK
Chairman British Solidarity Committee for Peace and Reunification on the Korean Peninsula.