UK KFA held its first ever East Midlands regional meeting in the city of Derby on the 12th of January . Derby a city steeped in railway history and also associated with Rolls Royce . The meeting was better than expected with a lively audience who asked plenty of questions ,
On a humorous note it was the first ever UK KFA meeting to be held with a rabbit present , It is a mystery why the meeting venue had a rabbit but can only be assumed it was brought in doors because of feared cold weather.
Dr Dermot Hudson UK KFA chair opened the meeting , He pointed out that KFA is not just about one individual or one party but is open to all those who support the DPRK . He said that "Today the DPRK is the most demonised and abused country on earth with lies about the country being produced on an industrial scale. Much misinformation comes from the south Korean puppet propaganda machine which is then recycled by the Western mainstream or if you like bourgeois or imperialist media who in some cases print stories which they know are untrue. Then you have shadowy outfits and think tanks that are closely linked to the CIA and the south Korean National Intelligence Service. One example is NKNews , an internet based news service that is in fact includes on its staff former US and south Korean army officers . The head and founder of of NK News Chad O Carroll who worked for the CIA linked Marshall Fund had previously been writing on the so-called colour revolutions in Libya, Tunisia and other middle eastern countries but was suddenly reinvented as “north Korea expert “
Mitchell Wells KFA Scotland spoke about his visit to the DPRK in September 2018 saying that "Of course many other myths and lies about the DPRK were refuted during our stay. There are disabled people in Pyongyang, women do ride bikes, there is more than one tv channel, and people do sing and dance and enjoy themselves. One of the things the Koreans are keen to put across, is their pride in what they are doing. They so often say "we made this with our own efforts" or "everything we do is for us and to raise our standard of living". As I mentioned before, you will no doubt be hearing in detail from others about all the places of interest that we visited, but i will just end on this. As the American journalist Lincoln Steffens said after spending time in the early days of the Soviet Union ""I have seen the future, and it works".
James Taylor KFA Communications Secretary also spoke about his visit to the DPRK in September saying "It was truly an honour and unforgettable experience to have been in the DPRK for its 70th anniversary celebrations, not something I would ’ve missed for anything. I’m only sad we had to leave so early when other delegations still had a few days left to go. It was interesting to compare my experiences with those of the comedian and travel writer Michael Palin, who had visited earlier in the year and whose Channel 5 documentary was screened just after we got back. I got the impression that, after some scepticism, Palin had come to rather like the DPRK more than he would’ve cared to admit, although his middle class liberal prejudices were never entirely lifted. I too heard music playing in the streets in the morning from the hotel, but it never struck me as mysterious or in some way creepy. Incidentally, watching the documentary, I am convinced Palin stayed in the exact same Koryo hotel room we did!"
A lively question and and answer session followed with questions on human rights , religion , popular participation , democracy, political parties in the DPRK , travel to the DPRK , the Juche idea and tourism.
Dr Dermot Hudson spoke about the New Year address of respected Marshal KIM JONG UN saying that " We believe that the Korean people will victoriously implement the tasks put forward in the New Year Address of respected Marshal KIM JONG UN and build a self-reliant socialist people's paradise under the banner of the Juche Idea ."
Suggestions were made about linking KFA to other solidarity campaigns . A small exhibition of books and publications from the DPRK plus KFA materials was held . Refreshments were served . A large amount of literature was sold and donations were made to KFA
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