78 Years of Total Independence Under the Banner of the great Juche idea-special article by Dr Dermot Hudson

                                                               

On the 15th of August 1945, Korea was finally liberated from the oppressive and barbaric rule of Japanese imperialist colonialism thanks to the 15-year-long armed struggle led by the great leader President KIM IL SUNG, an ever-victorious iron-willed brilliant commander. Korean people were finally free from the dark enslavement of Japanese imperialism, which had been an ally of Nazi Germany and fascist Italy. Korea’s liberation from Japanese imperialism reminds me of some lines of the English socialist song ‘ England Arise ‘; ‘ 

England, arise! The long long night is over,

Faint in the east behold the dawn appear;

Out of your evil dream of toil and sorrow

Arise, O England, for the day is here.

On August 15 Korea had arisen, the long, long night of Japanese colonialism was finally over and the day was here to build a new life of independence and to build a new People’s Korea on the ruins of Japanese colonialism. Many people outside of Korea do not understand the full significance of Korea gaining independence from Japan or the horrendous nature of Japanese colonial rule in Korea. Not only did the Japanese imperialists totally exploit the Korean people and plunder Korea of its resources by carting off to Japan huge quantities of rice as well coal, metals and historical artefacts but they tried to obliterate the Korean language, culture and national identity by forbidding the use of the Korean language and forcing Korean people to change their names into Japanese names.

During the period of Japanese colonial rule Korea even disappeared from the map of the world. I can remember seeing an old atlas from the 1930s at my mother's house which showed Korea simply as a province of Japan, part of the Japanese empire.

Korea gained independence on the 15th of August 1945 not as a result of an international treaty or the gift of a big power but as a result of the armed struggle of the fighters of the Korean People’s Revolutionary Army commanded by President KIM IL SUNG, the legendary hero of the anti-Japanese armed struggle, ever-victorious iron-willed brilliant commander and gifted military strategist.

                                                        

As a young communist, patriot and revolutionary in the 1920s, President KIM IL SUNG keenly realised the road of peaceful resistance, the road of dependence on big power and the road of factionalism were roads to nowhere, a massive dead end. So he set about waging the struggle against Japanese imperialist rule independently and in the spirit of self-reliance. He formed revolutionary organisations with the new generation of militant anti-imperialist youth such as the Down-With-Imperialism Union, the Young Communist League of Korea and the Anti-Imperialist Youth League . Believing that independence could only be achieved by the force of arms President KIM IL SUNG formed the Korean Revolutionary Army in July 1930. On the 25th of April 1932, the Anti-Japanese People’s Guerilla Army, later to become the Korean People’s Revolutionary Army, was founded and launched the anti-Japanese war fighting many battles such as the battle of Pochonbo in 1937.

The anti-Japanese armed struggle was waged under the banner of the Juche idea. The anti-Japanese guerillas produced their own weapons such as the famous Yongil bomb, a hand grenade manufactured in the revolutionary spirit of self-reliance. I remember seeing a Yongil bomb at the Museum of the Pyongchon Revolutionary site.

On the 9th of August President KIM IL SUNG gave the order to the units of the Korean People’s Revolutionary Army(KPRA) to go over to the final offensive to liberate Korea.  People’s armed units staged uprisings and workers went on strike. The KPRA together with troops of the Soviet Red Army surged forward, annihilating the Japanese aggressors. Within a week  Korea was liberated from nearly 40 years of rule by the supposedly invincible Japanese empire who had arrogantly prided themselves on never surrendering.

                                                  

Since the 15th of August 1945, People’s Korea has advanced along the road of Juche and independence, fully embodying the spirit of the anti-Japanese revolution. Today under the leadership of respected Marshal KIM JONG UN, People’s Korea is a truly independent power and is building a powerful socialist country of Juche and Songun!

Dr Dermot Hudson

Chairman of British Group for the Study of the Juche Idea

Chairman UK Korean Friendship Association

President Association for the Study of Songun Politics UK

Chairman British Solidarity Committee for Peace and Reunification on the Korean Peninsula

Hon Secretary General International Central Committee for Songun Study .