Firstly , it is great to be here in Liverpool ., I think this is my 6th or 7th visit , and in the Casa Bar , a venue associated with labour movement struggles.
Tonight I am going to cover several themes or topics ; the threats against People’s Korea , the lies and propaganda against People’s Korea and lastly the reality of People’s Korea as witnessed by my own visit in April.
I will just start by commenting on two things . Firstly , I am sure that the question will come up , what happens now that Trump apparently won the US presidential election , will there be negotiations between the DPRK and US ? . Well , it is hard to predict the course of Trump’s actions but I will make the following observations firstly , that there was virtually no comment in the DPRK media apart from “ Amid the full-dress presidential election race in the U.S., Trump, who has been officially confirmed as a candidate for the Republican Party, said in his speech of acceptance for candidate that "I got along with them and it is nice to get along with someone who has a lot of nuclear weapons and otherwise", thus buoying a lingering desire for the prospects of the DPRK-U.S. relations. Even if any administration takes office in the U.S., the political climate, which is confused by the infighting of the two parties, does not change and, accordingly, we do not care about this.
It is true that Trump, when he was president, tried to reflect the special personal relations between the heads of states in the relations between states, but he did not bring about any substantial positive change.” (KCNA 23 July ) . The commentary added that “For nearly 80 years since the founding of the DPRK, the U.S. has pursued the most vicious and persistent hostile policy towards it “
Secondly , the DPRK nuclear weapons are now the state law of the DPRK and non-negotiable ,the nuclear status of the DPRK is irreversible ,end of story .
It is also necessary to comment on the wild stories being floated in the mainstream media about the troops of the Korean People’s Army of the DPRK being in the Ukraine . Neither Russia or the DPRK has officially confirmed the despatch of KPA soldiers to the Ukraine . Indeed DPRK vice-foreign minister Kim Jong Gyu on the 25th of October described it as a “rumour” .
The “Guardian “ and others try to paint what are unconfirmed rumours as established facts even though they do not have a single shred of evidence to back up the story .
At no point in its history has the DPRK ever sent 15,000 or even 10,000 troops to fight outside the country . It is true that in the past the DPRK sent airforce pilots and artillery units to Vietnam to assist the Vietnamese people in their war against the US , also air force pilots to Egypt and Syria and a very small number of advisors or training officers to a number of countries but never 10,000 troops.
The reports in the mainstream media are contradictory and hazy. Different numbers are reported such as 10,000 or 15,000. It seems that they cannot agree on a figure . Also some Western media outlets say that the KPA troops have yet to arrive and others claim KPA troops are already fighting in Ukraine .
Of course if large numbers of KPA troops were in the Ukraine fighting on the Russian side , it would be all over for Ukraine in a matter of days .
Needless to say , the “evidence “ for the presence of KPA troops in the Ukraine has been shown to be clumsy and blatant forgeries, for example an alleged KPA identity card was shown but this was traced back to a south Korean company.
The issue of the DPRK and Ukraine is being used to further demonize and put pressure on the DPRK .
On the 5th of November the foreign ministers of Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, south Korea, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, the United States and the High Representative of the European Union issued a statement condemning the DPRK on the fake grounds that it had sent troops to the Ukraine and spoke of a “coordinated response to this new development.” which can only I guess mean more sanctions and pressure against the DPRK .
In October the new British foreign secretary Lammy visited south Korea on the 21s of October and issued a joint statement with the south Korean puppets.. Lammy's visit demonstrated that the British reactionaries are joining hands with the south Korean fascist puppets against People's Korea and conspiring together to overthrow Juche -based socialism . This visit by the British Foreign Secretary to south Korea comes not long after the drone intrusion-which I will speak about in a minute against the DPRK by the ROK so the UK is condoning the actions of the south Korean puppets .
British policy on the DPRK is based on lies and untruths such as this nonsense about the DPRK sending troops to Ukraine and rubbish about "human rights violations " .
It is regrettable that although the government in the UK changed hands in the last few months , the new government's policy towards the DPRK is the same as its predecessor and continues with hostile policies towards the DPRK ,backing both the US imperialists and the scum like ROK puppets. Of course Lammy is continuing with British imperialism’s hostile policy towards the DPRK and reinforcing Britain’s reactionary role on the Korean peninsula .Britain has always played a reactionary and imperialistic role in Korea . In the 1900s , Britain connived at Japan’s colonial occupation of Korea. Later Britain sent troops to fight against the Korean people in 1950 , in the Fatherland Liberation War or Korean War . Shamefully British troops acted as cannon fodder and mercenaries for US imperialism and its destructive and barbaric war against the Korean people. After the Korean war Britain gave huge amounts of aid (from the taxes paid by British working people ) to the south Korean puppets and the then state-owned motor company ‘ British Leyland “ assisted the motor industry in south Korea. Earlier this year warships of the British Royal Navy participated inpart in operational drills for the implementation of UN Security Council sanctions against DPRK. Last year the Royal Marines took part in war exercises against the DPRK with south Korea and the US .
I think it should an important part of our campaigning that there should be no British aid or support for south Korea and no British forces in south Korea
In the past weeks a most serious incident has occurred namely the illegal drone intrusion into the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK ) by the fascist south Korean puppets who are the inveterate and sworn enemy of the DPRK . This occurred not once but on 3 separate occasions. All the time the fascist ROK puppets and US imperialists are conspiring to overthrow socialism in the DPRK . The drone intrusion was part of a wider campaign of destabilisation and 'regime change ' operations by the ROK and US imperialists .Moreover , sending drones into the DPRK is a violation of its sovereignty and international law . It is not just a matter of the drones scattering defamatory anti-DPRK leaflets which slandered the socialist system but the drones could carry explosives or even spread Covid 19 into the DPRK.
The recent drone intrusion should be seen within the context of increasing hostility and threats by the US and south Korea towards the DPRK . Last year Sleepy Joe Biden declared that it would be “the end of whatever regime “ and a “Nuclear Consultative Group “ was formed between the US and south Korea with the aim of waging nuclear war on the DPRK .
The U.S., Japan and the ROK frantically staged a combined air drill targeting People's Korea once again on November 3. Included in these provocative war exercises were US B-1B nuclear bombers . The US imperialists claimed that the war drills were to "counter " the test fire of the Hwasong-pho 19 ICBM of People's Korea . As comrade Kim Yo Jong declares "This is just another outright action-based explanation of the most hostile and dangerous aggressive nature of the enemy toward our Republic and, at the same time, another absolute proof of the validity and urgency of the line of building up the nuclear forces we have opted for and put into practice"
During the past year the US and south Korea have held 20 different meetings to plan war against the DPRK as well as carrying out numerous war exercises such as "Freedom Edge " and "Iron Mace " . US nuclear aircraft carriers and US nuclear submarines have been present in Korean waters.
All this goes to prove how correct the DPRK is to firmly hold to the line of bolstering its nuclear deterrent .People's Korea will not suffer the fate of Libya or Iraq nor will it suffer the disaster of nuclear war .
It must never be forgotten that south Korea is occupied by 30,000 troops and the US keeps its own troops in countries in the vicinity of the DPRK . The US is desperate to drag other countries such as Britain , Australia , New Zealand and others into any potential conflict on the Korean peninsula . Examples of this are the revival of the so-called UN Command in south Korea with the inclusion of Germany in it which was never an original member and the holding of the RIMPAC exercise involving forces from 29 countries including Britain.
The threats against People’s Korea are very real .
So what is the reality of People’s Korea , why should we defend People’s Korea . It is said that seeing once is worth hearing 1,000 times so I will talk about my visit in April.
I visited the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK ) or People’s Korea or Juche Korea from the 11th of April to the 18th April .I was the 1st British citizen to visit the DPRK for 5 years .The last time I was in the DPRK was in October 2019 . For several years it was not possible to travel to the DPRK because the border was closed at the end of January 2020 as a countermeasure against Covid 19 . Only recently has the DPRK started allowing groups of visitors into the country . Some anti-Covid 19 measures were apparent when we arrived such as staff spraying sanitiser onto our hands when we arrived in the hotel .
I travelled to People’s Korea to participate in the celebrations of the 112th anniversary of the birth of President KIM IL SUNG and in the international seminar on the Juche Idea on the theme of Independence, Justice and The Future of Humanity organised by the Korean Association of Social Scientists and the International Institute of the Juche Idea. The seminar attracted delegations from more than 20 countries such as Brazil, Britain , Austria , Italy ,Poland , Czech Republic , Switzerland , Germany , , Belarus , Russia , India , Nepal , Pakistan , Democratic Congo , Japan and other countries .Some countries sent more than one delegation ,for example there were two delegations from Brazil ; the Brazilian Centre for the Study of Songun Politics headed by comrade Lucas Rubio and the delegation of the Brazilian Centre for the Study of the Juche idea . Russia also had several delegations .The fact that so many delegations travelled to Pyongyang proved that it is a lie that the DPRK is isolated or that there is no support for the DPRK outside the country . Indeed the Juche Idea is attracting interest from around the world .
Arriving at the Air Koryo (the DPRK’s national airline )check in counter at Beijing Airport on the morning of the 11th of April I run into many veteran supporters of People’s Korea such as Martin Lotscher of KFA Switzerland and Javed Ansari from Pakistan as well as newer friends of People’s Korea such as Lucas Rubio of Brazil.
In the course of our stay in the DPRK we visited the Korean Art Museum , the Mangyongdae Schoolchildren's Palace , the Kangdong Greenhouse Vegetable Farm , the Natural History Museum at Pyongyang Central Zoo, the Pyongyang Metro , the Tower of the Juche Idea , the National Gift Exhibition House ,the Monument on the Mansu Hill ,the Pyongyang Circus , the Korean Stamp Museum and we enjoyed an orchestral performance at the Moranbong Theatre as well as participating in an international friendship gathering . Some of the delegates attended an excellent dinner hosted by the DPRK Committee For Cultural Relations with Foreign Countries.
I arrived at Pyongyang Sunan International Airport on the afternoon of the 11th of April and was met by my guide Mr O Su Jin of the Korean Association of Social Scientists . We travelled by coach to the excellent Pyongyang Koryo Hotel . Sometimes it seemed hard to believe that I was really back in the DPRK , it seemed like everything was in a dream.
During the visit I witnessed that the situation in the DPRK is calm and stable .The DPRK had closed its borders for 4 years but survived ,a truly amazing feat when you consider that some countries would only last weeks or even days with their borders closed . However the DPRK is based firmly on self-reliance and the independent national economy .
Despite the sanctions imposed by the US and its lackeys on the UN Security Council and the COVID 19 pandemic the DPRK is carrying out massive construction work ,it is going through another great Chollima upsurge( Chollima was a flying horse of legend in Korea and gave its name to the mass movement for increased productivity in the DPRK in the late 1950s) .A new street, Hwasong Street which is the size of a small city has appeared in Pyongyang.On the day of our arrival our coach to the hotel passed through and later in the visit we drove through Hwasong Street both during the day and at night . Hwasong Street looks very modern and of good quality .It would cost billions to build in a Western country but the DPRK gives homes to people free of charge . Whilst we were staying in the DPRK the second stage of Hwasong Street was opened on the evening of the 16th of April in the presence of the supreme leader of the DPRK , respected Marshal KIM JONG UN . Also a new street is under construction in the Sopho district and was visible when we were going back to Pyongyang Airport on the 18th of April .
In fact, construction was going on all over Pyongyang . Opposite the Pyongyang Koryo Hotel there was a new block of flats under construction and several other blocks of flats under construction were visible in the near distance as well as in other parts of Pyongyang . I think that I can truly say that although it was my 19th visit to the DPRK I had never previously seen construction work on such a scale before . What is significant is that all this is being achieved without the so-called ‘aid ‘ of imperialism or the south Korean puppets . During the emergency situation that arose in the spring of 2022 when the south Korean puppets deliberately spread Covid 19 into the DPRK , the DPRK rejected ‘aid’ from the south Korean puppets , the UN and the US . The daily newspaper of the Workers Party of Korea later described the ‘aid’ of imperialism as a ‘poisoned candy ‘. The rapid development of People’s Korea by relying on its own resources and labour is destroying the myth that outside assistance ,particularly from US and other imperialists, is somehow essential for a country ‘s development .
We visited the newly built Kangdong Greenhouse Vegetable Farm which was some 34 kilometres outside Pyongyang .It had only gone into operation in March this year .It was opened on the 15th of March in the presence of respected Marshal KIM JONG UN . The farm had been built on the site of the former Mirim Airbase of the Korean People’s Army . One myth about People’s Korea created by the mainstream media of the imperialists is that resources are diverted away from civilians to the military but the construction of the Kangdong Greenhouse Vegetable Farm shows that in fact this is simply not true. The farm has an area of 100 square hectares with 8 types of greenhouses . The farm has 1,800 workers. We were able to taste cucumbers produced by the farm .Significantly the Kangdong Greenhouse Vegetable Farm is not a co-operative farm but actually a state farm which means that it is owned by the whole people . The aim is to create a similar farm in each county or province of the DPRK .Vegetables from the farm were supplied free of charge to Pyongyang citizens . Also dwellings for the workers of the farm were given free of charge to the farm’s workers . It can be truly said that the DPRK is actually advancing towards the higher stage of socialism ,communism .
In recent years a false narrative about the DPRK has been created by some sections of the mainstream media and by so-called ‘academic experts ‘ on the DPRK who in reality know nothing at all about the DPRK . The false narrative is that the DPRK is adopting ‘ market reforms ‘ and abandoning Juche-based socialism , this aimed at confusing and disillusioning supporters of People’s Korea . The fact that the DPRK is developing a network of state owned farms to supply vegetables to the population shows that the DPRK is actually strengthening the planned economy and system of state ownership.
Although there have been massive changes in the DPRK since the last time I visited, what remained unchanged was the DPRK ‘s consistent anti-imperialism and adherence to socialist principles. Red flags were flying on street corners and there were many revolutionary slogans in large Korean characters . Postcards of anti-US posters could be found in the bookshop of the Pyongyang Koryo Hotel and Korean Stamp Museum. A friend of mine who had been with me in the DPRK in 2017 and 2018 remarked that he had been worried about what he might find in the DPRK after an absence of 6 years but was quite relieved as well as positive when he saw that there had been no ‘reform’ and ‘opening up ‘ in the DPRK and there was a complete absence of Western influence .
Prices in the hotel shop were the same as in 2019.Needless to say the NK News " 250 dollar banana" could not be found and my guide just laughed and said " ridiculous" when I told him the story .There were no homeless people and I saw no one begging . Housing is given to people free of charge . My guide , Mr O , told me that he had lived in Mirae Scientists Street with his parents but when he got married he was given a new flat . The streets were spotlessly clean with no litter .There were no drug addicts , prostitutes , lumpens or decadent people. I was able to leave money in my hotel room and it was still there when I returned in the evening or afternoon.
As to tales of " human rights violations " , the DPRK actually has a fairly minimal police presence compared to many other countries . The police only direct traffic. The situation seemed quite normal.
That is the reality of People’s Korea , an advanced socialist society with free housing ,free health care and free education. We must redouble our efforts to defend People’s Korea with No Ifs or Buts . Really meetings like this one should be held up and down the country !
Thank you for listening
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