Honouring a great Korean revolutionary

Dermot Hudson and Theo Russell

by New Worker correspondent

Kim Il Sung was born on 15th April 1912 and his birthday has long been celebrated as the Day of the Sun in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and by everyone who stands by the DPRK. And on that day last week solidarity activists gathered at the Cock Tavern in London to recall the outstanding achievements of the leader of the Korean revolution.
    Speakers included Dermot Hudson, the chair of the Korean Friendship Association (KFA) that organised the meeting and NCP national organiser, Theo Russell. The Democratic Korean embassy in London sent a tribute that was read out at the meeting and messages were received from Korean friendship groups in Germany, Poland and Switzerland.
    In his tribute Dermot Hudson praised the successful test firing of the Democratic Korean ballistic missile as a great victory for Juche and self-reliance – the Korean-style socialism pioneered by Kim Il Sung that is followed by his successors in the people’s republic today.
    Kim Il Sung was a great anti-imperialist revolutionary who turned the DPRK into a fortress of militant anti-imperialism and totally opposed the line of compromise with imperialism. His life from beginning to end was one of principled and constant struggle against imperialism and for independence’.
    Theo Russell praised the life of Kim Il Sung as that of a great revolutionary . He said that the achievements of the DPRK are great and are due to the Juche philosophy authored by the great leader of the Korean people who worked tirelessly throughout his life for the communist cause.
    Shaun Pickford, the head of Staffordshire KFA focused on the international dimension of the DPRK and the Juche Idea. The first Juche idea study group was formed in Mali , West Africa and since then many international seminars on the Juche Idea have followed.
    This was followed by a general discussion on Juche and life in the DPRK and ended with the traditional refreshments and informal chat amongst friends of Korea old and new.

Day of the Shining Star in London

Michael Chant speaking

by New Worker correspondent

People battled their way through Storm Dennis to celebrate the Day of the Shining Star at a meeting in central London last weekend, organised by Korean Friendship Association (KFA) and the Friends of Korea (FoK) committee.

KFA Chair Dermot Hudson introduced the meeting, stressing the importance of the Day of the Shining Star and increasing solidarity with People's Korea. FoK Secretary Michael Chant, General Secretary of the RCPB-ML, spoke about the injustice of the sanctions against the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), stressing the fact the UK is still maintaining the European Union (EU) sanctions against the DPRK despite leaving the EU!

A contribution from the DPRK’s London Embassy was read out. Part of it read: “February 16 is the birthday of Kim Jong Il, eternal Chairman of the National Defence Commission of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. When the day comes round every year, many people of the world recall him with deep emotion.

“Kim Jong Il devoted his whole life for the cause of global peace. He led the struggle to build a new world free from aggression and war upholding the banner of anti-imperialist independence.”

London’s Day of the Sun

by New Worker
 correspondent

Andy Brooks speaking

Kim Il Sung was born on 15th April 1912 and his birthday has long been celebrated as the Day of the Sun by everyone who stands by the Democratic people’s Republic of Korea (DPRK). The Day of the Sun is the biggest public holiday of the year in Democratic Korea and last weekend solidarity activists gathered at a hall in central London to join the Korean masses in honouring the memory of the outstanding communist leader who lead the Korean people to victory to build the modern socialist republic we have today.

Friends of the Korean revolution returned to the Marchmont Centre in Bloomsbury to celebrate the birth of great leader Kim Il Sung, the man who founded the communist movement that liberated the country from Japanese colonialism, defeated the might of US-led imperialism in the Korean War and led the drive to build the modern, socialist republic that exists today in the north of the divided peninsula.

Kim Il Sung advanced and developed Marxist philosophy throughout his long and active life – a theme taken up by a number of speakers at the meeting called by the Korean Friendship Association (KFA). The KFA Chair, Dermot Hudson, spoke about the Korean people’s heroic struggle against Japanese colonialism and US imperialism, and NCP leader Andy Brooks recalled meeting Kim Il Sung in 1990 and talked about the Korean communist leader’s immense contribution to the world communist movement throughout his long life.

A message from the DPRK embassy in London pointed out that memories of famous people often fade away with the passage of time – but this is not the case with President Kim Il Sung: “In the first half of the 20th century, when Korea was a colony of Japan, he waged a long, bloody struggle to win back its national sovereignty. After the country’s liberation on 15^th August 1945, he founded the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and developed it into a genuine people’s country and independent power.

“He was a world-renowned statesman who rendered both material and moral support to third-world countries in building new society and made a great contribution to the struggles for independence including the non-aligned movement.

`”He passed away on 8^th July 1994 but his history still continues. The Juche idea authored by him and his theories are still applied by the DPRK in its building and activities; his books are read by all the citizens. His life-long motto was affection for the people and the spirit of independence.”

Posted by london communists at 12:55

Day of the Shining Star in London

by New Worker correspondent

Andy Brooks remembers Kim Jong Il

Comrades and friends met in London last weekend to celebrate the birthday of Democratic Korean leader Kim Jong Il, who died at his post on 17th December 2011.

Kim Jong Il steered the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) through the difficult times that followed the death of great leader Kim Il Sung in 1994. He devoted his entire life to serving the Korean people in the cause of building a human-centred society, a cause that is espoused by democratic and anti-imperialist forces the world over.

Called by the Korean Friendship Association (KFA), the meeting was opened by Dermot Hudson who spoke about Kim Jong Il’s outstanding contribution to the world communist movement. Shaun Pickford gave a detailed and in-depth presentation on Kim Jong Il’s contribution to Juche and Culture, which is national in form and socialist in content, and NCP leader Andy Brooks recalled fond memories of when he took part in the commemorations in the DPRK in February 2000.

Every year the Korean people mark Kim Jong Il’s birthday, which has long been known as the ‘Day of the Shining Star’ in the DPRK.

Kim Jong Il was born in the midst of the struggle against Japanese imperialism, in a Korean guerrilla camp on Mount Paektu, on 16th February 1942. His early days were those of hardship and struggle, which ended in victory in 1945 and the liberation of Pyongyang. Like millions of Koreans of his generation, Kim Jong Il dedicated his life to the Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK) and the socialist system that they were determined to build in order to create a better life for the Korean people.

Kim Jong Il went to university where he developed his ideas in the political, economic and cultural fields. Like all Korean students, he took his turn at manual labour with the people in the fields and on the construction sites.

Kim Jong Il developed the Juche idea, applying it to all spheres of economic construction and for the promotion of north–south dialogue for the independent peaceful reunification of Korea. His modesty, faithful service, tireless work, total loyalty to Kim Il Sung and the Korean revolution, and undoubted ability meant that when the WPK considered the question of the succession – and this was decided long before Kim Il Sung’s death – Kim Jong Il was the unchallenged candidate to be the successor to great leader Kim Il Sung.

When Kim Il Sung passed away, Kim Jong Il told the Korean people and the world that they could “expect no change from me” and under his leadership the WPK won further victories. Natural disasters were overcome. Imperialist diplomatic isolation was broken and the intrigues of US imperialism exposed.

Now Kim Jong Un is following in the footsteps of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il to lead the DPRK into the 21st century. Democratic Korean citizens enjoy full employment, free education and medical care, virtually free housing and a vast array of consumer goods largely made in the DPRK itself. Democratic Korean scientists have mastered the secrets of the atom to guarantee the DPRK’s defence and energy needs, and Korean rockets now reach for the stars.

Remembering Kim Jong Il

Ambassador Choe Il speaking

By New Worker correspondent 

Korean friendship activists met to hear speakers, that included the Democratic Korean (DPRK) ambassador, talk about the outstanding achievements of Korean leader Kim Jong Il at a meeting in central London last weekend Called by the Korean Friendship Association, the meeting was opened by Dermot Hudson who said that we are not here to mourn the life of the Kim Jong Il, who died at his post in December  2011, but to celebrate it as part of the struggle for socialism.

 DPRK London ambassador Choe Il spoke movingly about the immortal achievements that Kim performed for the defence and advance of the socialist cause . He said that Comrade Kim Jong Un had defended socialism in the most trying conditions against the winds of history through exemplary ideological and theorectical work . The ideas of Kim Jong Il constituted a militant banner of independence and socialism .

Down with the lying BBC!

by New Worker
correspondent

outside BBC headquarters in London

 

Comrades were out last Saturday picketing Broadcasting House to condemn the ongoing demonisation of the DPR Korea in BBC reports. The picket, called by the Korean Friendship Association with the support of the NCP, called on the BBC to “stop lying about the DPRK and instead produce fair, accurate and objective material about People’s Korea”.

KFA Chair Dermot Hudson said the BBC has consistently lied about the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK). On several occasions BBC reporters have used tricks and subterfuges to enter the DPRK to produce one-sided, biased reports that bear no resemblance to reality.

            Alejandro Cao De Benos, the president of the international KFA, sent a solidarity message to the protesters in which he said: “US imperialism, by utilising its money resources and puppet mass media like the BBC, is regularly organising campaigns of defamation and creating horror stories with the aim of creating fear and rejection of Korea among the general public. But the times of the US and British media empires’ monopoly for mind control are coming to an end. The rise of popular and alternative low cost media…is making more and more people question every sensationalist news coming from the mainstream press.

“As more and more fake news is being exposed, there is a new generation that will no longer swallow all this nonsense”. They are looking for genuine sources of information on Korea, he said. “That source is the KFA, and your work will become more important everyday”.

For peace in Korea

Andy Brooks opening the meeting

 by New Worker correspondent

 

Friends of Korea returned to the Marx Memorial Library last weekend for a solidarity meeting to discuss the current efforts for peace and reunification that have taken place on both sides of the divided peninsula since Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s historic talks with Donald Trump, the leader of US imperialism in Singapore in June.

            The meeting, called by the Friends of Korea committee, was opened by NCP leader Andy Brooks who welcomed everyone in the hallowed hall whose boards had, as he said, once been tread by Harry Quelch and Lenin.  Michael Chant from the RCPB (ML) followed with a talk that focused to the current efforts for peace by the people’s government in the north and the new southern administration and the need to raise the question of peace on the streets of Britain in this, the hundredth anniversary of the end of the first world war.

            This was followed by Dermot Hudson of the Korean Friendship Association (KFA) who spoke about his recent visit to Democratic Korea and the giant strides that the people’s government is taking at home and abroad for the cause of peace and socialism.

            The panel then took part in a wide-ranging discussion that covered all aspects of the campaign for peace in Korea in Britain and across world. The meeting ended with the adoption of a solidarity message to Korean leader Kim Jong Un and the people of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea supporting the right of the Korean people to self-determination, independence and peace that was adopted by acclaim.

The Friends of Korea committee consists of the New Communist Party of Britain, Revolutionary Communist Party of Britain (ML), Socialist Labour Party, European Regional Society for the Study of the Juché Idea and the UK Korean Friendship Association. Meetings are open to all friends of the Korean revolution and the committee organises events throughout the year which are listed by the supporting movements and on the Friends of Korea blog.