RETURN TO THE LAND OF JUCHE-REPORT OF APRIL 2012 VISIT BY ASSPUK AND JISGE
Our delegation consisted of 2 of us from the JISGE and ASSPUK. It was a great honour to visit the DPRK on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the birth of the great leader comrade Kim Il Sung, the eternal president of the DPRK, father of the Juche idea , founder of socialist Korea and a great outstanding leader of the international communist and revolutionary movement. Our time passed very quickly when we were in the DPRK, so much was packed into a short space of time. It is difficult to know what to include in the report ; the World Juche Conference, the celebrations of Sun's Day , the respected general Kim Jong Un and the true reality of Juche socialism. This report will serve as an interim report with an expanded version will be produced later.
Our delegation at times doubted whether we would ever make it to the DPRK, all sorts of things seemed to threaten our visit, family issues, problems getting the Chinese visa ( which was obtained after hard work and effort by the DPRK embassy here and the Air Koryo office in Beijing) and been told just as I was checking in at Heathrow that the surname and first name on my ticket had been reversed. However we got there in the end !
Our thanks is also due to our old friend Kim Song Il of the KPEIC Beijing bureau who kindly assisted us in Beijing.
This was my 7th visit to the DPRK and I was visiting it after a gap of 4 years. It was also 20 years since my first visit . It was like a dream to be in the DPRK again , at times we just could not believe that we were there, Our trip had so many high points it is difficult to list them all or put them in order of priority.We boarded our Air Koryo flight to Pyongyang on Monday 9th of April. We arrived in the afternoon. Pyongyang was covered in the beautiful April sunshine . We were met at the Airport by Professor Ri Mu Il , who heads the British studies section of Kim Il Sung university and is an expert on Britain. He was our guide for the visit. Professor Ri was a jolly and humourous man. He told me an import saying which was expect or hope for the best but be prepared for the worst. He proved to be a very capable and efficient guide.
My first impression on visiting the DPRK again after 4 years ago was that the socialist system is solid and the red flag is literally flying high on the streets of Pyongyang. At some street corners we saw many red flags flying , elsewhere the flag of the Workers' Party was prominently displayed. Juche Korea is probably the only country in the world to fly the red flag on the streets ,maybe only 1 or 2 other countries do so. Every morning at 7-30am precisely I could see a group of schoolchildren carrying red flags and banners marching to school signing revolutionary songs such as “Footsteps”. What was also noteworthy about this was that the children were doing this by themselves without a teacher .
Pyongyang does not have capitalist advertising . There are no branches of McDonalds, KFC or other American fast food chains (which cause litter) . Nor does it have pawnbrokers or Payday loan shops . However the services sector in the DPRK is developing rapidly so there are now many stalls and kiosks selling food and drinks on the streets of Pyongyang but these are state and co-operative owned. There is no big difference between the rich and poor in the DPRK. Walking around the streets we did not see any people with sleeping bags sleeping on the street or people begging, a contrast to London where just in one area around Charing Cross you will see many people who spend the night on the street in a sleeping bag. Looking around Pyongyang we could see how blatant the lies about the DPRK . We not only went around in a bus but walked through the streets and on one occasion got lost the Pyongyang Indoor Gymnasium, there was no sign of any starving people. Everyone was out enjoying their public holiday. People were well dressed. There is now a greater variety of clothing available, Women in particular seemed smarter and better dressed. Trousers seem to be the favourite fashion for Korean women but the idiotic south Korean puppets had claimed that women are banned from wearing trousers in the DPRK and this was repeated by the Western imperialist media. Such stupid and infantile lies !
Undoubtedly the advanced people centred socialist system , the creation of the the great leader comrade Kim Il Sung is his most enduring legacy and is the cradle of happiness for the Korean people. Professor Li when we were on our way from the airport to the city told us "most definitely " housing was free of charge. Huge new blocks of house apartments have been constructed in the Mansudae district. Later during our visit a Kim Il Sung university student Ms U Jong explained the advantages of Korean style socialism in a clear and straightforward manner. She said that on April 15th her family would receive duck meat (which is expensive in the UK at least £6.82 per kg), sweets, biscuits and beer all free of charge ! This would be unthinkable in the UK . This year the Queens jubilee will be celebrated but the government will not provide any free food or drink, I was also told that the families will move into the new apartments on April 15th and that the Korean characters on top of them.
The Ryugyong hotel has now been completed and is open. It soars majestically above the city and can be seen from numerous vantage points .The folklore park just outside Pyongyang is nearing its final completion. Other major projects such as the Huichon power station have been completed . We did not experience any power cuts during our visit.Earlier in the visit we had witnessed the efforts of the government ,party and army to improve living standards when we visited the Taedong Fruit farm which is a state farm. This covers 1000 hectares of land, You can see fruit trees everywhere, It was built by the Korean Peoples Internal Security Forces, Computers are used extensively in the farm putting in advance of many British farms, The farm has its own fruit processing plant which is clean and modern, This gives its many advantages and lowers cost, No need to transport the fruit by road to a separate processing plant or pay for the costs of processing. In the UK farmers sell their produce to middle men who then sell it to food processing companies or supermarkets. Each adds his cut of the profits increasing the price of the product. However the DPRK avoids this Of course the carbon footprint is reduced as well. This is a model for the the UK to follow. Visiting the farm I remembered the saying of US journalist Lincoln Steffens " I have seen the future and I know it works".
All the achievements above are the proud fruit of the socialist system which is the durable legacy of the great leader comrade Kim Il Sung and is also a result of the Songun-based revolutionary leadership of the great leader comrade Kim Jong Il which is continued splendidly by the respected general Kim Jong Un . During our stay in the DPRK the respected general comrade Kim Jong Un was elected as First secretary of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea and also First Chairman of the National Defence Commission of the DPRK. This is a concrete manifestation of the deep support and trust of the people in the respected general Kim Jong Un. It is also important to note that he was democratically elected to the top posts of the party and state thus proving false the slanders of the imperialists concerning the system in the DPRK.
We attended the World Congress on the Juche Idea held in the People's Palace of Culture, There is an incredible amount of material concerning this so it will probably have to be the subject of a separate report. The decision to hold the congress was taken after a proposal was made by Bangladeshi Juche Idea Study delegations in March 2011. The congress was attended by Juche idea followers from all corners of the globe . In fact due to the various events being held Pyongyang was host to a very large number of people with every hotel room in the City being occupied so. It was a far cry from the propaganda of the Western media that the DPRK is "closed" and "isolated ". The opening ceremony of the Congress was attended by many leading officials of the WPK and DPRK government as well luminaries of the international Juche scene such as Dr Vishwanath and Ogami Kenichi. There were many good speeches and the congress adopted the Pyongyang
declaration of the World Juche Congress, We also heard some very good lectures. We were able to meet and have discussions with Juche Idea followers from Russia, Brazil, Bangladesh, Switzerland, Malta and South Africa just to name a few .
Undoubtedly the highest point was the grand military parade on April 15 the Day of the Sun. This was simply amazing and awe inspiring to say the least. Respected general Kim Jong Un spoke. His voice was strong and authoritative. In his speech Kim Jong Un said that the military parade is a great festival of victors which was provided according to the noble intention of leader Kim Jong Il and on his direct initiative to glorify forever the feats
Kim Il Sung performed in the army building and demonstrate the might of the socialist power before the world.
Kim Il Sung, who directed primary efforts to strengthening the revolutionary armed forces in the whole period of his protracted revolutionary activities, worked such military miracle in the 20th century as defeating the most ferocious two imperialisms in one generation, trained the Korean People's Army into a match-for-a hundred revolutionary army, put all the people under arms and turned the whole country into a fortress, providing a strong military guarantee for the sovereignty of the country and the eternal prosperity of the nation, he noted.
Kim Jong Il, who regarded it as his lifelong mission to carry forward and accomplish the Songun revolutionary cause of Juche pioneered by Kim Il Sung, ushered in the greatest heyday of the development of the Korean revolutionary armed forces with his extraordinary wisdom, outstanding commanding art and matchless grit, he said, and went on:
The Korean revolutionary armed forces have fully demonstrated the might of the powerful revolutionary army distinct in its revolutionary nature and strong in its militant spirit and might under the care of
Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il.
The military and technical superiority is no longer a monopoly of the imperialists and gone are the days when the enemies could threaten and blackmail against the DPRK with A bombs.
The far-reaching strategy and final victory of the Korean revolution lie in advancing straight along the road of independence, the road of Songun and the path of socialism indicated by Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il.
It is the firm resolution of the Workers' Party of Korea to enable our people, the best people in the world who have remained loyal to the party, overcoming all difficulties, to live, without tightening their belts any longer, and fully enjoy wealth and prosperity under socialism.
The WPK and the DPRK government will join hands with anyone who truly wants the reunification of the country and the peace and prosperity of the nation and make responsible and patient efforts to accomplish the historic cause of national reunification.
The sun's flag of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il will fly forever before the ranks of the Korean revolution demonstrating victory and glory only and will always encourage us to win fresh victories, he concluded. -
At the end of the parade he waved to the crowd. “He is coming “ shouted our guide and everyone cheered and jumped up and down. Respected Kim Jong Un looked very happy. He looks a like a friendly and open person. I personally felt moved when in his speech he thanked foreign supporters of the Korean revolution.
I also recalled seeing the great leader comrade Kim Jong Il at a national meeting in April 2002. At the time he marched on the stage with a dignified , purposeful and fast walk with a straight back looking much younger than he was. Now his successor respected generalKim Jong Un is leading the Korean revolution.
Respected general Kim Jong Un is the great successor to the cause of Juche and has proved that he has outstanding leadership abilities, He is deeply loved by the people, At the same time he loves the people, During the mourning period when the great leader comrade Kim Jong Il had passed away he took special measures for the comfort and welfare of the mourners.
The April 15 military parade consisted of both troops and various kinds of armour and guns. The first columns were in the uniforms of the anti-Japanese guerrillas and Fatherland Liberation War. Columns also represented Kim Il Sung Military University and various military academies. Schools for the bereaved children of revolutionary martyrs were also represented. The Worker-Peasant Red Guard a civilian militia were also in the parade. The was a formidable array of tanks, armoured, guns, Ack-ack units and missiles. All made in the DPRK. The tanks bore the slogan "Let Us Wipe out the US imperialists the sworn enemy of the Korean people" Probably the DPRK is the only country in the world to have such a revolutionary slogan , elsewhere socialist countries have become mired in revisionist peaceful co-existence or have pursued "reform" and "opening up". Towards the end the new missile called "Reunification " made its appearance on a 16 wheel lorry. Our guide told us that the DPRK has now the capability to hit the Atlantic coast of the US.
Seeing the parade my own personal opinion is that south Korea would be quickly destroyed if they provoked a war with the DPRK.
Of course life in the DPRK is not just military parades and meetings. On the evening of April 15th we joined tens of thousands of Pyongyang citizens plus foreign guests to watch the big firework display on the Taedong river. Respected general Kim Jong Un was present here too and I was told later had been the planner of many of the firework displays in the DPRK. It was simply awe inspiring to see that Juche idea tower light up by fireworks. The next evening we joined the soirée of the youth and students of Pyongyang. Kim Il Sung square was a veritable sea of colour.Comrade Pickford acquitted himself well in dancing on Kim Il Sung square
Additionally we attended the national meeting on April 14th in the presence of respected general Kim Jong Un which was addressed by Kim Yong Nam chairman of the presidium of the Supreme Peoples Assemby . He made a very good speech fully extolling the exploits a the great leadership comrade Kim Il Sung in leading many decades of the Korean revolution . Later was able to to briefly shake hands with comrade Kim Yong Nam at the Mansudae Assembly Hall. We also attended the unveiling of the new statues on the Mansu Hill which was attended by respected general Kim Jong Un. It was here that we got our first glimpse of the respected general Kim Jong Un . Western TV crews were also in the crowd filming the event. One American reporter behaved in a particularly disrespectful and disruptive manner by reporting live whilst the event was going on
and with a hostile commentary. If the stories about the DPRK had been true the reporter simply would not have been allowed to do this. Later my guide explained that respected general Kim Jong Un had said that the DPRK is not afraid of the slanders of Western journalists ,let them come to the DPRK.
Despite the short space of time we had numerous meetings whilst in the DPRK. We met with the International Institute of the Juche Idea and the Korean Association of Social Scientists. I met briefly with Kim Ki Nam secretary of the WPK . Also we met with the Korean Committee for Friendship with the British People and comrades from the Korean Publications Exchange Association. This report would not even be half complete if we did not mention our meeting with the Anti-Imperialist National Democratic Front of south Korea. It was great to talk with them but the time was too short. They organised a wonderful lunch for us which included rainbow trout something that only rich people in my country eat.
All in all it was a trip of a lifetime. We were disappointed to go back . It was great to be there for the 100th anniversary of the birth of the great leader comrade Kim Il Sung. We could see the invincible unity of the Korean people guided by great respected general Kim Jong Un ,following the footsteps of the Juche revolutionary cause. Our thanks to the Korean Association of Social Scientists and the organising committee, to our guide Professor Ri, to hardworking First secretary of the DPRK embassy in London, Korean comrades in Beijing, to the students of Kim Il Sung university, Koryo Hotel staff and to all the working people of the DPRK for making it such a worthwhile and successful trip.
Dermot Hudson
ASSPUK
JISGE