Wednesday 24 April 2013

Speech made the meeting of the Juche Idea Study Group and ASSPUK on the grave situation around the Korean peninsula

SPEECH ABOUT THE GRAVE SITUATION ON THE KOREAN SITUATION
GIVEN BY SHAUN PICKFORD, AT THE JUCHE IDEA STUDY GROUP MEETING
LONDON, APRIL 20TH, 2013 (JUCHE 102)


I shall begin this talk with the Policy Department Statement from the National Defence Commission of the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea, issued on April 18th. The NDC DPRK has stated its willingness for a political settlement to the Korean crisis. Three proposals have been put forward by the DPRK to the US and the south Korean side for dialogue and negotiation

1) To stop all provocative action and apologize for them. The United States and south Korea and its allies on the United Nations Security Council to revoke all resolutions on sanctions and stop the implementation of UN sanctions.

2) The United States should give formal assurances before the world that they would not stage nuclear war drills or blackmail the DPRK with nuclear weapons.

3) The United States should make a decision to withdraw all nuclear war means from south Korea and its vicinity and give up their attempts to reintroduce them as their immediate
 duty.

To quote from the April 18th DPRK NDC Statement "The DPRK had never termed the US satellite launches missiles and attempted to urge the UN to adopt resolutions and sanctions under that pretext. It has never threatened and blackmailed the the US by deploying elite armed forces in waters off the United States". Once again Peoples Korea has demonstrated its willingness for a peaceful and principled solution to all the outstanding issues on the Korean Peninsula.

To understand the current crisis on the Korean Peninsula, we need to appreciate the historical roots of it. Korea was made a Japanese colony in 1910. After a long and arduous national liberation struggle, Korea regained its independence on August 15th, 1945. One important fact to note, was that the 38th parallel, which divides the Korean Nation, was decided not by the Korean People, but was arbitrarily drawn up by Dean Rusk and other officials in the US State and War Departments during the summer of 1945.

A state was concocted in the southern half of Korea without any popular mandate in May 1948. The Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea was proclaimed on September 8th, 1948. To avert a national division, KIM IL SUNG called a north-south conference in Pyongyang in June 1948, with the attendance of many south Korean politicians, and some 30 political parties from both north and south. On June 7th, 1950, the Central Committee of the Democratic Front For the Reunification of the Fatherland made an appeal for the holding a north-south general election to a all-Korea National Assembly.

The response of the United States and south Korea was invade the DPRK on June 25th, 1950. The US mobilized a third of its ground forces, a fifth of its air force, most of its Pacific Fleet, troops from 15 capitalist countries (including the UK). MacArthur, the US-UN Commander used mass destruction weapons such as chemical and bacteriological device and wanted to create atomic belts on the 38th parallel and on the Amonk-gang and Tumen Rivers. Three million Korean People were killed at the hands of US imperialism. The northern half of Korea had more bombs dropped on it, than the entire arsenal of explosives used during the Second World War.There were something like two bombs dropped by the US Air Force per square mile on the landmass of the DPRK.

After three years of fierce fighting, the Korean People prevailed over the Yankee Aggressors under the Leadership of the Ever-Victorious, Invincible Supreme Commander, Generalissimo KIM IL SUNG. An Armistice Agreement was signed between the DPRK and the USA on July 27th, 1953. The !953 Armistice Agreement called for a convening of a Peace Conference and for the ratification of a Peace Treaty between the main parties, the DPRK and the USA. Although well for over 60 years, the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea has called for a Peace Treaty with the United States, every time this demand is rejected by the US Administration. A Peace Treaty would finally settle all the underlying causes of tensions upon the Korean Peninsula.

Contained within the Armistice Agreement are such paragraphs as 13c and 13b, that state the introduction of military equipment into Korea is prohibited, well this is a point that must be repeated by all Friends of Korea and Peace Activists, the US military has brought nuclear weapons into Korea in the form of "Honest John" and "Lance"short and medium range nuclear missiles in 1957 and that at the present time, there are a thousand nuclear and neutron bombs and missiles stored on US bases in south Korea

By the provisions of the Korean War Armistice, all non Korean troops had to withdraw from the area concerned. The Chinese Peoples Volunteers left the DPRK in 1958. Currently 40,000 US troops remain in south Korea and officially there are 41 US military bases and 38 US communications installations in the southern half of Korea. South Korea is the only country in the world to have its military controlled by foreign commander ie the head of US forces in south Korea.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the 10 Point Programme for National Unity and Reunification put forwarded by President KIM IL SUNG at the Supreme Peoples Assembly on April 10th, 1993. Consistently, the DPRK has been making proposal after proposal for Peace and Reunification in Korea; from the proposal for a joint conference of north-south parties in april 1956, to the proposal for free economic exchange between north and south on September 1958 to the North-South Joint Statement of May 1972 to the idea of forming a Democratic Confederal Republic of Koryo. 

A breakthrough in Inter-Korean relations was achieved on June 15th, 2000, with the summit meeting in Pyongyang of KIM JONG IL and Kim Dae Jung. The historic north-south agreement signed in June 2000, opened up an epoch of Inter-Korean cooperation and the prospect for Korea's reunification. The important and vital principle of Uriminzokkiri or "By Our Nation Itself"was established, in other words the reunification of the Korean Nation can only be brought about by the Korean People themselves, north, south and overseas, and not by outside interference.
So we have briefly established a context to our understanding of the Korean crisis. Actually this situation arose with the coming to power of the ultra-conservative Lee Myong Bak in December 2008 to the position of south Korean Chief Executive. Over the period in office of Lee Myong Bak and his infamous Grand National Party, nearly all the Inter-Korean Accords from the "Sunshine Era" were either scrapped or reversed. Lee Myong Bak was determined to stoke up tensions on the Korean Peninsula, during his regime the "national security orientated rule" from the 1970s and 1980s was resurrected.

The present crisis in Korea was sparked off by the United Nations' Security Council's decision to impose sanctions upon the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea, for the launch of the Kwangmyongsong No.3 Artificial Earth Satellite in December 2012. Korean scientists informed the international community of well in advance of the take off time and flight path of Kwangmyongsong. Most nations peacefully utilize outer space for economic and scientific purposes, such as France and India. South Korea attempted several take offs of its French manufactured satellite from the Republic of Kazakhstan and never got censured from the UNSC for it.

Plainly, this was a biased resolution taken by the United Nations' Security Council under the influence of US imperialism. The UNSC has become reduced to the rudder stamp for US actions, has it was back in June 1950. It is amazing that no action is ever taken by the UNSC over the wholesale massacre of communities in occupied Palestine by Israel. What is even more regrettable, is that some large countries have turned their backs on their friend and voted in favour of sanctions at the UNSC. If the leaderships of these countries in question believe they can buy their security from the US imperialists by betraying the DPRK, they are very much mistaken and will only lead to those nations being next on the hit list of the globalist elite.

In response to the provocations of the US and south Korea, the DPRK conducted a third successful nuclear test. Sanctions can be regarded as an act of war under international law. Just ask the Cuban and Iraqi peoples about the painful effects of sanctions upon their livelihood. Once the US dominated UNSC passed another set of draconian sanctions.

The United States, south Korea, Japan and some other imperialist powers like Britain, began in mid March 2013, the largest military manoeuvres since the end of the Korean War in July 1953. As Well as deploying additional nuclear weapons to south Korea, the US has put into the Korean theater of operations, the B-59 and B-1 Stealth Bomber. By anyone's definition, the B-59 Stratofortress can be called an aerial WMD. The B-59 can carry up to 500, 27 to 84,500 pound bombs. Now the US and south Korea are conducting "Foal Eagle" , a military exercise which simulates a "regime change" stratagem in North Korea. In the Kangwon Province of south Korea, K-9 SPG anti-artillery radar and destroyers KF-15 and K-15k have been used. The south Korean regime and its US backers make no secret of their intentions, with the development of a war plan against the DPRK codenamed OLAN 5015, which envisages a surprise attack on the DPRK and the occupation of northern Korea by allied forces in the near future.

Even after the end of the cold war, the United States expanded and strengthened its military alliance under the continued state of war. Peoples Korea has never been a part of a military alliance or bloc or does the DPRK receives any guarantees for protection from a military threat such as a nuclear umbrella. The DPRK is a country facing the allied imperialist forces by itself.

The Government of the DPRK came to the conclusion that existence of the fragile Armistice Agreement would not be of any help to ensuring peace on the Korean Peninsula but only creates a vicious cycle in the relations of neighbouring countries. So Socialist Korea took the only proper and justifiable course and nullified the Armistice Agreement on March 24th, 2013.Although the corporate media in this country (the UK) and internationally presented the positions of the DPRK Leadership in a "shock horror" sensualist  manner, the decisions of the DPRK Government are based on the realities surrounding their country.

I mentioned that the DPRK has about 1,000 US nuclear weapons pointed at its hinterland, cities such as Pyongyang, Kaesong, Chongjin and Sinuiju are within close firing range of the yankee terror weapons. The Supreme Command of the Korean Peoples Army made the statement on March 26th, 2013, that the DPRK could not tolerate the aggressive actions of the allied imperialist forces and would target its nuclear and other armed forces on the US military bases on the mainland of the United States of America, Hawaii and Guam as well as in south Korea and Japan. KIM JONG UN on March 29th, 2013 signed the order to put the strategic rocket command of the KPA on standby for immediate launch. The DPRK Leader declared that the revolutionary armed forces of Korea would react to US blackmail with a merciless war of counter-offensive, and a war of aggression with an all out war of Liberation and Reunification.

Peaceful dialogue and negotiation on the Korean Peninsula must be based on solid realities, not exercises and games likes the Six Party Talks descended into. On January 24th, the National Defence Commission of the DPRK came forward with the stance that peace and nuclear disarmament was only possible on a regional and global scale. What is the point of the DPRK disarming unilaterally, when there are hundreds of American nuclear weapons on standby at US bases in Japan, Guam and Hawaii. KIM JONG UN at the March 2013 Meeting of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea, set forth a new strategic line on carrying on the economic construction and building up the nuclear armed forces simultaneously. This strategic line of the Korean Communists is an creative application by KIM JONG UN to 21st century conditions of the revolutionary goals of the Respected President KIM IL SUNG and the Great General Secretary KIM JONG IL.

Within the past decade, 2003-2013, the United States has invaded Afghanistan and Iraq and staged managed the coup against Muammar Gaddafi and the Libyan Peoples Jamhari Maira. The Western powers are presently engaged in attempts to destroy the sovereignty of the Arab Republic of Syria. The DPRK has never invaded or intervened into any other nation, whereas the US since the end of World War II, has intervened into 195 countries. As Rodong Sinmun (the Daily Newspaper of the WPK) put it in its article of April 8 " Countries in the Balkans and Middle East gave up their war deterrent, yielding to the pressure and appeasement of the imperialists. Finally these countries fell victim to their aggression.The deplorable plight of their peoples teaches the lesson that any retreat and concession in the issue related to the life of the nation leads precisely to submission, subjugation and self destruction. The deterrent of the DPRK for self defence is protecting the destiny of socialism and independence."

Barack Obama started his campaign for the Democratic nomination on a pacifist sounding ticket back in 2007. Obama's foreign policy since assuming the US Presidency has been one of serving the extreme right wing of the American Military-Industrial-Media Complex.Under Obama's predecessor, Bill Clinton, the Agreed Framework Pact of November 1994 was singed between the USA and the DPRK. When George.W.Bush became the President, the Framework Agreement was neutralized by the US side. During this Korean crisis, the US has not made any serious diplomatic initiatives, only empty gestures.

South Korea's version of Margaret Thatcher, Park Geun Hye and her Saenuri Party have only intensified the course of provocation and confrontation with the north. Park Geun Hye father was the infamous Park Chung Hee. Park Chung Hee implemented a system of fascism, the Yushin system in south Korea between 1961 and 1980. Apparently Park is meet Obama in Washington DC. It was amusing to see "President" Park bow and curtsy in front of the US Secretary of State, John Kerry during his recent visit to the Cheongwadae (the Blue House) in Seoul.

When in early April, the DPRK stated that it was in a state of war with south Korea. This may sound rather harsh and dramatic sounding, but this is an acknowledgment of the concrete realities now existing on the Korean Peninsula. The Supreme Command of the Korean Peoples Army issued an ultimatum on April 16th, that the south Korean puppets should desist from any hostile actions or face immediate consequences. This statement from the KPA was in response to the aggressive behaviour in Seoul and on the D Demilitarized Zone, such as rallies organised by the south Korean far right groups, where the portraits of the DPRK Leadership and national symbols of Peoples Korea were burnt.

The Korean people, north and south and overseas deeply desire Peace and the Peaceful Reunification of Korea. No person wants war, apart from the manics in the Pentagon, the White House and Wall Street. But the Korean People value their national pride and freedom even more, and will not beg for peace on any terms. If the DPRK is attacked or provoked by imperialism, the Korean people will fight a sacred war for the liberation and reunification of the Korean Peninsula as ordered by Marshal KIM JONG UN, and will eradicate the sources of oppression and injustice on the planet forever. Let us make no mistake, this crisis in Korea, is not about nuclear weapons or nuclear non-proliferation or human rights, it is about US imperialism's efforts to crush the socialism and independence of the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea, the Headquarters of the World Revolution. 

A tsunami of lies and distortions have been unleashed against Peoples Korea in all forms of media over the recent years, months and days. Of course, the outlets for disseminating the voice of the DPRK are tiny as compared to the capitalist media empires, who own and control 99% of the world's TV and press coverage. The latest and most disgusting example of this kind of Anti-DPRK propaganda, was the BBC TV programme "Panorama" expose of North Korea. In reality, "Coronation Street" (a British TV Soap Opera),which was on ITV at the same time as "Panorama", had more credibility as a factual television programme than John Sweeney's fantastic obsessy

At times such as these, we the adherents of the Juche Idea and Friends of Korea will rally around the DPRK. We must mobilize every Socialist, every Anti-Imperialist, every Peace Activist, every Trade Unionist and every Progressive Person to the Just Cause of the Korean People. To fight for Peace, is to side with the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea. Only Victory and Glory await the Heroic and Revolutionary Korean People under the Songun Leadership of the Dear Respected Marshal KIM JONG UN!! .



A talk given by Shaun Pickford, Secretary-General of the Group for the Study of the Juche Idea of Britain on April 20th, 2013 in Central London,UK.

 

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