Historic Anniversaries of the Korean People

Ambassador Hyon Hak Bong speaking,
with Michael Chant in the chairA Friends of Korea reception and social was held at the RCPB(ML)’s John Buckle Centre on July 7. A meeting of remembrance to mark the 19th anniversary of the passing of President Kim Il Sung on July 8, the social also celebrated the 60th anniversary of the Korean people’s victory in the Korean War. The guest of honour was Hyon Hak Bong, Ambassador at the Embassy of the DPRK in London, who gave a short presentation outlining the outstanding achievements of President Kim Il Sung. The meeting was chaired by Michael Chant, Secretary of the Friends of Korea, and hosted by the Preparatory Committee (Britain) to Celebrate the Korean People’s Victory in the Korean War, whose other participants also made brief contributions. After the formal part of the meeting, the participants socialised with the Korean comrades over refreshments and Korean snacks.

The DPRK defeated the US and its allies and forced it to sign the Armistice Agreement on July 27,1953, and quickly built up an independent, socialist state from the ashes of war which, despite all difficulties faced over the last 60 years, continues to be a bulwark against US imperialism, a force for peace in the world and the beacon for the Korean reunification movement. This is no small achievement given the extent of the Korean holocaust and the four million Korean civilians who died in that war. US imperialism has never ceased its aggressive activities against the DPRK, and continues to be ever more wanton in its violation of the UN Charter and international law.

In a speech to a unit of the Korean People’s Army in October 1953, Kim Il Sung said:

Troops of the US and its allies retreating
south of the 38th parallel following
their defeat in the Korean War“As you know, the Korean war ended in our victory. It is true that we failed to wipe out the enemy and we have not yet reunified the country. However, we defeated the huge armed forces of US imperialism, the ringleader of world imperialism, and its 15 satellite countries, and forced them to sign the Armistice Agreement as we demanded. This is a great victory for us.”

Kim Il Sung recounts: “Once a British Labour Party member came to Korea as a representative of the Women’s International Democratic Federation. When she was coming to Korea she did not think it likely that the troops of the US and her own country could ever commit such barbarities. While in Korea she looked around … and witnessed with her own eyes the tragic scenes caused by the indiscriminate bombing by the US and British imperialists on our peaceful towns and villages and their massacre of innocent people in cold blood. This changed her views and, on her return home, she exposed their crimes.”

Kim Il Sung delineated the victories achieved in the three-year war:

“First, the Korean people and the People’s Army, through their heroic struggle, repulsed the enemy’s invasion and defended the democratic base in the northern half of the Republic with honour.”

“Second, in the Korean war the Korean people and the People’s Army not only inflicted a military defeat upon the enemy but also caused him a severe political setback.”

Panmunjom - Kim Il-Sung signing the armistice“Third, the Korean people, the People’s Army, Party and government bodies, social organisations and their officials were tempered, and they gained rich experience in the three years of the war. This is one of the greatest victories we achieved.”

“Fourth, the justness of our people’s fighting aim and their self-sacrificing struggle have greatly raised our country’s external position and prestige, and we made a great contribution to the cause of safeguarding universal peace and security.”

Kim Il Sung explains the factors that enabled the Koreans to defeat the forces of aggression. The Korean people, he says, are the awakened people of a new Korea who have regained their country and sovereignty. They have the Workers’ Party of Korea as their leading and guiding force. And they enjoy the support and encouragement of the international democratic forces.

The working class and people have to ensure that another unjust and criminal US-led war of aggression with Britain’s participation will never again happen on Korean soil. WWIE is convinced that the Korean people will prevail, once and for all, over US-led attempts to thwart their socialist nation-building project.

Korea, Panmunjom - US Lt. General
William K. Harrison signing armisticeOn July 11, a parade and “thanksgiving service” was held in Westminster Abbey to mark the 60th anniversary of the signing of the Korean War armistice, which falls on July 27. In attendance were over 300 veterans of the conflict, senior representatives of the military and Ministry of Defence, as well as the ambassador to Britain from the Republic of Korea.

In an address made on the occasion, a representative of the Ministry of Defence spoke of the “noble sacrifice” made by over 100,000 British military personnel who fought on the Korean peninsular 60 years ago, over 1,000 of whom lost their lives in that bloody conflict. He presented the provocative view that “invaluable sacrifices” were made “in defence of freedom and democracy in the Republic of Korea”, which have served as “a foundation for mutual trust between Korea and the UK”. Does the government not realise it has obligations towards developing friendly diplomatic relations with the DPRK and the whole of the Korean people?

The statement is consistent with the fact that British governments then and now have pursued a hostile and warmongering attitude to the people who inhabit the Korean peninsular and to the citizens of the DPR Korea in particular. Far from engaging in any action in defence of freedom and democracy, the invasion of the Korean peninsular led by US imperialism over 60 years ago, involving Britain and fourteen other countries, constitutes one of the gravest war crimes of the 20th century. It was a predatory war, aimed not only against the people of Korea, but also against those of China and other countries in the region, justified at the time under the reactionary Cold War doctrine of the “containment of communism”. From 1945 until today the troops of US imperialism, supported by successive governments in Britain, have occupied and divided Korea in the most brazen manner and carried out the most unspeakable atrocities. US imperialism and its allies established, armed and encouraged what has been in effect a proxy state with a nuclear arsenal aimed against the DPR of Korea in the north of the Korean peninsular.

Chinese People's Volunteers returning
to the DPRK on the 50th anniversary
of the outbreak of the Korean WarEven before the outbreak of the Korean War, in June 1950, US imperialism was responsible for the deaths of an estimated 1 million civilians in Korea, many of them opposed to the occupation and division of their country. In 1950 it encouraged the invasion of the DPRK by the southern Republic of Korea and then unleashed one of the most destructive wars of aggression in human history under the auspices of the UN, one of the first occasions when this new organisations was manipulated in the warmongering interests of the US and its allies. It is estimated that 4 million Korean civilians died in the war years of 1950-1953, as well as over 600,000 soldiers, 3 million of the civilians killed being in the northern part of Korea. The criminal activity of the US and British governments and their allies also led to the deaths of at least 40,000 troops under the command of US imperialism, as well as hundreds of thousands soldiers from the People’s Republic of China, the Chinese People’s Volunteers. In addition to the human casualties the entire infrastructure of Korea and most towns and cities, especially in the north, were completely destroyed by the bombing raids carried out by US imperialism and its allies. This was the “defence of freedom and democracy” spoken of by the representative of the Ministry of Defence.

That the Korean War was considered an unjust war by many of the British combatants and by progressive public opinion at the time is also conveniently overlooked by the British government.

Despite the ferocity and barbarism of the invasion of Korea, the US, Britain and their allies suffered defeat at the hands of the Korean people and were forced to sign the armistice agreement in July 1953 and to seek a settlement with the DPR of Korea. This was undoubtedly a great victory for the people of Korea, despite the fact that their country remained divided and occupied by enemy troops. This victory was also a major set-back for US imperialism, not only to its predatory aims in Korea but also in regard to its attempts to attack the People’s Republic of China and consolidate its position in South East Asia.

Since that time, the government of Britain as the faithful allies of US imperialism have maintained their hostile and warmongering stance towards the DPRK. The US refuses to sign a ceasefire and peace treaty with the DPRK and to demilitarise the Korean peninsular. On the contrary, since the armistice was first signed it has shipped more than a thousand nuclear weapons to the Korean peninsular to threaten the DPRK. The governments of Britain are the chief allies of US imperialism in its warmongering activities and the first to condemn the DPRK if it attempts to defend its homeland, develop nuclear energy of space technology. It is in this context that the British government was one of the main instigators of the most recent UN Security Council Resolution against the DPRK.

All democratic people must condemn the government’s continuing falsification of the nature of the Korean War and its lies and disinformation about the DPRK.

The working class and people must also condemn the warmongering stance of the British government and its allies and ensure that another unjust and criminal US-led war of aggression with Britain’s participation will never happen again on Korean soil.

Order No. 470 of the Supreme Commander of the Korean People’s Army – July 27, 1953

Comrade soldiers, non-commissioned officers, officers and generals of the valiant Korean People’s Army,

On July 27, an Armistice Agreement has been signed between the delegates of the Korean People’s Army and the Chinese People’s Volunteers, on the one side, and the delegates of the aggressive armed forces headed by the US imperialists, on the other.

The just Fatherland Liberation War of the Korean people against the US imperialist invaders and their stooges, the Syngman Rhee clique, ended in our victory.

This fact – the signing of the Armistice Agreement – is a proof of the military, political and moral defeat of the US imperialist invaders and their lackeys, the Syngman Rhee clique.

The Korean people waged a heroic fight in the three-year Fatherland Liberation War, enjoying disinterested assistance, material and moral, from the peoples of the democratic camp who love world peace. Thus they defended the honour, freedom and independence of their fatherland – the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea – and won the victory.

The US imperialists tried to impose upon the Korean people their yoke of slavery in place of the colonial slavery of Japanese imperialism, reduce Korea to their colony and, further, turn it into a base of war against China and the Soviet Union. But they failed to attain their aim.

In their war of aggression against the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, the US imperialists themselves plainly revealed that they are the vicious enemy of both the Korean people and the freedom-loving peoples the world over.

The officers and men of the Korean People’s Army fought heroically, displaying indomitable perseverance, and thereby smashed to smithereens the myth about the “technical omnipotence” and “invincibility” of the US imperialists, and compelled them to sign the Armistice Agreement.

I extend my warm congratulations and thanks to the officers and men of the Korean People’s Army who, by waging a devoted and heroic struggle, defeated the US imperialist invaders and their stooges, the Syngman Rhee clique, and achieved a glorious victory in the Fatherland Liberation War.

On behalf of the entire Korean people, I also express deep-felt gratitude to the officers and men of the fraternal Chinese People’s Volunteers who were courageous and steadfast and gave us valuable help in our just Fatherland Liberation War.

Today, when the armistice is realised, the officers and men of our People’s Army are confronted with the task of watching the enemy’s intrigues with vigilance at all times and getting fully ready for action.

We should have the conviction that, if the US imperialist invaders and their lackeys ignite another war against the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, we will wipe them out finally.

To celebrate our victory in the Fatherland Liberation War against the US imperialist invaders and their stooges, the Syngman Rhee clique, I give the following order:

At 2100 hours today, 124 guns shall fire 24 salvos each in Pyongyang, the democratic capital of our country.

Long live the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, our glorious fatherland!
Long live the heroic Korean People’s Army!
Long live the valiant Chinese People’s Volunteers!

Everlasting glory to the officers and men of the Korean People’s Army and the Chinese People’s Volunteers who fell in the sacred Fatherland Liberation War for the freedom and independence of our country!

(Kim Il Sung Works, Volume 7, Foreign Languages Publishing House, Pyongyang, Korea, 1981)