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Source: Red Fire
DPRK invites Russia to Mark 70 Years of Defiance
05-08-2023: Several anniversaries are regularly celebrated and marked with official ceremonies in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK – “North Korea”), such as the founding of the Workers Party of Korea (WPK) on October 10,[1] and the “Day of the Sun” on April 15 – the birthday of the country’s first leader Kim Il Sung.[2] Arguably the most important, however, is July 27 – the day in 1953 when the Armistice was signed between the United States of America (US) and the DPRK, which was the start of a truce, that had taken two years to negotiate.[3] This Armistice was meant to be converted into a genuine peace agreement, but the US state has since refused point blank to uphold this obligation, and so technically, the US is still at war with the DPRK. 2023 marks 70 years of heroic defiance of US imperialism by the DPRK, in the face of a juggernaut which to this day remains bent on its destruction.
Russia receives special invite
Currently, relations between the Russian Federation and the DPRK are perhaps at the highest point they have ever been, due to the strong backing of the DPRK for Russia’s Special Military Operation (SMO) in Ukraine, in response to NATO’s proxy war. In light of this, Russia was invited to observe the DPRK’s festivities marking July 27, and what they see as their victory in 1950-53, which they refer to as the “Fatherland Liberation War”. Russia sent Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu, who led a military delegation which included Alexandr Matsegora, the Russian Ambassador to the DPRK.[4] Shoigu is the highest ranking Russian official to visit the DPRK since President Vladimir Putin first visited over 20 years ago, in the year 2000.[5] During the visit, Shoigu read a congratulatory message from President Putin to the DPRK, earnestly thanking them for their support in Ukraine at a time when Russia correctly views its defensive actions against Washington and London to be of an existential nature.
The People’s Republic of China (PRC) was represented alongside Sergei Shoigu by Li Hongzhong, a member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC).[6] The PRC and the DPRK have blood ties as a result of the Korean War, which was squarely aimed at China’s 1949 socialist revolution. Records of military casualties of over a dozen nations involved have been kept almost secret,[7] but it is estimated that the imperialist slaughter killed 4 million people, which includes up to 1 million Chinese volunteers – who gave their lives to assist the Koreans and defend the PRC, which was at that time only four years old. These horrific massacres by the militaries of the West conditions the nature of the DPRK today, whose people remember it as if it was yesterday. The Vietnam War receives greater coverage in the West due to the domestic political opposition which was generated, but the Korean War was a monumental war crime in its own right.
Russia, PRC & DPRK axis
Some speculate that sending Shoigu to the DPRK on this special occasion was a signal to the West that Russia and the DPRK may soon be involved in military cooperation, alongside the historical ties of the PRC with both nations. The DPRK’s military manufacturing capacity is remarkable for a country of its relatively small size. At the July 27 parade in the capital Pyongyang, the DPRK showcased the Hwasong-17 and Hwasong-18 intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), which reportedly have the capacity to strike anywhere on the US mainland. At the event, the DPRK Defence Minister Kang Sun Nam announced that “the US imperialists have no room of choice of survival in case they use nuclear weapons against the DPRK”.[8] This statement is devoid of bombast, and the ruling classes in the West are well aware of it. In an ideal world, nuclear weapons would not exist, and the threat of war would melt away. However, as long as imperialism exists, nations threatened by Washington and their allies have little choice but to build and maintain nuclear weapons. The DPRK has seen country after country which did not have the capability to defend themselves militarily invaded and/or overthrown multiple times – from Afghanistan to Iraq to Libya to Syria.
Now, the US ruling class is again trying to provoke a war with nuclear armed Russia via Ukraine. It is mainly through the incredible restraint shown by Russia and the PRC in the face of relentless provocations that World War III has not yet broken out. Despite living under the shadow of ongoing sanctions and threats against it for more than seven decades, the DPRK is still prepared to defend the gains of its century of struggle. The largest gain is the construction of a workers’ state, which on an economic basis, is arguably the most advanced socialistic power to have yet come into being. Under the constitution of the DPRK, its citizens have the right to employment (which means zero unemployment), free education, free healthcare and full material assistance in the event of illness. All citizens over 17 years of age have the right to stand and be elected in any of the DPRK’s state organs.[9] Astonishingly, housing is free and supplied to all as a basic right.[10] And, all of these benefits come without any burden of taxation. Taxes in the DPRK were abolished in 1974 !![11]
This is the reason why the DPRK is more demonised in the Western media than any other nation. It is subjected to a mountain of lies in order to hide achievements which many consider impossible. The only Western accusation which has some relation to the truth is the existence of a leadership cult around the Kim family. Of the plethora of various forms of Stalinism, this one is the most unique, but it distorts political discourse on the northern side of the Korean peninsula. While credit should be due to leading figures, no genuine militant should tolerate unquestioning adulation of individuals. Despite this, to be able to stare down and resist the dire threat of invasion and/or nuclear annihilation by the Pentagon every day for decades on end, is a remarkable testament to the strength of the DPRK. What is required is the revolutionary reunification of Korea, through a proletarian political revolution in the North combined with a socialist revolution in the South. It is acknowledged that this is likely to be bound up with a proletarian political revolution in the PRC, Korea’s giant neighbour. With all due respect to 20th century Korean and Chinese history, the removal of Stalinism and the consequent extension of genuine Marxism internationally remains key for the final victory of socialism in Asia.
WORKERS LEAGUE
www.redfireonline.com.
E: workersleague@protonmail.com
[1] www.kkfonline.com/2022/10/06/on-the-77th-anniversary-of-the-founding-of-the-workers-party-of-korea/ (02-08-2023)
[2] www.visitthedprk.org/what-is-north-koreas-day-of-the-sun/ (02-08-2023)
[3] www.thediplomat.com/2023/07/reflecting-on-the-korean-armistice-70-years-later/ (02-08-2023)
[4] www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/library/news/dprk/2023/dprk-230727-kcna08.htm (02-08-2023)
[5] www.abcnews.go.com/International/story?id=83114&page=1 (02-08-2023)
[6] www.kathmandupost.com/world/2023/07/28/russian-chinese-officials-join-kim-at-north-korea-military-parade (02-08-2023)
[7] www.historyguy.com/korean_war_casualties_and_statistics.htm (02-08-2023)
[8] www.apnews.com/article/north-korea-kim-jong-un-shoigu-parade-3171c3536c040e6edab073fa060c8138 (02-08-2023)
[9] www.kfausa.org/chapter-v-fundamental-rights-and-duties-of-citizens/ (02-08-2023)
[10] www.exploredprk.com/articles/free-housing-in-dprk-a-priority-for-the-peoples-wellbeing/ (02-08-2023)
[11] www.dprktoday.com/abroad/news/21381?lang=e (02-08-2023)
Photo: Defence Minister of the Russian Federation, Sergei Shoigu, is shown some of the military hardware of the DPRK in Pyongyang, by leader Kim Jong-Un. http://www.cnyhomepage.com
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