Wednesday 14 August 2013

REPORT ON THE OPC DELEGATION THAT VISITED THE DPRK FOR THE 60TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE KOREAN VICTORY FATHER LAND LIBERATION WAR



REPORT ON THE OPC DELEGATION THAT VISITED THE DPRK FOR THE
60TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE KOREAN VICTORY FATHER LAND LIBERATION WAR

60 Years on a Great Victory for The Korean People

July 27th 2013 was the sixty anniversary of the signing of the Armistice Agreement that ended hostilities on the Korean peninsula but not the war known as the “Forgotten War.” Two of the terms and conditions contained in the Armistice Agreement as principles points were the expectation that the Armistice Agreement would be converted into a genuine peace agreement and that the governments of both the DPRK and the US, through the process of discussions, would work to-wards establishing normal relations. Sixty years on there has been no peace accord signed off and relations between both sides are still part of the Cold War era.

For the Korean people the 27th July is recognised as their great victory in the Fatherland Liberation War and the sixtieth anniversary of this great victory was a special and significant event for them along with an Oceania delegation of six persons who visited the DPRK for this historic event.

In February 2013 the Australia – DPRK Friendship and Cultural Society and the New Zealand DPRK Society formed the Oceania Preparatory Committee and launched an appeal and signature campaign calling upon the US to withdraw all its military forces and nuclear weapons from the Korean peninsula and enter into genuine dialogue with the DPRK to convert the Armistice Agreement into a genuine peace accord.

At the invitation of the DPRK Committee for Cultural Relations with Foreign Countries through the Korea – Australia /New Zealand Friendship Societies an invitation was extended to send a delegation of six to visit the DPRK and to join with other world delegations, international visitors and all the Korean people to mark and celebrate the 27th July as a great victory for the Korean people. As well as the Oceania delegation a journalist and cameraman from the SBS TV broadcaster also received an invitation to cover the event from an Australian media perspective.

After spending a few days in Beijing to collect visas and arrange our flight to Pyongyang on Air Koryo we arrived in Pyongyang the capital of the DPRK on the 22nd July.

There to meet us was Mr. Hwang Sung Chol Secretary General of the Korea – Australia /New Zealand Friendship Societies and his two assistants Miss Kim and Mr. Lee all of whom spoke very good English. From the airport, along with other delegations that arrived on the same flight, we were driven to the Yanggakaddo hotel situated on an island on the River Taedong which has 47 floors (including a revolving restaurant) that would be our home for the next nine days. From the airport the drive to the hotel took about 45 minutes from the outskirts and through the capital Pyongyang. For those delegates who were fortunate to visit Pyongyang in April last year for the 100th anniversary celebrations of the birth of Kim Il Sung we could immediately see the changes, new apartment blocks had been completed and new construction sites were to be seen.

After arriving at our hotel and checking in we met with Mr. Hwang to discuss our program of activities for our stay in the DPRK. As expected the program was full of political and cultural events commencing the very next day with a visit to the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun to pay our respects and homage to eternal President Kim IL Sung and Kim IL Jong who are now both entombed in the palace.

As a further mark of respect we then paid a visit to the statues of both Generalissimo Kim IL Sung and Kim Jon IL on Mansuade Hill where Peter Woods on behalf of our delegation laid a floral basket of flowers before the statues. From there it was a visit to the native houses in Manyongdae where President Kim IL Sung was born and spent his childhood.

International Solidarity with the Korean People

With the arrival of all international delegations a consultative meeting was held at our hotel to consider the program for the Grand International Peace March in Pyongyang, Kaesong and Panmunjoin on July 24th and the International Indignation Meeting in Sinchon July 25. The meeting was chaired by Javed Ansari from Pakistan with Kim Jin Bom Vice Chairman of the Committee for Cultural Relations With Foreign Countries (CCRFC) Peter Woods (as Co-Chairman of the Asia Pacific Regional Solidarity Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of Korea ) and myself from Australia, Norma G. Binas of Philippines, and Teguh Santosa from Indonesia sharing the official platform. On behalf of members of the official platform I presented the official program and timetable for the Inaugural Ceremony of the Grand International Peace March, The Grand International Peace March and Solidarity Meeting in Kaesong and the International Indignation Meeting for Sinchon July 25th.

Following the consultative meeting, a meeting of the heads of delegations took place where Kim Jong Suk Chairwoman of the Committee for Cultural Relationship with Foreign Countries and secretary to the Workers Party of Korea officially welcomed the international delegations to the DPRK and the 60th anniversary of the Korean victory of the Fatherland Liberation War. The meeting was advised that 35 countries from the four corners of the globe represented by 250 delegates had sent Friendship/Solidarity delegations together with delegations from various political parties from Europe, Asia and the Americas.

That evening and in honour of the international delegations a reception was held in the Banquet Hall of the Yanggakdo Hotel where delegates where warmly welcome by Kim Jong Suk chair of the CCRFC. During the course of the reception Peter Woods Co-Chair of the Asia Pacific Regional Solidarity Committee for the Reunification of Korea when proposing a toast reflected upon his joint New Zealand and Australian nationality and called for renewed efforts by these two allies of the US's shameful attacks upon the Korean people to be reversed, to work towards the peaceful reunification of Korea and to strongly assert that Korea is one and shall be one.

Grand International Peace March

The next day (July24th) at the Charters for the National Reunification monument the Inaugural Ceremony for the Grand International Peace March was held and chaired by Javed Ansari with speeches delivered by Peter Woods of Australia, Norma G. Binas from the Philippines and Kim Jon Suk Chairwoman CCRFC. In presenting his speech to the ceremony Peter Woods said in part “To avoid a nuclear war the US has to withdraw its hostile policy toward the DPRK and sign a peace treaty with the DPRK. We must continue our efforts to create one Korea in a peaceful manner based on the Korean peoples will”. Kim Jong Suk “The great victory 60 years ago was a historic event and was evident of the superiority strategy developed by Kim IL Sung. Kim Jong Un will continue Kim IL Sung and Kim Jong IL’s effort to unify Korea and to create the stable and peaceful world. This Grand International Peace March is a form of great support from peace lovers over the world towards the Korean People” and Norma G. Binas “The conflict of the Korean Peninsula is caused by an outside power, by the hostile policy of the US. The US military threat to the DPRK is a danger for humanity and the peaceful Korean people.
Nuclear holocaust should be condemned; we are denouncing the nuclear war provoked by the US. The US has to remove the military threat and conclude a peace treaty with the DPRK. The reunification of Korea should be based on the spirit of June 15th 2000 declaration and October 4th 2007 declaration “By our Nation Itself.” At the conclusion of the speeches the Grand International Peace March begun lead by the women’s band of the Ministry of Peoples Security with each side of the peace route flanked by thousands of Korea citizens, with the women dressed in their traditional dresses, cheering and waving at the peace march and showing deep respect and appreciation to the international delegations who have joined them in celebrating the historic event of the 60th anniversary celebrations.

Arriving at Kaesong city close to the DMZ the peace march then proceeded to Janam Hill and the statue of President Kim Il Sung to lay floral and flower baskets at the bottom of the statue. Following a delicious lunch at Kaesong’s Chanamsan Hotel the Grand Peace March continued its journey to the DMZ at Panmunjom where we visited the hall and other buildings where the Armistice Agreement was signed that ended hostilities on the Korean peninsula on the 27th July 1953. These historic buildings are now museums displaying information and other material relating to the signing of the Armistice Agreement. On display were the comments of US General Mark Clark who on behalf of the US and the UN Command confessed he “gained the unenviable distinction of being the first United States Army Commander in history to sign an armistice agreement without victory”

A visit to the actual DMZ zone clearly reveals the artificial separation of Korea by the military policies of the US for sixty years, there is no geographical or physical logic to Korea's division, it was the artificial creation of US imperialism and it is the crime of Koreas division. On the Southside of the DMZ and from a high point you can actually see the concrete wall that the US has built which runs all the way from the east to the west coast of Korea around 260 kilometers with barbed wire and electric fences. Those delegates who had visited the DMZ for the first time could see the crime that has been committed against the Korean people by the policies of US imperialism and would have a lasting impact upon them.

On leaving the DMZ we journeyed back to Kaesong to complete the Grand International Peace March and to hold a solidarity meeting at Songdo Square chaired by Javed Ansari. As we marched through Kaesong city we were again greeted enthusiastically by the local citizens in their thousands. At the solidarity meeting speeches were delivered by representatives from Bangladesh, Russia, Japan, UK and the chairman of the Peoples Committee of Kaesong City, Park Ryoung Pai. At the conclusion of the speeches I delivered the declaration of the Grand International Peace March and the solidarity meeting concluding with a letter addressed to Marshal Kim Jong Un being read by Martin Lotscher Chairman of the Swiss-Korea Friendship Society, the contents of the letter expressing our full support to the Korean people for National Reunification and opposition to the policies of US Imperialism. We left Kaesong for the journey back to Pyongyang but we left behind our international solidarity and best wishes to the people of Kaesong who live and work next to the DMZ.

As a consequence of US Militarist and Foreign policies in attempting to capture Korea as a springboard into China and at that time the USSR the Korean war which lasted for three years (25th June 1950 to 27th July 1953) over 4.5million Koreans lost their lives with hundreds of thousands if not millions being maimed or seriously injured. Among the dead were the hero’s and martyrs of the Korean People Army (KPA). In recognition of those Martyrs the Inauguration of the Cemetery of the KPA Martyrs took place on July 25th. Along with thousands of Korean citizens and hundreds of International delegates and dignitaries with the hundreds of veterans who fought in the Fatherland Liberation War up in front of the mass crowd we waited patiently for the commencement of the ceremony and the cutting of the ribbon to officially open this historic site. With the arrival of the
official party and appropriate speeches delivered, Kim Jong Un cut the ribbon and officially opened the KPA Martyrs cemetery. Each headstone representing the body of a martyr had a picture of the fallen comrade engraved in the headstone with name, age and exploits that cost his or her life when fighting for the Fatherland. A moving experience was a tour of the cemetery and the highlight for me was when I had the opportunity to shake the hands and salute a group of veterans that survived the battles of the Fatherland Liberation War.

US Atrocities and War Crimes Exposed

It is often said that the first casualty of war is truth and our visit to Sinchon County to participate in the International Indignation meeting and visit the Sinchon Museum of war crimes committed by the US military forces was a revealing experience for all.

At Chestnut Valley in Sinchon County the US Military forces slaughtered over 35,000 people and one example of their atrocities were the herding of some five hundred women, children and old men into an air raid shelter and then poring petrol down the air vents and setting it alight. Miraculously some survived and are still alive today and the scars that they still carry reveal the whole truth about the US Atrocities at Sinchon Chestnut Valley.

The International Indignation meeting was chaired by Brian Baker US National Coordinator Act Now to Stop War and Racism and the main speaker was Ramsey Clark the previous US Attorney General under US President Johnston. As part of his speech to the International Indignation meeting Ramsay Clark apologized to the Korean people for the war crimes that the US committed against them. He conceded that as a result of US involvement in the Korean War over 4.5million Koreans lost their lives and Pyongyang the capital was totally destroyed without a building left standing. “War is always hell” he said. He told the meeting that last year he testified against the US on the case on the nuclear vessels in the Pacific. Eight nuclear submarines remain on continuous alert with over 400 nuclear missiles armed and ready and ten times as powerful as the atomic bomb that was dropped on Hiroshima. It is an example he said of how the US maintains a constant war footing alert and holding the rest of the world on the brink of nuclear war. He stated that the international community should stand together to condemn the US and its allies in relation to its policies against the DPRK. Other speakers where from Croatia, Turkey and Kim Jin Born on behalf of the Korean people expressed deep appreciation for the support coming from international delegations. At the end of the meeting Alejandro Cao de Benos of Spain read the declaration.

At the invitation of the Pyongyang Municipal Committee of the Workers Party of Korea and the Pyongyang Municipal Peoples Committee we attended the National Meeting to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the victory of the Korean people in the Fatherland Liberation War held at the May Day Stadium. Marshall Kim Jong Un attended the meeting and Kim Yong Nam President of the Supreme People’s Assembly addressed the meeting thanking all international participants and sending best wishes to all Korean people living overseas.

That evening we had the privilege to witness and be entertained by the grand gymnastic and artistic performance “Ariang” at the May Day stadium a wonderful performance of dancing, singing gymnastic and other cultural events that lasted for some two hours and involving over 100,000 participants and artists.


KPA Defender of Peace

The next day was July 27th VE Day for the Korean people and the National Military Parade. The parade commenced with columns of KPA Soldiers dressed in the period uniforms from the Korean War and armed with rifles from that era, followed by columns of trucks carrying veterans from the war. The parade continued with columns of Army, Navy and Air force units of the KPA supported by columns of Workers and Peasants militia. Supporting these units where columns of tanks, armored carriers, rocket launchers, missile carriers and other very impressive hardware. Just above us pilots of helicopter gunships skillfully maneuvered their machines through the main street between apartment blocks and into Kim IL Sung Square. Further above pilots on board their supersonic jets roared past in a salute to the parade and the Korean people. But the parade wasn’t just about military hardware thousands of workers, students and representatives from the collective farms marched in unity with the mighty KPA an army of the Party, State and the People a single unity under Songun Politics.

In his speech to the Officers and Men of Unit No 256 of the Korean People’s Army on October 23 1953 the Great Leader President Kim Il Sung said “We defeated the huge armed forces of US imperialism, the ringleader of world imperialism and its 15 satellites countries, and forced them to sign the Armistice Agreement as we demanded. This is a great victory for us.
What are the victories we achieved in the arduous three year war? First, the Korean people and the People’s Army, through their historic struggle, repulsed the enemy’s invasion and defended the democratic base in the northern half of Korea with honour.
The Korean war laid bare the brutal nature of imperialism to the world, and shattered the myth of the “might” of US imperialism to pieces.
In fact, earlier some people had an illusion about the “might” and “humanitarianism” of US imperialism. Through the Korean war, however, the people of the world not only realized clearly that the US imperialists were the most heinous savages but also came to believe more firmly that if a people fought to the last bravely, arms in hands, they would be able to defeat them.
It was widely known to the world for long that US imperialism was the most vicious aggressor and biggest robber in the world”

Following the Military parade we attended the inauguration of the Victorious Fatherland Liberation War Museum which was officially opened by Marshall Kim Jong Un and later that evening we were treated to a huge fireworks display titled “We Will Emerge Victorious as Ever. “That wasn’t the end of the program for that day. On arriving back at our hotel later in the evening the General Secretary of the Koreans Peoples Assembly had organized a banquet to celebrate the VE Day and to properly recognize and pay tribute to Chinese and Russian volunteers who supported the Korean people and the KPA during the war.

In addition to the above activities our program also included a visit to the Workers Party of Korea (WPK) Monument, the Pyongyang Exhibition House of Culture. Separately the Oceania delegation also paid a visit to both the Australia and New Zealand Friendship Schools.

Oceania Contribution Peace and Friendship

The Australian Friendship School is the Kumsong Middle School No 1 and over time qualified people from Australia have provided English lessons to the students. The school was opened in 1969 and currently accommodates 2000 students from Pyongyang and other parts of the DPRK. The school engages around 79 teachers with a class on average of 25 students with six years secondary study (compulsory education is 12 years for all students).

Internationally the school students have performed cultural events in 58 countries 800 performances involving 1400 students. Although it was the summer holidays for the students, a group of students gave up their time to welcome our visit with a magnificent cultural performance of song and dance and coached all of us to join them for a traditional Korean dance. It was a wonderful experience and makes us proud that we can call Kumsong Middle School No 1 our Australian Friendship School.

Next it was a visit to the New Zealand Friendship School “Pyongyang Ryongbok June 9 Senior School” which is the New Zealand Friendship School. Opened in 1969, the school has 39 teachers and 750 pupils. Students start at the age of 14 and study at the school for three years. Unfortunately time and climatic conditions prevented us from visiting the joint Australia /New Zealand Friendship Farm Sambong Cooperative

This year on the 9th September the Korean people will celebrate the 65th anniversary of the formation of their republic “Democratic People’s Republic of Korea”. This year also will mark 60 years of their nation being divided which is a painful experience for all the Korean people. This division continues as a result of US foreign and military policies, a gross interference in the internal affairs of a sovereign nation.
Throughout its history the DPRK has been subjected to an economic, trade, financial and diplomatic embargo by the US. Over the last decade and through manipulating the UN, additional sanctions have been applied to the DPRK designed to strangle the lifeline of its economy and bring its people to heel with a strategy of forcing a regime change. Despite all the difficulties that the sanctions are causing in terms of shortages particularly oil and certain food products and hard currency which has an effect on international trade, the Korean people led by the WPK are determined to overcome the difficulties they face and build a prosperous thriving socialist nation under the banner JUCHE Independence and Self Reliance.
At the same time they will continue the struggle for the Peaceful Independent Reunification of Korea upholding the historic June 15th 2000 and the 0ctober 4th 2007 joint declaration ‘By our Nation Itself”

This report was compiled by Ray Ferguson on behalf of the Oceania delegation that visited the DPRK on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the signing of the Korean Armistice Agreement July 2013

Oceania delegation
Peter Woods, Adam Baker, Peter Wilson, Karim Dickie, Richard Foster and Ray Ferguson


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