The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) has reaffirmed its commitment to the cause of national independence, anti-imperialism and socialism at the recent seventh congress of the ruling Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK). This outcome is not surprising to those who are familiar with the steadfast history and present stance of people’s Korea, but is nonetheless greatly to be welcomed by working people everywhere.
Meeting in the capital Pyongyang from 6-9 May, nearly 3,500 delegates elected Comrade Kim Jong Un as the chairman of the party and mapped out the next phase of the country’s socialist cause, while summing up all the complicated events that had occurred since the sixth congress was held back in 1980.
Comrade Kim Jong Un delivered several speeches at the congress, including a detailed report on the work of the party’s central committee.
Struggles and successes
He described the period since the sixth congress as one of “unprecedentedly grim struggle in [the party’s] long history and years of glorious victory”.
Alongside victories in socialist construction, the party had pressed ahead with the work to “revolutionise, working-classise and intellectualise all members of the society, thereby consolidating the driving force of the socialist cause”.
Comrade Kim Jong Un continued: “The WPK has waged a courageous struggle to defend and advance the socialist cause with the firm will to shatter the imperialists’ counter-revolutionary offensive with the revolutionary one.
Speaking of the great loss of the Korean revolution’s leader, President Kim Il Sung, he said: “After this great loss to the nation, the imperialists and their followers reached the height of their political and military pressure, with moves for provoking a war and economic blockade. To cap it all, the country was hit by severe natural disasters, bringing untold hardships and trial to the economic construction and people’s living.
“When the world was concerned about the fate of the DPRK and when the imperialist reactionaries were foolishly trumpeting about a ‘change in line’ and the ‘collapse of the socialist system’, leader Kim Jong Il solemnly declared his iron will to defend and carry to completion the revolutionary cause started by the president, no matter how arduous the road of the revolution might be.”
As a result, he continued: “The WPK has bolstered up the People’s Army in every way, established state machinery centred on national defence and transformed and adjusted all fields on the principle of songun [the policy of military first] ...
“Thanks to the heroic struggle of the service personnel and other people, who turned out as one in close unity around the party, the DPRK won victory after victory in the protracted fierce confrontation with the imperialists and the US, victoriously concluded the Arduous March and the forced march and honourably safeguarded the security and the sovereignty of the country and socialism.
“In the grim struggle for defending socialism, the WPK set forth the high goal of building a powerful socialist nation and waged a strenuous struggle, thus advancing the socialist cause onto a new higher stage.”
However, in the midst of this titanic struggle, “our party and people suffered all of a sudden another greatest loss to the nation – the demise of Kim Jong Il”.
“All the party members, service personnel and other people, seized with the profound grief over the loss of Kim Jong Il, overcame sorrow with strength and courage ... and courageously turned out in the struggle to translate into a brilliant reality his lifetime plan and desire in close unity around the Party Central Committee.”
Turning to the current situation, Comrade Kim Jong Un said: “As required by the prevailing situation and the developing revolution, the WPK advanced the strategic line of simultaneously pushing forward economic construction and the building of a nuclear force and worked hard for its implementation.
“Thanks to the dynamic struggle waged by the army and people of the DPRK to carry out the strategic line of the party, a sure guarantee was provided for finally concluding the confrontation with the imperialists and the US and accelerating the final victory of our cause.”
Korea is One
Dealing with the issue of national reunification, Comrade Kim Jong Un recalled that the party had worked to rally the entire nation around the principle of independence and the establishment of a democratic federal republic in Korea, with the aim of reuniting their country, which had been divided by imperialist occupation.
Despite the desperate efforts to derail reunification talks by separatist forces, this policy, advanced by Comrade Kim Il Sung and carried forward by Comrade Kim Jong Il, was able to make great strides forward, resulting in “two rounds of north-south summit and the adoption of the 15 June joint declaration and the 4 October declaration ... guided by the idea of ‘By our nation itself’, the first of their kind in the history of national division. This was an epochal event that ... opened up a turning point for national reunification.”
Global struggle for anti-imperialism and socialism
Turning to the international situation and questions of foreign policy, Comrade Kim Jong Un said: “It is the common desire of humankind and a historic task of the times to realise global independence.
“For global independence, it is important for each country and nation to maintain their sovereignty, holding aloft the banner of independence against imperialism.
“The core of the struggle against imperialism is to frustrate the moves of the US and its followers for aggression and war and defend global peace and security.”
Underscoring the need to conduct a vigorous struggle to achieve the dissolution of the aggressive military blocs, the root of military confrontation and war, and have the aggressive military bases removed from other countries and thus build a new peaceful world, he continued:
“All countries and nations aspiring for independence should never harbour any expectation and illusion about the imperialists’ cunning, double-dealing tactics and hypocritical ‘aid’, but preserve their Juche [self-reliant] character and national identity.
“Progressive humanity should vigorously struggle for international justice, irrespective of differences in political views, religious beliefs and economic and cultural development.
“It is necessary to reject the imperialists’ high-handed and arbitrary practices, double standards and injustice, which aim to violate the sovereignty and right to existence of other countries and nations, and struggle for impartiality in dealing with international issues such as anti-terrorism, disputes and the environment.
“A vigorous struggle should be waged to defend and victoriously advance the socialist cause. The Non-Aligned Movement should be developed.”
Noting that independence, peace and friendship are the consistent foreign policy principles of the WPK and the principled stand to be constantly maintained in the struggle for global independence, he said that the WPK and the DPRK would “develop friendly and cooperative relations with other countries that respect our sovereignty and remain friendly to us, and strive for regional peace and security and global independence.
“The WPK and the DPRK government will take a beeline along the eternal course of independence, songun and socialism, no matter how the situation and relationship among neighbouring countries may change, and play a vanguard role as the defender of independence and justice in the struggle for global independence.”
Nukes – no first use
Regarding the nuclear issue, he said: “Our party and the DPRK government will wage a vigorous struggle to put an end to the danger of nuclear war, imposed by the US, with powerful nuclear deterrence, and will defend regional and global peace.
“As a responsible nuclear weapons state, our republic will not use a nuclear weapon unless its sovereignty is encroached upon by any aggressive hostile forces with nukes, as we have already declared, and we will faithfully fulfil our obligation for non-proliferation and strive for global denuclearisation ...
“We will unite and cooperate with any country and nation aspiring after independence and justice, irrespective of differences in ideology and social system.
“We will improve and normalise the relations with those countries that respect the sovereignty of the DPRK and are friendly towards it, even if they have been hostile toward it in the past
“The WPK will as ever get closely united with all countries and peoples defending independence and continue to struggle for victory in the cause of global independence under the uplifted banner of socialism, the banner of independence against imperialism,” Comrade Kim Jong Un declared.
Solidarity
The CPGB-ML sent its warmest revolutionary greetings to the WPK congress. In our solidarity message, we said: “The Workers’ Party of Korea is the vanguard party of the Korean working class and also holds a special and significant place in the international communist movement.
“With its roots in the anti-Japanese armed struggle, over seven decades and more, your great party has led the working class and people to win victory in the Fatherland Liberation War, to rehabilitate the national economy, and to build an advanced socialist state. It has also rendered selfless support and solidarity to the anti-imperialist struggle and the cause of socialism in every part of the world and has sought to achieve the unity and cohesion of the socialist countries and the international communist movement, whilst opposing modern revisionism and adhering to revolutionary principles.”
Further, our party sent its warmest congratulations to Comrade Kim Jong Un on his election as chairman of the WPK, noting: “As ever, we assure you of our unwavering support and our commitment to constantly strengthen the fraternal and friendly relations between our two parties based on proletarian internationalism.”
Following the congress, the central committee of the WPK sent our party a letter informing us about the successful holding of the seventh congress.
In the letter, our Korean comrades assured us that “the WPK will continue to remain true to the principles of independence, peace and friendship underlying its foreign policy and to strengthen unity and develop relations of friendship and cooperation with all political parties, including your party, that aspire to independence and love justice so as to actively contribute to the cause of global independence.
“The Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea avails itself of this opportunity to reiterate its gratitude to the Communist Party of Great Britain (Marxist-Leninist) for the support to and solidarity with the righteous cause of the WPK and Korean people and wish you greater successes in your future work. Please accept the assurances of the highest consideration.”
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