The WPK Only Advanced Along the Road of Juche

Dear friends,

First of all, I would like to express deep gratitude to you for your participation in the International E-seminar “Korea: Ever-Victorious with Independence” under the joint auspices of the Organizing Committee of the International Festival in Praise of the Great Persons of Mt. Paektu and the Indonesia-Korea Friendship and Cultural Exchange on the occasion of the 75th founding anniversary of the Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK).

Today the international community focuses its attention on the WPK, a guiding force of the Korean people in their efforts towards  the construction of a prosperous socialist society creating spectacular achievements in social and physical developments through collective ingenuity, determination and endeavour.

During the past 75 years the WPK has led the Korean and world revolution along the road of independence.

Independence is a strategic line and banner of victory consistently held fast by the WPK in the revolution and construction.

The WPK has never pursued any established theory or formula, but only advanced along the road of Juche and independence while leading the struggle in subsequent stages of revolution and construction and the cause of the independence of the world.

Mankind expresses enthusiastic sympathy to the politics of independence of the WPK which makes a great contribution to the peace and prosperity of the world by defending the socialist principles and advancing under the banner of the international justice and independence against imperialism despite all sorts of challenges of history.

I am reminded that Che Guevara, the great South American revolutionary assassinated by the CIA, held up Korea as the world-leading example of revolutionary theory and practice. From this honoured martyr, praise could not have come from a higher source.

It is inconceivable apart from the leadership of President Kim Il Sung, Chairman Kim Jong Il and H.E Kim Jong Un that the WPK could be widely known as an admired Party of the people and as one prestigious with independence and victorious with it as today.

President Kim Il Sung is the founder of the WPK and a pioneer of the era of independence.

He organized the Down-with-Imperialism Union for the liberation of Korea at an early age and studied the truth of the Juche idea in the struggle to open up a unique road of revolution.

Firmly convinced that the master of the Korean revolution must be the Korean people themselves as nobody would present them with the independence of Korea, he led the hard anti-Japanese war to victory to achieve the cause of the liberation of Korea.

On the basis of the organizational and ideological foundations created in the anti-Japanese war he founded the WPK with the Juche idea as a guideline to make a paragon in founding a revolutionary party in the era of independence on October 10th in 1945, less than two months after the liberation.

Under his leadership the WPK put forth a line of building the state in a way quite different from any others, only conforming to the actual conditions prevailing in Korea and the interest of the people, starting from a thorough principle of Juche and established an independent and sovereign State governed by the people in Korea.

The WPK put priority to the founding and build-up of the army to lead the fierce Korean war, comparable to the confrontation of a rifle versus an atomic bomb. Accordingly victory to defend the sovereignty and prestige of the nation was executed with unswerving determination and resolve.

It is inconceivable, apart from the WPK’s politics of independence, that the DPRK turned into a socialist power based on an independent national economy undaunted by any world economic fluctuations, sanctions and pressures, and developed science and technology to realize the self-defensive capabilities able to subdue any  enemy no matter how formidable.

A passionate love for and absolute belief in the people underlies the WPK’s politics of independence.

President Kim Il Sung always found himself among the people in the long period of his leadership of the WPK to involve the demand and opinions of the people in working out policies and devoted his all to bringing a happy and civilized life to them.

 With the nation divided by foreign forces, he put forward the fairest policy of reunifying Korea in an independent and peaceful way and  uniting the forces of the nation he took bold and active measures to open up a new phase of the reunification of Korea.

The proposal of founding the Democratic Federal Republic of Koryo advanced by him 40 years before was so fair and reputable as to evoke full support and sympathy from the world’s progressive people.

President Kim Il Sung was a veteran statesman who led the world revolution along the road of independence.

He developed  relations of friendship and cooperation with the countries desiring to defend peace on the Korean peninsula, in Asia and the world and aspiring under the ideal of independence, peace and friendship.

The exploits he made in putting forward the strategy and tactics of global independence, giving material and spiritual assistance to other countries and peoples pursuing the way of independence against  imperialism and in making an unusual contribution to the Non-Aligned Movement are deeply cherished by mankind.

Chairman Kim Jong Il is the eternal General Secretary of the WPK who developed and strengthened the WPK with his energetic ideological and theoretical activities and revolutionary practice to a guiding force for defending the sovereignty and prestige of the nation and seeing justice done in the world.

He held fast to the Juche idea created by President Kim Il Sung as an unchangeable guiding idea in the Party building and its activities.

Since the mid 1990s to the end of his life he defended the destiny of the country and the people with his Songun leadership from the stifling acts of the imperialist allied forces and turned the DPRK into a fortress of independence exerting a great influence on the world political arena.

Under his guidance the leadership system of the Party was firmly established, the single-hearted unity further strengthened and eye-opening success is being made in the economic construction and defense build-up.

I recall some years ago meeting a retired naval officer from the south of Korea who informed me he had a high regard for Kim Jong Il as a military strategist. He bore no animosity towards him.

Embodying the idea of “The people are my God” and a high  view of “people as they are” of President Kim Il Sung, he developed the WPK to one responsibly defending the destiny of the people and one enjoying their absolute support and trust.

Upholding the instructions of President Kim Il Sung, he opened up a bright prospect of the cause of Korea’s reunification with the publication of the June 15 North-South Joint Declaration and the October 4 Declaration.

By our nation itself, the main spirit and core in the North-south declarations is the idea for reunification of Korea today.

Chairman Kim Jong Il is a benefactor of  world revolution, who illuminated the path for the cause of global independence to follow.

The Pyongyang Declaration on defending and advancing the socialist cause arranged by the active initiative and efforts of the WPK serves as a common programme of struggle for the world revolutionary parties.

President Kim Il Sung and Chairman Kim Jong Il who made great exploits for the Korean revolution and the cause of independence of the world under the banner of independence in their lifetime are always alive in the heart of the world’s progressive mankind as the sun of Juche.

The WPK led by H.E. Kim Jong Un, who is progressing the ideas and cause of the preceding leaders and is carving out a new era of victory and prosperity.

H.E. Kim Jong Un is the most prominent theoretician of the present age.

He formalized the Juche idea to Kimilsungism-Kimjongilism, declared it as the highest programme of the WPK and illuminated the way of advancing the socialist cause pioneered by the preceding leaders victoriously.

With his ideological and theoretical activities, the strategy of the Korean revolution was clarified and the strategic lines of the building of a socialist power through the self-development-first policy and the head-on breakthrough campaign.

His theoretical activities for expounding the ideological problems raised in the reunification of Korea and the building of an independent world amidst the changes of the time and the complexity of the prevailing situation are greatly admired by the peace-loving people of the  world.

H.E. Kim Jong Un is an outstanding leader who frustrates the imperialist acts of isolation and stifling with an independent confidence and matchless courage and leads the Korean revolution to the victory.

The unprecedented  acts of pressure and sanctions by the imperialist allied forces against the DPRK,  after the passing-away of Chairman Kim Jong Il were  met with resolution and commitment.

It has  resulted from the devotional efforts of H.E. Kim Jong Un that the Korean People’s Army demonstrates its might as an invincible revolutionary army, Juche-oriented strategic weapons developed successively and miraculous successes have been made one after another in the field of economic construction.

H.E. Kim Jong Un is a benevolent leader of the people, who enforces the masses of people-first policies.

He has a high view  that the people must be respected just as President Kim Il Sung and Chairman Kim Jong Il had recognised.

He is now leading with great vigor the struggle of the WPK,  giving priority and absoluteness to the interests and convenience of the people, investing all the resources  to the promotion of people’s well-being and ensuring the people enjoy the best life opportunities at the highest level.

His view of people is clearly demonstrated especially in bestowing warm love and favour on the youth and rising generation who would take the future of the country upon themselves.

The recent notable successes including appearance of new palaces for children, new streets across the country, construction of modern medical centres and cultural pleasure amenities and repeated discussions of the tasks for the promotion of the well-being of the people in successive meetings of the WPK can only be achieved by the WPK which regards the good of the people as the top priority in all affairs of the state.

Today the Korean people give the WPK  absolute support and trust and the Juche-oriented socialism is being further deeply rooted to their heart and life.

On  national reunification the Workers Party of Korea asserts that the reunification of the country must be achieved by the Korean nation itself by pooling the efforts of fellow countrymen on their own responsibility instead of depending on others.

H.E. Kim Jong Un perfectly embraced the idea of the national reunification of the preceding leaders. Now he is opening up a new era of realizing the cause of reunification with an ardent love of the nation.

Today the world progressive humankind speaks in highest terms of H. E. Kim Jong Un as the sun of the 21st century, who leads the cause of independence of the world to victory in firm unity with the peoples of all the countries supporting independence under the banner of socialism and independence against imperialism.

It is the greatest honour and good fortune not only for the Korean people, but also for the world’s progressive people to have him as another great person of Mt. Paektu.

Dear friends, Colleagues and Comrades,

It is the unanimous will of the people of all  countries loving justice and peace and aspiring after independence to praise the revolutionary life and exploits of the great persons of Mt. Paektu and convey their sensitivity and leadership down to posterity.

Believing that this E-seminar would mark another new turn for expressing the warm admiration of humankind for the great persons of Mt. Paektu and the expectation and conviction that the DPRK would surely build a prosperous socialist power under the leadership of H.E. Kim Jong Un, I would like to offer profound gratitude once again to all present in the E-seminar.

The path to success is always arduous and some may fall by the wayside. We should not leave them behind but offer a helping hand to them to share the journey. When we reflect on the propensity for ever-increasing determination to overcome adversity, demonstrated by the Great Persons of Mt Paektu and the profound leadership of the Workers Party of Korea, we can be further stimulated to carry on the fight to its ultimate conclusion. Korea is One country, Koreans are One people and we must support the realization of One country united within a World free from discrimination, exploitation, conflict and with unimpeded economic independence.In this manner Korea will be ever- victorious with independence!

Peter Woods
Co-Chair Organizing Committee of the International Festival Committee in Praise of the Great Persons of Mt Paektu
Co-Chair of the Asia-Pacific Regional Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of Korea