It is with great sadness that we learn of the death of Kim Jong Il, leader of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, General Secretary of the Workers Party of Korea and son of legendary freedom fighter Kim Il Sung, who was born nearly 100 years ago on 15 April 1912, and who led the struggle of the tiny but defiant Korean nation to defeat the goliath of US imperialism.
The Korean people have never been forgiven for dealing this psychologically and militarily crushing blow to the arrogant imperialists, who continue to harass, threaten, bully and bludgeon all who stand in the way of their strategy of global domination.
The DPRK, with its 23 million population, may have the full force of the western propaganda machine and US/Nato military might ranged against it, but its entire history is one of struggle, and it has proven itself no easy nut to crack.
The US is winding up its rhetoric and looking for signs of weakness in order to recommence its colonial campaign in the north of Korea, to match its conquests in the already subjugated south. But as our own delegation found during party-to-party talks in Pyongyang in September 2010, the Workers Party of Korea is strong, has tremendous courage and understanding, and the Korean people stand united and defiant with an uplifting spirit of ‘single-hearted unity’ that is their abiding strength.
The people of north Korea are not, of course, isolated. As well as enjoying support amongst the vast masses of the south Korean people, they have strong links with people from oppressed and socialist countries worldwide, including, but not limited to, their mighty Chinese neighbours, the Cubans, Venezuelans, Zimbabweans, Vietnamese, and more.
As a matter of fact, much of the hostility shown towards the DPRK is in fact directed at China on the one hand and Russia on the other. Without the alleged ‘threat’ from the DPRK, the real reasons for US bases in Japan and south Korea become apparent. Namely, the military, diplomatic, and strategic domination of the entire region, and the bullying and threatening of China and Russia. Indeed, Nato’s recent war against Libya can be seen in very much the same light.
In reality, it is the USA, not north Korea, that is the real and existential threat to world peace. We have seen it time and again and will not be fooled by the latest wave of propaganda. Our enemies lie rather closer to home, and we will deal with them in time.
It is not our job to tell the people of the DPRK how to manage their affairs. We are confident that the party and people of north Korea remain strong and that their chosen leader, Comrade Kim Jong Un, will continue to defend the interests of the Korean workers and the international proletariat against the megalomaniacal schemes of US imperialism, whether under the helmsmanship of an Obama, a Bush junior, a Bush senior, a scion of the Kennedy clan or some other figurehead of the US imperialist free-market fundamentalists.
We send our deepest condolences to our friends and comrades in the Workers Party of Korea and to the people of the DPRK on the tragic loss of this much loved and lamented leader of their party and their nation. As the upholder of the Korean revolution, he was not only a great Korean but also a great leader of the world proletariat and peasantry in our common struggle against imperialism and for socialism.
Long live the memory of Kim Jong Il!
Long live the memory and legacy of Kim Il Sung!
Long live the Workers Party of Korea!
Long live the DPRK!
Long live the friendship between British and Korean workers!
Fight warmongering imerialism!
Korea is One!
CPGB-ML: Red salute to the Korean people on the news of the death of Comrade Kim Jong Il
http://www.cpgb-ml.org/index.php?secName=statements&subName=display&statementId=48
VIDEO REPORT: North Korea, reality check
http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLF0A58F439EC60467&feature=view_all
PRESS TV: Korea: A threat to world peace?
http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL423C5A7AF37898FE&feature=view_all
Official notice of the death of Comrade Kim Jong Il
http://blog.cpgb-ml.org/official-notice-of-the-death-of-comrade-kim-jong-il/
Kim Jong Il’s Russia visit: an all-round gain for the DPRK
http://www.cpgb-ml.org/index.php?secName=proletarian&subName=display&art=765
Red Youth 
For Gods sake how can you posibly support a communist “monarchy”? -at some point you have to accept that the overwhelming emprical evidence is right-NK is a corrupt, improvished autocracy-it wouldnt let you enjoy most of the freedoms you have here and your suggestion that this country is in anyway “socalist” or democratic undermines marxism and marxists-but hey its clean!! there is a reason you exist on the margins of the workers movement-a shame, as you have a lot of good things to say.
Does it ever worry you that all the despots you worry about get toppled by imperialism which goes on to ruin, plunder, subjugate and enslave the people? Or has it not occurred to you that your being manipulated?
Khruschevite revisionism was able – in a frighteningly quick period of time to defame and trample underfoot the incredible, earth shattering accomplishments of the October Revolution and the principal personalities who (supported by the great masses of Soviet workers and peasants) led that country in the fight against imperialism and for socialism. The inevitable so-called fight against the ‘Stalin personality cult’ was in fact a tool for attacking Leninism and bringing about capitalist restoration, this was proved by events that unfolded subsequently. All Gorbachev’s bluster about ‘reform’, ‘opening up’ and ‘democracy’ was in actual fact bollocks – it was capitalist restoration. The Koreans and others went looking for their own way of making sure such blatant opportunistic and revisionist trends could be defeated and ideologically routed.
In grappling with these questions (indeed for them in that tumultuous period they were life-and-death questions) the Korean’s like the Cubans have drawn some of their own conclusions, i.e. “respecting the forerunners of the revolution” etc. In this article Kim Jong-il has attempted to address some of these issues. We can appreciate where they come from, we can accept that they have to find their own way of consolidating the gains of their liberation under very difficult circumstances. Red Youth does not believe that there are any ‘eternal principles’ which are laid down for communists to follow mechanically. If you accept that the Koreans have decided to venerate their elders, to elevate the struggles of the ‘elder generation and its leaders’ as a method of carrying forward the ideological struggle and strengthening of the Korean people against imperialism – I would say they have been largely successful as shown by the actual course of events and not any preconceived ideas we may hold to personally about how we might bring about the social revolution. We don’t believe that Korea is a one-man or one-family dictatorship or that appointing Kim Jong-un the leading personality is evidence of this. The statements issued today in Pyongyang by Kim Yong Nam and others are pretty clear evidence that there is no ‘monarchy’ in Korea – just proletarian dictatorship which is really what you bulk at. Even the serious bourgeois media does not bother to peddle these absurd claims which you and many other ‘leftists’ like to use – political power is not held by fairytale all powerful individuals living in ivory towers utterly divorced from the rest of society and the world – this is merely the extent of political understanding the bourgeoisie wants you to garner. Even the most brutal fascistic dictatorships had some form of social base and every serious bourgeois scholar knows it.
Better to explain some of this to the British labour movement than jump on the bandwagon of ‘personality cult’s’, ‘deformed workers states’ ‘dangerous nuclear ambitions’ etc etc which will only serve to weaken the labour movement in its resolve to take a consistent anti-imperialist stance when the inevitable armed conflict/invasion/occupation to “topple a despotic monarchy” begins! Think before you speak.
Surely, that does not answer the original question!
I agree that the death of Kim Jong-Il is a loss for North Korea – the country has lost one of its strongest leaders. That said, ground reality is the fact that leadership of the country has been passed on to the 3rd generation in the same family. If this is not inheritance or monarchical way, what else is?
How can North Korean Worker’s Party members elect members of the same family as it’s leader for a second consecutive time? Surely if the country is ruled based on communist ideology, they should be aware of the Communist Manifesto statement which mentions “Abolition of all rights of inheritance” as one of the communist goals. If what currently happened in North Korea is not an example of inheritance, what else is?
There are a number of senior leaders in the Worker’s Party and the military who have a lot more experience than the new young leader. Other than being the son on Kim Jong-Il, what other strong qualifications Kim Jong-Un has over these senior leaders?
Also, I would like to disagree with the tone of taunt in your statement “Even the serious bourgeois media does not bother to peddle these absurd claims which you and many other ‘leftists’ like to use”. I strongly believe in Communist ideology but am still concerned the way a family member from the same family is selected as the Supreme Leader of a country for 3rd successive time. It will be ideal if you can please try to give an honest, valid answer, without doubting belief in left ideology of the questioner.
1. it does answer the original question
2. the country hasn’t lost ‘one of its strongest leaders’ – its lost a staunch fighter for communism, a man who lived his life to serve the people and a comrade who stood up to imperialism in the face of real aggression (if you want even a snap shot of what real aggression means just listen to Nestor Kirchener when he talks on Oliver Stone’s film “South of the Border” about just how easy it is to leave the IMF let alone face down 1,000 nukes in S Korea!
3. Re inheritance – read the article we posted above and reply on the basis of that not ill-informed opinion of your own, which in reality is what you’ve been spoon fed from the BBC
4. How can WPK members elect the same family to lead them??!! I guess you can criticise their choice when they elect some scum bag who sells them out to USA imperialism. I think they’ve done a much better job of electing their ‘leader’ than we have in the last 50 years! Christ-sake the USA elected 2 George Bushes and we’re supposed to think 3 Kim’s is some kind of tragedy??!!
5. “There are a number of senior leaders in the Worker’s Party and the military who have a lot more experience than the new young leader. Other than being the son on Kim Jong-Il, what other strong qualifications Kim Jong-Un has over these senior leaders?” if your so respectful of the opinion of these comrades then you should ask yourself why you still dont trust their very good judgement in putting Kim Jong-un at the head of the state….
6. There has been no ‘succession’ in any way exceptional from any other leadership take-over. Indeed even if you consider the situation a “family dynasty” its only a 2nd’succession’ not a 3rd! Fact is the Kim’s are a family with a revolutionary tradition going back to the generation BEFORE Kim il Sung. If you bother to research their history that family has always been in the forefront of the struggle against imperialism – such good service is not easily forgotten by the Korean’s(!) Since each generation has served impeccably, with honour – only a fool would look elsewhere for a head of state. Maybe you’d be happier with an Obama, a Trotsky, a Gorbachov – or anyone who is unrelated to either the WPK, the Kim’s, the anti-imperialist movement or the Korean people. If you want a lackey of the west – the Koreans aint gonna float your boat!
Regards
Red Youth
What patronising garbage-A 28 old young man represents the proletarian dictatorship??!and is appointed by birth, not merit or even a vote-(which even here we have)
.”All faiths in their extreme form carry the possibility of tyranny because they place the revealed word of god, or god, or “dear leader” (!) they happen to worship above the democratic will of electorates”. Think for yourself comrade-and dont tell me i am maniplualted-the poorest form of defence of any arguement you can have-but hey you have the wisdom i dont…
If its merely birth, what happened to the other sons? As for claims about merit and votes, I take it you have first hand insider-accounts of the workings of the WPK – information that even the US intelligence agencies can’t claim to have! Fact is, that’s who they’ve chosen, its not your choice, it’s there’s. They seem quite happy with it, and they seem quite content with their socialist system. When your socialist state is up and running you’ll be able to preach to the Koreans and Kim Jong Un a few things about state power. Did you look up the word ‘patronising’ before you used it…?