SUCCESSFUL KFA MEETING IN MANCHESTER 31 NOV 09

The Korean Friendship Association UK held an extremely succesful meeting in Manchester on October 31st at the Friends Meeting house in Manchester.It was well attended.Members of the labour and peace movement as well as promenient academicsand students and also KFA members from the locality and different parts of the country.It was chaired by KFA Official Delegate for the UK Dermot Hudson.He opened the meeting by saying no country in history had been more slander,maligned and defamedthan the DPRK.He said the KFA exists to defend the DPRKcomrade Shaun Pickford spoke for an hour on "The Truth about Peoples Korea".He gavean outline history of Korea.He pointed out that Korea was divided by the US imperialists who attacked in 1950 thus starting the Fatherland Liberation war.The US committedbrutal massacars such as Sinchon Ri were 35,000 people were murdered.The US imperialists lost 405,000 troops in the war and satellite states including the UK lost 30,000 troops. After the war the US imperialist persisted in their hostile moves such as the "Pueblo incident".The "Pueblo " is moored on the River Taedong for all to see,it has 3 heavy machine guns.The speaker said most of the nuclear tests in the world had been carried by the US butonly 2 by the DPRK.The US has a stockpile of 9,000 nuclear weapons and also has1000 short range nuclear weapons targetted on the DPRK.Therefore it was justifablethat the DPRK developed its own nuclear deterrent. The US imperialists and other reactionaries like to talk about the Berlin Wall but hadconstructed a wall dividing Korea..Comrade spoke about his meeting with the Anti Imperialist National Democratic front of south (formerly Revolutionary Party for Reunification) and informed the audience about the martyrdom of Kim Jong Tae as well as fascist repressionin south Korea.He said 5000 people were butchered by the south Korean puppets atKwangju in 1980 and it was turned into a city of ghosts.He also explained that southKorea is the real human rights violator and that it has repressive laws against labourunions(which have been copied by reactionaries here).Comrade Pickford explained the Juche idea to the audience.An example of the self reliance of the DPRK economy was the construction of theWest Sea barrage which comrade Pickford visited on his trip.This was completed in1986 ,the construction having been began in 1981.Comrade Pickford explained thatit had been built entirely with DPRK funds ,not one dollar,pound or euro from the IMF or multi-nationals or imperialist banks.Comrade Pickford said he saw no sign of poverty or starvation in the DPRK and hehad travelled to Mt Myohang by car and also had travelled back to Beijing by train.Hesaid the 150 day campaign had been very successful as it had boosted industrialproduction.He had visited the 3 revolution exhibition and seen different DPRK manufactured goods such as computers and washing machines.Light industry wasbeen developed and Taedong beer was a good example.The speaker praised the education system in the DPRK that is free at all levels.Educationat all levels in the DPRK is free and there are a large number of univeristies in theDPRK including the prestigious Kim Il Sung university.The Grand Peoples Study Housewhich is built in the centre of Pyongyang rather than a presidential palace.Here ordinaryworking people can come and study and listen to lectures.Comrade Pickford presented Mervyn Drage with a copy of the DPRK picture album"Korean Scenery" in appreciation of his efforts in organisng the meetingComrade Kevin Cain read a message from the All Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks.It congratulated the Workers Party of Korea on its 64th anniversary and the 83rd anniversaryof the Down With Imperialism Union.Nina Andreeva,general secretary of the AUCPBalso had sent greetings to the Juche Idea Study Group of England and supportedKFA and Korean solidarity activities in the UKDr Hugh Goodacre spoke about Korean reunification and the struggle for peace in eastAsia. He said that the US tried to dominate Asia and treat the Pacific ocean asan American lake.The US imperialists had on many occasions brought the situation closeto war,parrticularly by carrying out aggressive exercises such as "Team Spirit"He said the division of Korea was artifical and arbitary.South Korea's 'growth' has only happened because the US wanted it to,because the US and other Western countries had opened their markets to south Korean goods on preferential terms but had not done the same for African countries.He said the struggle for Korean reunification is part of the struggle for world peace as well the total and finalliberation of Asia.A question was asked about US forces in Guam.A question was asked about the six party talks and 'opening up' and reform'.Willthe DPRK take part in six party talks again?.Dermot Hudson replied that the DPRKwithdrew from the 6 party talks because of the unjustied UNSC sanctions imposedafter the satellite launch.An analysis of the 6 party talks shows that besides theUS 2 of the parties are military allies of the US and the other 2 were big powers thathad voted for the UNSC sanctions.There was speculation about the DPRK returningto 6 party talks.Ultimately whether any negotiations take place- 2 party or 6 party,thesedepend on the US dropping its hostile policy against the DPRK.He also said thatchairman Kim Jong Il in a work published a year ago rejected the concept of 'opening up'.Light refreshments of tea and coffee were served.The DPRK National Anthem was played.A DPRK book exhibition was held.