Day 2 of Peter Simpsons's reports from North Korea for the Daily Telegraph.
Overall the impression Simpson conveys from Pyongyang is of a quiet, but tense, nation where many people have little idea of what is happening in the world beyond their country's borders.
The Daily Telegraph's Peter Simpson has accompanied a group of businessmen to North Korea and today beings a series of reports from Pyongyang , including video, on life in the post-Stalinist paradise.
Britannia rules the waves or it would do if the Royal Navy had the ships. The senior service is telling the Daily Telegraph that the government is going to have trouble finding the resources to help enforce UN sanctions on North Korea. Having cut the navy by about a third, ministers are now having to live with the consequences of their actions.
The Royal Navy's current surface fleet consists of two aircraft carriers, with a third in mothballs, eight destroyers and, in addition to various smaller specialised craft, 17 frigates. The RN website does not make clear how many of these ships are operational. Presumably any ships used to enforce sanctions will have to be moved out of other operational theatres.
Since 2003 UK defence spending has fallen (graph here ) whilst commitments have vastly increased. Once again, having cut defence expenditure to pay for other priorities, the politicians are finding that a strong military is not a luxury.
US war-thirsty imperialists had better not try a sneak attack on Pyongyang. Korean News knows you are coming.
The U.S. war-thirsty forces are these days stooping to a plan to establish what they call Korean Peninsula air battle command which would perform a U.S. air force strike mission under the U.S. Pacific Command when they provoke a Korean war. Synchronizing with this, the U.S. Defense Department announced that the U.S. would sell a "patriot" missile system worth 1.5 billion U.S. dollars to south Korea. Commenting on this, a Rodong Sinmun analyst Thursday says: This is a highly dangerous scheme on the part of the United States to gain "upper hand in strength" and force its "preemptive strike strategy" at whatever cost. This testifies that they have made the provocation of the second Korean war a fait accompli...If only. There is much more loony tunes were this came from, including, the (ever-popular) US is a wanton human rights abuser, exotic animals breeding like rabbits in Pyongyang Zoo, stirring anti-imperialist folk dancing and details of the long-awaited new edition of Kim Jong Il's seminal work, Let Us Carry Out the Great Leader Comrade Kim Il Sung's Instructions for National Reunification. (Cantaclara Publishing, Venezuela, 2006). Click here for the 1997 edition.
...The projected establishment of the command is intended to boost the preemptive strike capacity of the U.S. air forces in preparation for a war of aggression against the DPRK. Linked with it is the decision to sell a vast "patriot" missile system to south Korea. The establishment of the afore-said command is, immediately that of an air commanding body for a "preemptive attack" on the DPRK. This scheme is a patent proof that the Korean war scenario of the U.S. imperialists has entered a practical stage.
Below is the full text of the (North) Korean News Agency statement on nuclear testing in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK). I have reproduced it in full because experience shows that archived material is not very easy to find on that site and might even vanish altogether.
In brief, the statement says that the nuclear tests would never have happened if the Bush administration had maintained a positive dialogue with North Korea. Last night, Madelaine Albright, former Secretary of State in the Clinton administration, told the UK's C4 News that the nuclear tests would never have happened if the Bush administration had maintained a positive dialogue with North Korea. Michael Savage is unlikely to appear on C4 News but I reckon he has the sadly mis-named Albright figured.
DPRK Foreign Ministry Spokesman on U.S. Moves Concerning Its Nuclear Test Pyongyang, October 11 (KCNA) --A spokesman for the DPRK Foreign Ministry issued the following statement Wednesday as regards the U.S. ill-boding moves in the wake of the nuclear test in the DPRK:
As we have already declared the field of scientific research of the DPRK successfully conducted an underground nuclear test under secure conditions on Oct. 9 as a new measure for bolstering its war deterrent for self-defence.
The DPRK's nuclear test was entirely attributable to the U.S. nuclear threat, sanctions and pressure. The DPRK has exerted every possible effort to settle the nuclear issue through dialogue and negotiations, prompted by its sincere desire to realize the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.
The Bush administration, however, responded to our patient and sincere efforts and magnanimity with the policy of sanctions and blockade.
The DPRK was compelled to substantially prove its possession of nukes to protect its sovereignty and right to existence from the daily increasing danger of war from the U.S.
Although the DPRK conducted the nuclear test due to the U.S., it still remains unchanged in its will to denuclearize the peninsula through dialogue and negotiations.
The denuclearization of the entire peninsula was President Kim Il Sung's last instruction and an ultimate goal of the DPRK.
The DPRK's nuclear test does not contradict the September 19 joint statement under which it committed itself to dismantle nuclear weapons and abandon the existing nuclear program. On the contrary, it constitutes a positive measure for its implementation.
The DPRK clarified more than once that it would feel no need to possess even a single nuke when it is no longer exposed to the U.S. threat after it has dropped its hostile policy toward the DPRK and confidence has been built between the two countries.
No sooner had the DPRK, which had already pulled out of the NPT and, accordingly, is no longer bound to international law, declared that it conducted a nuclear test than the U.S. manipulated the UN Security Council to issue a resolution pressurizing Pyongyang, an indication of the disturbing moves to impose collective sanctions upon it.
The DPRK is ready for both dialogue and confrontation.
If the U.S. increases pressure upon the DPRK, persistently doing harm to it, it will continue to take physical countermeasures, considering it as a declaration of a war.Now, place that in the context of North Korean military philosophy, as outlined yesterday on the same site, and the reason why these loonies cannot be allowed to develop any sort of WMD become plain to all but the thickest lefty: sooner or later, the rhetoric will start to become the reality.
Philosophy on Arms
Pyongyang, October 11 (KCNA) -- The successful advance of the Korean revolution is firmly guaranteed by the great Songun politics, the philosophy on arms. The arms philosophy is a unique one advanced by Kim Jong Il, Songun commander of Mt. Paektu, with the viewpoint on the arms that the arms are the permanent companion and comrade of the revolutionaries.
The philosophy is based on the principle that the revolution for the independence of the popular masses is initiated, advanced and accomplished by force of arms.
If they want to make a revolution, the popular masses should not only be awakened to rise up but also firmly take rifles in their hands.
This is because the reactionary exploiting classes, counter-revolutionary forces, violate and restrict the independence of the people in reliance upon the counter-revolutionary violence.
The path for the revolution is explored by the people only when they make a breach in the counter-revolutionary violence by force of arms.
The arms also play an important role in the whole period of progressing and carrying out the revolution.
It is a serious lesson of the history left by the former socialist countries. A party, with millions of party members, ceased to exist as it failed to seize the army and some countries had socialism collapsed as they weakened military strength.
The arms philosophy also includes the principle that the army is precisely the party, state and people.
The party, the general staff of the revolution and the guiding force, can ensure its leading position under the protection of the army and demonstrate its invincible might.
A party with a long history and tradition met its tragic end in the consequence of "depoliticizing" the army and neglecting ideological work within it. But the Workers' Party of Korea has made a victorious advance of the revolution by seizing the army under difficult conditions. These instances contrastingly show that the party with powerful revolutionary armed forces is invincible.
The revolutionary army and the people's government share the destiny with each other proceeding from the commonness of their characters and basic mission. The independent and creative life of the people is unthinkable apart from a strong army.
The unique philosophy on arms of Korea testifies to its correctness and vitality in the revolution thanks to the Songun politics based on the philosophy.
