15) THE LEGACY OF KIM JONG IL

By Sean Burton

     The passing of Kim Jong Il, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's top leader, is a timely moment to consider the tremendous threat to Korea posed by U.S. imperialism and its lapdogs in east Asia, particularly south Korea and Japan.

     When Kim Jong Il assumed formal leadership of the DPRK, he had enormous shoes to fill. His father, revolutionary leader and DPRK founder Kim Il Sung, had long striven to preserve Korean socialism and national liberation. But by the time of Kim Il Sung's death in July 1994, the DPRK was entering a period of extreme privation brought about by the loss of economic support from the Soviet Union and eastern Europe, a series of natural disasters, and the ceaseless efforts of Washington to sanction the country to death. Indeed, American pressure to stamp out whatever remnants of socialism could be found naturally provoked the DPRK to pour more of its increasingly limited resources into its military budget.

     In the absence of Kim Jong Il's illustrious father, the DPRK's detractors claimed that the country would soon fall apart. Much to their chagrin, socialist Korea is still very much alive in 2012. Kim Jong Il had to preside over what has been arguably the most difficult period of his country's existence. The DPRK has even become a nuclear power, enough to make the U.S. military hesitant to attack.

     With the passing of Kim Jong Il on Dec. 17, another imperialist media frenzy is stirring rumours and anti‑North propaganda. In addition to mocking the grief displayed by thousands of Koreans, mainstream coverage of events in the DPRK pins all the blame on Kim Jong Il for the so‑called nuclear crisis and lack of cooperation with other countries in the region, particularly for tensions with U.S.‑occupied south Korea.

     It is a common refrain that the DPRK is isolated and closed‑off, to reinforce the myth that the DPRK is the author of all its problems. And yet Pyongyang graciously announced that it would open its doors to any and all mourning parties from the south! Seoul's response was to prohibit any such travel, save for a handful of people. Seoul also produced a very weak message of condolences, but for the most part its actions have been anything but friendly. The ROK military and US Forces Korea have been placed on high alert, and plans to intervene militarily in the north in the event of a "stability crisis" have long since been developed. Right‑wing groups also stepped up efforts to send propaganda over the border during the mourning period.

Japan is also watching the situation very closely. It has built up its military to a substantial degree and now maintains one of the largest and most well‑equipped forces in the world, with a $50 billion budget. Japan is highly invested in Korean affairs, and has never made amends for its brutal colonization of the peninsula that started 100 years ago. Whereas the south Korean regime was established primarily by the help of former Japanese collaborators, the fiercely independent and anti‑imperialist north has long vexed the government in Tokyo. Given Japan's impressive military and its close ties with the Americans, the DPRK has every right to feel threatened.

     It has been widely claimed that Kim Jong Il was a barrier to peace and reunification. Indeed he has been a barrier - to the imperialist‑led absorption of the north and the inevitable destruction of its socialist system. The DPRK's leaders know all too well what would happen to their country. They also know that there will be no true peace or unification so long as U.S. imperialism and its cronies threaten the north on a regular basis. Kim Jong Il guided a small, economically poor country against the mightiest empire on earth, while trying to maintain a socialist system. For that, he deserves the respect of all who call themselves anti‑imperialists. Long live the Democratic People's Republic of Korea!

(The above article is from the January 1-31, 2012, issue of People's Voice, Canada's leading communist newspaper. Articles can be reprinted free if the source is credited. Subscription rates in Canada: $30/year, or $15 low income rate; for U.S. readers - $45 US per year; other overseas readers - $45 US or $50 CDN per year. Send to People's Voice, c/o PV Business Manager, 706 Clark Drive, Vancouver, BC, V5L 3J1.)