Over the weekend of the 25th-26th of November the Korean Friendship Association, which has members and branches all over the world ,met in Barcelona , Catalonia , Spain for its annual international meeting which brought together militant defenders of People’s Korea from the four corners of the globe.
The meeting was held in a suburb of Barcelona . It was presided over by KFA President Alejandro Cao De Benos and also Dr Dermot Hudson KFA UK Chairman . Attending were members of KFA Spain including regional branches from Andalusia , Catalonia , Madrid , Valencia and other regions of Spain as well as delegates from KFA Germany and KFA UK . KFA UK Chairman Dr Dermot Hudson attended on behalf of KFA UK .Messages were sent in to the meeting from KFA national branches in Austria, Bolivia , Brazil ,Cambodia Chile ,Croatia ,Cuba , Greece, Italy , Poland ,Singapore and Switzerland .
The meeting also received a message from the DPRK Committee For Cultural Relations with Foreign Countries and the Anti-Imperialist National Democratic Front(AINDF) of south Korea .The message from the DPRK Committee for Cultural Relations with Foreign Countries praised very highly the work of KFA in defending the DPRK as did the message from the AINDF of south Korea.
KFA President Comrade Alejandro de Benos in his speech said that “The year 2023 has been a very significant one, Korea celebrated great anniversaries for the victory in the fatherland’s liberation war and the foundation of the Republic. Although it was not possible to join them together with our comrades, we participated in online and public events to contribute with our grain of sand to the marked days.”
Comrade Alejandro referred to the DPRK’s recent constitutional amendment making the DPRK a permanent nuclear weapons state by pointing out that “Moreover important decisions were taken to solidify and strengthen the fortress of Songun”.
It was stressed by comrade Alejandro that KFA members and activists will play a ‘play a crucial role to facilitate access to official information and understanding of Korea to the rest of the world’
Dr Hudson in his speech referring to the keynote anniversaries of the DPRK that have taken place this year said that “ The 75th anniversary of the DPRK on September 9th this year was an event of tremendous significance not just for the people of the DPRK but for the world progressive and revolutionary people. The DPRK is the only socialist state in the world to have celebrated its 75th founding anniversary. Others that were proclaimed to be ‘ideal models of socialism’ by some fell by the wayside. Various prophets of doom of the mainstream media and bourgeois academia and even some so-called communists predicted the ‘collapse’ of the DPRK not just once but many times but the DPRK celebrated its 50th anniversary , then 55th anniversary , 60th anniversary , 65th anniversary , 70th anniversary and now its 75th anniversary proving the cynics and doom-mongers totally wrong”.
The vice-chairman of KFA Germany in his address said that “The DPRK is the longest existing socialist state in world history. It has existed longer than the Soviet Union. The DPRK is a politically fully sovereign nation with a self-sufficient economy and a very strong self-defence force capable of destroying any aggressor.
The DPRK gives its people the highest standard of living in the world, with free housing, free medical care, free education, very cheap food and public transport, and no taxation at all and no exploitation or oppression by capitalists. And because of the people-centred policy of the Workers’ Party of Korea, the people’s standard of living will continue to rise. An example of the people-centred policy of raising the people’s standard of living is the construction of 50,000 housing units in Pyongyang under the personal guidance of respected Marshal KIM
JONG UN”
Excellent speeches were made by KFA Spain regional branches from Andalusia , Catalonia , Madrid and also by the KFA Spain Organisation Secretary. A speech sent by KFA Basque country was read out .
Speeches from KFA national branches in Austria, Bolivia , Brazil , Chile Cuba , Italy ,Poland Singapore , Switzerland were read out .
The speech sent by KFA Cuba said that “Greetings comrades, from the Cuban KFA we send you our revolutionary greetings. This year we managed to get the friendship group’s website to reach 380 followers, of which approximately 80% are Cubans. On this page we are able to show Cubans what the life of the North Korean people is like as well as explain their way of life, in this way we eliminate black legends and myths regarding the nation.”
The contribution of KFA Switzerland said that “Under the wise and resolute leadership of President KIM IL SUNG, Chairman KIM JONG IL and the respected Supreme Leader Comrade KIM JONG UN the DPRK was built as a militarily, ideologically and economically strong socialist state.
And with the Juche idea and with benevolent leadership, the great men made of socialist Korea the people’s paradise in which health care, education and housing are free and the taxes are abolished”
A letter to dear respected Marshal KIM JONG UN was adopted.
A lively discussion session was held . There were questions about the role of Russia and China . It was pointed out that if Russia and China left the UN Committee on Sanctions Against the DPRK , then the UN sanctions against the DPRK would fall apart . Also the need for KFA branches to organise more social activities.
After the meeting the participants enjoyed an excellent meal in a local Chinese restaurant . On Sunday there was a tour of the centre of Barcelona and the docks area .
