Speech by the delegation of the Workers' Party of Korea at
the International Conference of the Communist and Workers'
parties

(Athens, 21-23 May Juche 88 (1999))

Dear comrades and friends,

First of all, I would like to express my deep appreciation
to the Central Committee of the Communist party of Greece
which has kindly invited our party delegation to the
International Conference of the Communist and Workers'
Parties, once again after previous international meeting
last year, and which has made great efforts for a
successful conference since the beginning of this year. On
this occasion, I am honored to convey the warm comradely
greetings of the entire members of the Workers' Party of
Korea to all the members of the Communist Party of Greece
and delegates of communist and workers' parties from
various countries of the world who are present at the
conference.
Comrades,
The international meeting held in May last year, was an
important meeting that rang an alarm bell and called for
sharp vigilance against the �globalization� moves of the
imperialists, as mentioned in the preparatory meeting of
the officials for international affairs of progressive
parties held in Athens last January. At present, the
�globalization� maneuvers of the imperialists to realize
their dominationist ambitions over the world become
undisguised as days go by. Their �globalization� is aimed
at reducing the whole world into the western-style �free
world�, subordinating and assimilating all nations to
themselves. The severe economic and financial crisis in
many parts of the world and the US-led NATO bombing on
Yugoslavia obviously reveal to what extent the
arbitrariness and despotism of the imperialists have
reached. Such reality can be clearly found in south Korea,
a half of the Korean peninsula where the imperialists have
imposed the trusteeship by the use of the IMF over the past
one year.
At present, nearly 3,000 enterprises go bankrupt on a
monthly average and approximately 53,000 more enterprises
are expected to be ruined by the end of this year. The
south Korean economy ran into the foreign debts of 176.7
billion US dollars as of late January this year and the
figure of unemployment amounts to 8 million, the suicide
totals 2,000 cases per month. As a result of the
humiliating open-door policy now in practice in south Korea
in the name of �globalization�, all areas of social life,
ranging from the modes of politics, the language, written
and spoken to the way of life have turned into the American
and western style, the national traits and dignity are
being wantonly violated, and the economy declines to future
crisis. It is necessary for the progressive political
parties and peoples of the world to strengthen the
international unity and cooperation in order to smash up
the �globalization� moves of the imperialists and to
establish the new international order based on equality,
justice and equity free from domination and subordination
and to maintain the Juche character and national character
of each nation.
Comrade KIM JONG IL, the General Secretary of the Workers'
Party of Korea and the Great Leader of the Korean people
said as follows: �All countries and nations must see
clearly the danger of the imperialist policy of
obliterating nations which is pursued in the name of the
trend towards a �monolithic� world and must intensify the
struggle to defeat the dominationist maneuvers of the
imperialists�. In the situation where each country and
nation shape their destiny with their own ideas and
systems, there can be no �monolithic� world which covers
all spheres of politics, economy and culture. With social
development and ties and interchange among different
nations becoming closer, common features increase in the
lives of nations. However, this process always presupposes
the independent and individualistic development of nations
and takes place on the basis of such development.
Therefore, it is very important for all countries and
people to preserve their Juche character and achieve the
independent and individualistic progress in fighting
against the dominationist moves of the imperialists.
To this end, the illusions about and fear of imperialism
should be dispelled and the reactionary doctrines of the
imperialists which try to justify and embellish their
�globalization� moves should be smashed up and the struggle
against the traitors to the nation who sell out national
interests in collusion with the imperialists against their
own countries and nations, should be dynamically waged.
Only when the progressive parties and people throughout the
world support and encourage each other, closely cooperate
and pool their efforts, can each country consolidate
sovereignty, achieve prosperity and development, and the
cause of global independence be realized with success. In
order to build independent world in which all countries and
nations fully exercise their sovereignty as masters of
their destiny, the international unity and solidarity of
the communist and workers' parties which stand in the van
of the struggle, should be strengthened. The international
unity and solidarity of the progressive parties including
communist and workers' parties throughout the world should
be achieved on the basis of socialist ideas and
independence. Under the leadership of the Great Leader
Comrade KIM JONG IL, the General Secretary of the Workers'
Party of Korea, our party will build a powerful socialist
state possessed of the utmost strength in all domains of
ideology, politics, defense and economy in the near future
as it did in the past. And our party will be faithful to
its national and international duties by further
strengthening the unity, cooperation and joint action with
all communist and workers' parties in the struggle to check
and foil the �globalization� moves of the imperialists. On
this occasion, we strongly denounce the US-led NATO
military attacks on Yugoslavia as outrageous violation of
the international laws and UN Charter and as a grave
challenge to peace and security of the world as well as
Balkan and Europe. We extend the full support and
solidarity to Yugoslavian people who have turned out into
the sacred struggle against the aggressors with the firm
determination to defend their sovereignty to the last. I
would like to express a deep appreciation to the Communist
Party of Greece and the communist and workers' parties from
various countries of the world through the delegates
present here, for extending support and solidarity to our
party and people in their struggle to smash up the
imperialist moves to isolate and stifle our Republic and to
safeguard socialist cause and to achieve the independent,
peaceful reunification of our country. Our struggle will be
surely victorious for its righteousness even though it is a
hard struggle to frustrate the imperialist �globalization�
moves and to accomplish the independent and socialist cause
of popular masses.
Long live the unity and solidarity of the progressive
parties throughout the world for anti-imperialism,
independence and socialism!
Thank you,