13th International Meeting of Communist and Workers' Parties

Athens, December 9-11, 2011

SOCIALISM IS THE FUTURE!

The international situation and the experience of the communists 20 years after the counterrevolution in the USSR. The tasks for the development of the class struggle in conditions of capitalist crisis, imperialist wars, of the current popular struggles and uprisings, for working class-popular rights, the strengthening of proletarian internationalism and the anti-imperialist front, for the overthrow of capitalism and the construction of socialism.

Contribution of Workers' Party of Korea

Speech By Cde. Ri Yong Chol, Head of The Delegation of the Workers' Party of Korea, at the 13th International Meeting of Communist and Workers' Parties

Athens, December, 2011

Esteemed Comrade Chairman Distinguished comrade delegates,

I would like to begin by extending my warm congratulations to the 13th International Meeting of Communist and Workers' Parties now under way in the Greek capital-city of Athens, amid ever-growing aspiration of the humankind for socialism.

I would also like to express my heartfelt gratitude to the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Greece for its kind invitation extended to the delegation of the Workers' Party of Korea and for its tremendous efforts towards the preparations of this international meeting.

My warm comradely greetings also go to the delegations and delegates of Communist and Workers' Parties from other countries present at this meeting.

Comrades,

Today, delegates of the Communist and Workers' Parties around the world have converged here for this significant meeting to make our unanimous voice heard loud and clear as an expression of our unwavering determination to defend and strengthen socialism, which is the ideal and future of the humankind.

It is our belief that this meeting cannot be a more noteworthy event for its timing, as we are witnessing a groundswell worldwide of vehement protests against capitalism, with its recent worst crisis staring capitalism in the face.

The financial crisis that started in the United States in late 2007 had dragged on so long that it eventually triggered off a wider debt crisis in Europe, with capitalism finding itself now wriggling in a bottomless slough.

In starting a "war on terrorism" worldwide in the early 21sl century, the United States has splurged an astronomical sum of money to the tune of 4 trillion US dollars on the war, only to be caught disgracefully in a vicious circle of terror, with the capitalist world, contaminated by the present-day contagious "economic and financial crisis," stepping into that circle.

The phenomenon of "the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer," an inevitable outcome of the oligarchy by a handful minority of politicians and of the exploitation-oriented economy run by monopoly capitalism, has brought immeasurable disaster and chaos to the capitalist societies throughout the world, and the capitalist world is now plunging into an abysmal Abaddon, due to its reactionary nature and to its structural contradiction.

Inexhaustible is the strength of the popular masses, who have awakened themselves to their own dignity, position and role as the propelling force of history and the master of society.

The determination of the progressive humankind to eradicate the filth of history has eventually touched off fierce demonstrations like "Occupy Wall Street," rapidly expanding into a global chain of action, and leading to the birth of the largest stream of action against capitalism, never seen before in the 300-year-long history of capitalism.

With capitalism floundering in its full-blown crisis and chaos, today's reality speaks volumes for the truth that days are numbered for a handful minority dominating and oppressing the majority at will and for a small minority of capitalist powers exploiting and riding roughshod over the majority of nations and peoples in the world.

Undoubtedly, this is an explicit indication that capitalism is on its deathbed whereas socialism is enjoying an ever-growing confidence among the world peoples.

With this viewpoint in mind, my delegation would like to declare its full support for this Meeting's theme: "Socialism is the future!", which we believe has rightly reflected the desire of the world's progressive humankind for socialism

The great leader of the Workers' Party of Korea and the Korean people Comrade Kim Jong II has enunciated a valuable proposition that "socialism is bound to win for its scientific accuracy and truthfulness."

Socialism is a science and, as such, socialism as a science is the future humankind.

The old is sure to go, and the new is bound to win. This is an unalterable law and truth, in terms of the development of history.

The old and decadent capitalism has no future at all.

A glorious future is in store for socialism only, which is the aspiration and desire of the humankind.

Despite its temporary heartbreaking setbacks and tribulations at the hands of the imperialists and opportunists, socialism as a science has weathered through severe stages of history thanks to its truthfulness, gaining rich experiences and lessons in this course, and now, under much broader and stronger popular support, and with greater vitality and vigour, socialism is now back on track, carving out the ideal and future of the humankind.

Comrades,

In the face of an intense showdown between socialism and capitalism, the Workers' Party of Korea has stood face-to-face with the US imperialists, while vigorously accelerating its socialist construction, and today opening up a epoch-making phase of the grand march towards a powerful and prosperous socialist Korea.

It is already a matter of the universal knowledge that, in the wake of the breakup of socialism in Eastern Europe in the 1990s, the US-led imperialist allies have left no stoned unturned in their frantic but futile attempts to isolate and squeeze to death the socialist system in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).

However, these ridiculous attempts have never succeeded in changing the course of advance followed by the history of humankind, and the ill-fated attempts by those forces swimming against the steam of the times to turn the clock back are nothing but a quixotic daydream.

The triumphant marching song coming from the socialist Korea in its efforts to build up a great, powerful and prosperous nation has overwhelmingly defeated the imperialists' vociferous PR campaign about what they called North Korea's "collapse."

This is a practical verification of the historical truth that even if capitalism tries by hook or by crook to discredit socialism, it will never succeed in concealing the truth and that socialism is bound to win as the ideal and future of humankind.

Socialism has already stricken its roots deep down into the life of the Korean people, who have confirmed their conviction through their own real life experience that only socialism is the genuinely people's social system that provides them with the human dignity and true life befitting to the independent human beings.

The DPRK enjoys social and political stability, firmly supported by the highest-level single-hearted unity of the Workers' Party of Korea, the Korean People's Army and the Korean people, free from any fluctuation in international developments, and the country's economy as a whole is firmly on a steady upturn track, despite the hostile forces' persistent economic sanctions and blockade.

The Workers' Party of Korea feels great pride in its own course of movement, guided by its own conviction and determination to which the Party has held fast in its efforts to pioneer and defend the pathway towards the people-centered socialism of the Korean style, and remains boundlessly confident of the great victory of the Korean-style socialism.

The Korean people today, upholding the outstanding Songun (military-first) revolutionary leadership by the great leader Comrade Kim Jong II and rallying closely around the Workers' Party of Korea, are dynamically advancing forward on the homestretch of their all-out drive to open the gate to a great, powerful and prosperous socialist Korea definitely in 2012, marking the birth centenary of the great leader Comrade Kim II Sung.

I would like to avail myself of this opportunity to reiterate our sincere gratitude to the Communist Party of Greece and Communist and Workers' Parties from other countries for their consistent support for and solidarity with the Workers' Party of Korea and the Korean people in the struggle for a great, powerful and prosperous socialist state and Korea's reunification.

The Workers' Party of Korea will, in the future, too, as before, fulfill its sacred historic mission and duty throughout the course of its just struggle to defend and safeguard the Korean style people-centered socialism and to promote the victory of the humankind's cause of independence and of the socialist cause.

At the same time, my delegation would like to firmly assure you that the Workers' Party of Korea will always stand shoulder to shoulder together with other Communist and Workers' Parties in the joint struggle to bring earlier the victory of the socialist cause, the future of humankind.

Thank you.

13° IMCWP - Incontro Internazionale dei Partiti Comunisti e Operai - Atene 9-11/12/2011

Traduzione dall'inglese perwww.resistenze.org a cura del Centro di Cultura e Documentazione Popolare