Pyongyang, north Korea
Celebrations display popular unity against Bush's
threats
By Deirdre Griswold
Pyongyang, Democratic People's Republic of Korea
People here in the socialist north of Korea are well aware
of U.S. President George W. Bush's remarks branding their
country as part of an "Axis of Evil." It has in no way dampened
their ardor for their independent socialist system. On the
contrary, they look on it as further proof of the irrationality
and aggressive intentions of the U.S. rulers, and feel they
must struggle even harder to defend their national
sovereignty.
Beginning on the evening of April 14, two days of
celebrations honored the birth 90 years ago of Kim Il Sung, the
man everyone here calls the Great Leader of the Korean people.
Kim's military and political skills led them to victory in two
wars against imperialist invaders--first Japan and later the
U.S.
Kim died in 1994, at a time of great difficulty for the
Democratic People's Republic of Korea. The economic impact of
the demise of the Soviet Union and other European socialist
states was exacerbated by several years of extreme drought in
Korea followed by floods that wiped out crops and destroyed
topsoil and local infrastructure.
The DPRK has still not fully recovered from these blows, and
in particular suffered power shortages after the U.S. dragged
its feet on an agreement to deliver fuel oil in exchange for
north Korea abandoning construction of a nuclear reactor.
Nevertheless, Koreans today are celebrating. The April 15
holiday is the occasion of immense national pride in Korea's
achievements under Kim Il Sung's leadership. It is also a
celebration of the continuity of leadership represented by
unity around his successor, Kim Jong Il, who is pledged to
follow the course of national independence and socialist
construction charted by Kim Il Sung.
This has been a harsh winter, but today in Pyongyang the
willows are green, the azaleas and forsythia are in bloom, and
women stroll the streets in bright costumes for the national
holiday. On the evening of April 14, tens of thousands of
elementary and high school students, dancers, singers, athletes
and army irregulars put on a spectacular pageant and display of
mass gymnastics for a crowd of 100,000 people. The irregulars
in their brown uniforms are part of the vast pool of women and
men who have received military training and can be mobilized in
the event of any national emergency.
The venue was May Day Stadium, named in honor of the
international holiday that came out of the struggle of workers
in Chicago in 1886. This beautiful and futuristic structure
built on an island in this capital city looks from a distance
like a giant scallop shell. It is just one of Pyongyang's
architectural marvels which make it truly one of the most
beautiful cities in the world. This fact can only be fully
appreciated in light of Pyongyang's history: During the 1950-53
war, U.S. planes destroyed every building over one story high
in all of north Korea and left the country in ruins. The entire
city was rebuilt from scratch.
How were they able to do so much? At the stadium, the
coordination and precision of the mass gymnastics and
dancing--before a backdrop of ever-changing scenery provided by
thousands of students with flashcards--gave some idea of the
Koreans' genius for large-scale organization.
As they flipped rapidly from one color to the next, their
young voices punctuating each maneuver with a staccato shout,
the high school students created vast mosaic-scenes from Korean
history, revolutionary slogans, even special effects like
rippling grass and twinkling stars. In front of them, on the
field, dancers and acrobats carried out dazzling routines
illustrating the themes on the backdrop. At one moment,
graceful dancers would weave intricate patterns of color and
motion. A quick scene change and thousands of athletes would be
on the field setting up four-level human pyramids. A sea of
small kids twirling hoops or jumping rope in tandem would
replace them.
At one point, aerialists involved in this matchless
spectacle were all volunteers who had honed their skills over
months of practice.
The spirit of these young people was undeniable. When the
program was over and they left the stadium in large groups,
they walked arm in arm through the night, often singing as they
went.
Many Koreans from abroad--Japan, China and the United
States--were in the audience. So were solidarity delegations
from scores of countries, who had decided to come to north
Korea at this time as a deliberate answer to Bush's bullying
words.
The theme of this great pageant was the unity of the Korean
people behind Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il. It was a celebration
of national pride at having defeated the efforts of two
imperialisms to reduce their country to colonial slavery. And
it was a reaffirmation of the DPRK's socialist system, which
has kept it from falling under the sway of the transnational
banks and corporations that dictate to most of the world.
It was also a sensitive expression of the great pain felt by
the people over Korea's division. Woven into the performances
was the legend of Arirang--a tale of the separation of a
husband and wife that is a metaphor for the millions of
families broken up by Korea's division. The biggest obstacle to
reunification is U.S. military occupation of the south, which
began in 1945 and still has not ended.
The audience in May Day Stadium cheered the loudest for an
acrobatic dance performed by a young woman soldier in which she
single-handedly, using incredible martial arts skills,
dispatched a whole group of male dancers dressed in U.S.
military uniforms.
"We have nothing against the people of the United States,"
said a guide to some international visitors after the
performance. "But if the U.S. ever attacks us again, we will
fight to the last person."
Reprinted from the April 25, 2002, issue of
Workers World newspaper
This article is copyright under a Creative
Commons License.
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