We would like to extend our solidarity to Ri Yong Ho and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. It is a privilege to attend one of the few universities in the United States that has ties to the DPRK.

The victorious Korean Revolution, which began at the end of World War II under the leadership of Kim Il-Sung, definitely freed the northern part of Korea from Japanese colonialism. Unfortunately, intervention by the United States prevented the unification of Korea and led to a bloody and deadly war. At the end of the Korean War there was not a single building in the North above one-story left standing.

Despite this, the DPRK was able to begin the path of national liberation and independent construction. The population enjoyed great gains in housing, land, health care, education and food access.

Before the revolution, life expectancy in the north was 38 years. By the 1990s, it had doubled. In fact, until the late 80s, Democratic Korea’s growth rate trumped that of South Korea. Just a few years ago, Margaret Chan, the head of the World Health Organization, upheld the DPRK’s health care system, calling it the ‘envy’ of the developing world.

While we wish for a nuclear-free world, we understand the DPRK was forced to divert resources to the military because of U.S., Japanese and South Korean aggression. Had the DPRK not developed nuclear weapons, it is likely it would have suffered the same fate as Iraq, Afghanistan, Yugoslavia and Libya.

We hope the forum hosted by Syracuse University can contribute to the elimination of U.S. military, political and economic aggression against the people of the DPRK.  

 Derek Ford on behalf of Youth and Student ANSWER (Act Now to Stop War and End Racism)

Published on March 8, 2012 at 12:00 pm