On July 24, an international scientific conference entitled “The 73rd Anniversary of the Victory in the Korean War: Lessons of History and Resistance to U.S. Imperialism at the Present Stage” was held in Moscow.
The conference was organized with the support of the Embassy of the DPRK through the joint efforts of the DPRK International Solidarity Group, the Russian Society for Friendship and Cultural Cooperation with the DPRK, the World Anti-Imperialist Platform, and the International Association of Peace Foundations.
Prominent political and public figures, scholars, and representatives of progressive organizations from various countries—including Russia, China, Greece, Zimbabwe, Serbia, Romania, Spain, Guinea-Bissau, Belgium, Italy, Hungary, France, Chile, and others—participated in the conference. The participants held an in-depth discussion on the historical significance and lessons of the Korean War and their practical application in the contemporary struggle against imperialism.
The conference began with presentations by the in-person participants.
Comrade Sergey Baburin, President of the International Association of Peace Foundations and Vice President of the DPRK ISG, delivered a paper entitled “Two Koreas, Two Worlds: Lessons of the Past and Challenges of the Present.” He pointed out that contemporary international relations clearly reveal the fundamental difference between the DPRK—a sovereign state possessing nuclear deterrence—and the ‘Republic of Korea’—a puppet state completely subordinate to the United States. He emphasized that the United States, disregarding international law and relying solely on force, seeks to reshape the world according to its own will, and that under such circumstances solidarity with the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea is more important than ever.
Comrade Alexander Vorontsov, Head of the Department of Korea and Mongolia of the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, delivered a report entitled “The Role of the DPRK in the New Multipolar World.” He stated that the trend toward multipolarity, which Western academic circles had long attempted to explain through the concept of an “axis of disobedience,” has today become a long-term and profound global trend driven by deeply committed and highly capable actors such as Russia, China, the DPRK, Iran, and others. He further analyzed that the principal lesson of victory in the Fatherland Liberation War—that the decisive factor is not technological superiority but the fighting spirit and morale of the people and the army—has become the foundation that enabled the DPRK to attain its present status as a fully independent actor in international politics.
Comrade Kim Yong Un, Leading Researcher at the Center for Korean Studies of the Institute of China and Contemporary Asia of the Russian Academy of Sciences, whose paper was read by an assistant due to health reasons, presented “On the Nature and Outcomes of the Korean War of 1950–1953.” Criticizing the claims of Western academic circles that seek to place responsibility for the outbreak of the war on the DPRK and the Soviet Union, he empirically demonstrated, on the basis of published documentary materials, that the armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula began as a civil war under conditions in which both sides were prepared for conflict, but, following U.S. intervention, developed into an international conflict and an imperialist war of intervention.
Comrade Dimitrios Patelis, co-founder of the Revolutionary Theory Group of Greece, participated via video link and delivered a report entitled “The 73rd Anniversary of Victory in the Korean War and the Tasks of the Anti-Imperialist Front.” He stressed that the victory of 1953 gives even greater significance to anti-imperialist solidarity at a time when the Third World War is intensifying across various fronts, including Ukraine and Iran, and analyzed the organizational tasks facing the anti-imperialist camp.
Comrade Daria Mitina, Secretary of the Central Committee of the United Communist Party for International Affairs, expressed gratitude to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and its leadership for the internationalist support shown during Russia’s Special Military Operation against Ukrainian neo-Nazi forces. Analyzing the constitutional evolution of the DPRK, she emphasized the soundness of the strategic decisions adopted by the Korean leadership after decades of attempts at peaceful coexistence and political cooperation had failed to produce any positive results.
Comrade Viktor Petrov, Chairman of the Russian Society for Friendship and Cultural Cooperation with the DPRK, called upon the contemporary anti-imperialist movement to actively absorb the experience of the global peace movement during the Fatherland Liberation War. Looking ahead to what he described as the inevitable defeat of imperialism in Ukraine, he stressed that strengthening the unity of the international anti-imperialist and anti-fascist movement has become an urgent task.
Comrade An Jong Chol, Minister-Counselor of the Embassy of the DPRK, reminded participants of two principal lessons of the Fatherland Liberation War. First, he stressed that peace is guaranteed not by words but solely by powerful force, and that this is the fundamental reason why the DPRK has built powerful armed forces and established itself as a responsible nuclear state. Second, he stated that no illusions should ever be entertained regarding U.S. imperialism and that any negotiations must be conducted only from principled positions based upon superiority of strength.
Comrade Alexander Mostov, Director of the 4th Administrative Department of the Central Committee of the DPRK ISG and Chairman of the DPRK International Youth Friendship League, officially read at the conference the joint statement adopted on July 16 by the DPRK ISG and the World Anti-imperialist Platform entitled “We Will Not Allow the American Imperialists to Drag the Korean Peninsula into a Third World War!”
Written reports and video greetings were also presented.
Comrade Zheng Yutong, President of the DPRK ISG, in her report “73 Years of Blood and Fire: Memory, Alliance, and the Road Ahead in the Shadow of Hegemony,” noted that despite decades of military build-up and sanctions pursued by the imperialist powers after the war, the strategic cooperation now achieved among China, Russia, and the DPRK demonstrates that the anti-imperialist struggle has evolved from simple defense into a system of strategic deterrence.
Comrade Stephen Cho, Organizer of the World Anti-imperialist Platform, delivered a report entitled “Anti-imperialism is The Banner of Justice and Inevitable Victory.” He analyzed the dialectics of history, stating that just as the First World War gave birth to the first socialist state and the Second World War gave rise to the global socialist camp, the Third World War, as an anti-imperialist war, will conclude with the final collapse of imperialism. Emphasizing that the Korean War marked the first military defeat ever inflicted upon U.S. imperialism, he highly praised the DPRK as a nuclear power equipped with hydrogen bombs and hypersonic missiles that stands at the forefront of the anti-imperialist camp and deters the military adventures of imperialism. He stressed that under the current circumstances, as the imperialist powers seek to expand the war into East Asia following conflicts in West Asia and Eastern Europe, the role of the DPRK is of decisive importance, and that confidence grounded in scientific analysis—that the people possess the power to overthrow imperialism—is growing ever stronger today.
Comrade Mafa Kwanisai Mafa, Chairman of the Zimbabwe Movement of Pan-African Socialists, emphasized in his report that the experience of the DPRK proves that the determination of a people defending their independence and national dignity cannot be broken by military superiority alone, and underscored the importance of South-South cooperation in the anti-imperialist struggle.
The representative of the League of Communist Youth of Yugoslavia (SKOJ), speaking on behalf of the working youth of Serbia, drew particular attention to the fact that the DPRK has become the only country to provide military support to its Russian comrades in the struggle against Ukrainian fascism, and declared that the struggle of the DPRK serves as an example for the youth of Europe.
In addition, greetings were read from Comrade Johannes Wittmund, Head of the European Executive Committee of the DPRK ISG; a congratulatory letter from Comrade Miruna Pandele, Vice-Chairperson of the Romanian Socialist Party, and Central Committee member Comrade Adrian Crăciunoiu; a message from the Unión Proletaria of Spain; speeches by Comrade Imani Na Umoja, member of the Political Bureau of the African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde (PAIGC); Comrade Jozef Bossuyt, member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of Belgium and leading official of the Belgium–Korea Friendship Association; as well as reports and greetings from Comrade Yuri Sgherri (Italy), Russian military expert Comrade Vladimir Khrustalyov, Comrade Wang Jinhao of the Chinese branch of the DPRK International Youth Friendship League, Comrade Patrick Pogranz of the Hungarian DPRK Study Group, Leading Researcher at the Center for Korean Studeis of the Institute of China and Contemporary Asia of the Russian Academy of Sciences Comrade Konstantin Asmolov, and also from the Pole of Communist Revival in France (PRCF) and the Labor Party of Chile.
The participants concluded the conference by taking a commemorative photograph in front of portraits of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels.
