No. 26
August 15, 2025
August 15, 1945
80th Anniversary of Defeat of Japan in Korea
• Salute the Korean People's Historic Contribution to
Ending World War
II
• People's Summit for Korea Inaugurated in New York City
• All Out to Oppose Ulchi Freedom Shield 2025 War Exercises on Korean Peninsula!
• Kim Il Sung's Elaboration of Significance of Japanese Surrender
August 15, 1945
80th Anniversary of Defeat of Japan in Korea
Salute the Korean People's Historic Contribution to Ending World War II
People visit the Revolutionary Martyrs Cemetery on Mt. Taesong on August
13, 2025 to pay respects to the anti-Japanese revolutionary fighters.
Celebrations are underway in the Democratic People's Republic of
Korea (DPRK) as well as in the Republic of Korea (ROK) to mark the 80th
anniversary of the historic defeat of the Japanese imperialists in World
War II. The day, known as National Liberation Day,
celebrates the national liberation of Korea from 35 years of brutal
Japanese occupation. Actions are also being held in the U.S.and around
the world.
On the historic occasion of the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Korean people over the Japanese occupiers of their country, the Communist Party of Canada (Marxist-Leninist) sends its warmest revolutionary greetings to the Korean people and pays highest respects and tribute to President Kim Il Sung, who provided the decisive political and military leadership that united the Korean people and achieved victory. And today to Kim Jong Un and the Workers' Party of Korea for preserving and further advancing that victory.
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It was Kim Il Sung who inspired and organized the armed resistance of the Korean people in World War II by mobilizing the communists, workers and peasants as well as students and youth. From guerilla bases in the mountains between China and Korea, the Korean armed guerrillas dealt defeat after defeat upon the better equipped and larger Japanese forces, inspiring the whole Korean and Chinese people. He forged a united front between the Chinese people's resistance and Korean people's resistance facing a common enemy from the early 1930s on, which ultimately led to the defeat of Japan and the liberation of Korea on August 15, 1945.
Victory Over Japanese Occupation
Koreans celebrate the defeat of Japan in Korea, August 15, 1945.
The Japanese occupation of Korea was a consequence of Japan's rise as an imperialist state in the late 19th century. After defeating Russia in the Russo-Japanese War in 1905, imperial Japan laid claim to Korea. In a secret deal between imperialists in 1905 called the Taft-Katsura Agreement, the U.S. "recognized" Japan's claims to Korea while Japan "recognized" U.S. claims to Hawaii (an independent kingdom annexed by the U.S. in 1898) and the Philippines (taken as spoil of war by the U.S. in 1899 after prevailing in the Spanish-American War).
In November 1905, Japan imposed the Eulsa Treaty on Korea that deprived the latter of her sovereignty and made her a Japanese protectorate. From the onset, the Korean people resisted this act of aggression. They took up resistance in many forms, including guerilla warfare involving thousands of fighters called the "Army of the Righteous" against better armed Japanese troops which continued for the next five years until the armed struggle went into retreat and Japan formally annexed Korea in April 1910.
What followed was a reign of terror over the Korean people. Their lands were confiscated and handed over to Japanese farmers, and many lost their livelihoods. Almost 100,000 landlords and farmers were moved from Japan to Korea. Koreans were forbidden to speak their language and were forced to learn Japanese and take on Japanese names. Korean cultural treasures were looted and taken to Japan. Tens of thousands of Koreans were forced to flee or were recruited as slave labour in Japanese industry. Political dissent was suppressed. Japanese manufacturing companies set up shop and exploited the rich natural resources of Korea. In this way, the Japanese imperialists sought to assimilate Korea into their empire.
The Korean people, with an ages-long history of their own Korean nation, resisted Japanese occupation in many ways -- through strikes, acts of civil disobedience and also through armed struggles. Their resistance of this period culminated in the March First Movement in 1919 which was led by Korean youth and students inspired by the 1917 Russian Revolution, an earth shaking event which had a profound impact on the anti-colonial struggles of the peoples of the East and around the world.
During the actions of March 1, 1919, approximately 2,000,000 Koreans participated in more than 1,500 demonstrations all over the country that the Japanese military suppressed with brutal force. It is estimated that 7,000 patriots were killed by Japanese military and police and some 16,000 people were wounded. Almost 46,000 people were arrested and many were jailed, tortured and killed. Even though the Japanese military occupiers were able to suppress the protest movement of the people for the moment, the seeds of national liberation took hold. Political activists forced into exile formed their own organizations in China, Russia and elsewhere to continue to agitate for freedom. Later on, guerrilla movements also were launched from China and Manchuria against the Japanese in the 1930s, including the North East Anti-Japanese Army led by Kim Il Sung, the founder and first leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
Speaking to a meeting of the Young Communist League in December 1931, Kim Il Sung noted: "Experience clearly shows that our national desire for liberation of the country can never be achieved without crushing the aggressive forces of Japanese imperialism. In order to smash these forces and liberate the country, it is imperative that we launch an organized armed struggle based on the strategy and tactics of Marxism-Leninism. It is self-evident that we cannot depend upon or beg anyone for our country's liberation. We must achieve the liberation of our country by our efforts through an active armed struggle."[1]
Division of Korea
The victorious Korean people, whose role was second to none in the defeat of Japanese imperialism and the Axis powers in World War II, were treated instead by the racist U.S. imperialists as a vanquished people and blocked from enjoying the fruits of their victory. The U.S. imperialists imposed General Order No. 1 of August 11, 1945, which imposed the forced division of Korea at the 38th parallel. Consequently, the Soviet Union, which had already entered the war against Japan and had directly helped in liberating Korea, would receive Japan's surrender north of the 38th parallel while the U.S. would receive Japan's surrender south of this arbitrary divide.
Representatives elected by the Korean people north and south of the 38th parallel met in Seoul and declared the Korean People's Republic on September 6, 1945. U.S. troops invaded Korea two days later in order to suppress the nascent republic and outlaw it. They launched a reign of terror, taking up where the Japanese had left off, in which hundreds of thousands of Korean fighters who resisted the U.S. dictate and brutality were killed, imprisoned or exiled. After imposing "free and fair" elections in May 1948, the U.S. created the Republic of Korea and installed the virulent anti-people, anti-communist Syngman Rhee as their puppet.
North of the 38th parallel, the Korean people under the leadership of Kim Il Sung and the Workers' Party of Korea which was formed on October 10, 1945 quickly enacted laws to meet the needs of the people, implemented land reform, established health clinics, started literacy programs, rebuilt their industries and rehabilitated an economy decimated by the Japanese occupation. When prospects of a unified Korea did not come to fruition, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea was declared on September 9, 1948 to serve as a base for the Korean people's revolutionary drive for reunification, independence and self-determination.
It was the DPRK, under the leadership of Kim Il Sung and the Korean
People's Army that defeated the U.S. and its 15 allies, including
Canada, in the Korean War, a war that was launched to preserve and
expand the U.S. hold on the Korean Peninsula as a beach head for U.S.
wars of aggression and hegemony. The signing of the Armistice Agreement
on July 27, 1953, in the north was a bitter pill for the U.S. to
swallow because it inspired the whole world and the anti-colonial
struggles of the peoples, while raising the prestige of communism
world-wide. Until today, the U.S. imperialists engage in ongoing acts of
aggression, sanctions, war games and other provocations against the
DPRK in their vengeful anti-people, anti-communist spirit.
The DPRK today under the leadership of Kim Jong Un and the Workers'
Party of Korea have continued this historic legacy by defying the U.S.
warmongers and their threats, preserving peace on the Korean Peninsula,
inspiring the forces for democracy and peace in the ROK, and advancing
the
nation-building project of the Korean people. On this occasion, CPC(M-L)
calls on all peace and justice-loving people in Canada and the world to
step-up support for the DPRK and the Korean people and their right to
be.
People pay respects to the anti-Japanese fighters at the Revolutionary Martyrs Cemetery on Mt. Taesong, August 13, 2025.
A special exhibit opens at the Korean Stamp Exhibition House, August 12,
2025, to celebrate the 80th anniversary of Korea's liberation.
Photo exhibitions are being held across the DPRK to celebrate the 80th anniversary of Korea's liberation.
A national symposium to mark the anniversary of Korea's liberation from
Japan is held at the People's Palace of Culture in Pyongyang, August 7,
2025.
Left: On August 15, a Pan-Citizen's Congress for the Realization of
Peace, Sovereignty and Historical Justice, will be held in front of the
Sungnyemun Gate in Seoul. Right: On August 15 and 16, Korea's National
Liberation Day is being marked in six U.S. cities.
Note
1. Kim Il Sung, Works, Volume 1.
(Photos: KCNA, Tongil News, Nodutdol)
People's Summit for Korea
Inaugurated in New York City
More than 500 people, mostly youth, attended the first People's Summit for Korea at Riverside Church in New York City, July 25-26. The summit was organized by the U.S.-based Korean rights group Nodutdol along with other sponsoring organizations such as the Korea Policy Institute, Koreans for Anti-Imperialism and Sovereignty, and the United National Antiwar Coalition (UNAC). Participants came from the U.S., the Republic of Korea (ROK), Europe and elsewhere.
The two-day event included speakers, panels, discussions, and cultural programs and concluded with a march and rally at Times Square where one of the main slogans was U.S. Troops Out of Korea!
In the welcoming remarks, the emcee pointed out that the summit was a space where those fighting against U.S. imperialism and for rights can share their experiences and learn from others. The aim was to strengthen the links between various fighting forces and build the global movement for peace and the liberation of all peoples, particularly the Palestinians.
In one panel discussion it was pointed out how Japan had used its
annexation and occupation of Korea as a bridgehead to launch a wider war
for the imperialist conquest of China and that today, the U.S. is doing
the same – using the Korean Peninsula for a war against China and to
dominate
the region. It was noted that General Xavier Brunson, the commander of
U.S. Forces Korea, on May 16 called Korea a "fixed aircraft carrier
floating in the water between Japan and mainland China," that is part of
the U.S. Indo-Pacific strategy.
Anti-war activists from the ROK noted that the various military bases that the U.S. maintains in the south of the Korean Peninsula, the cost of which is borne by the people of the ROK, has created many problems for the people living near the bases. These include the harassment, abuse and rape of local women and girls. Fighter jets cause air and noise pollution, while chemicals contaminate the air, soil and water in surrounding areas, which has resulted in increased rates of cancer and other diseases for those affected. Accidents with consequences for civilians are also a factor. One person informed that in March, ROK fighter jets dropped eight 500-pound bombs on the village of Nogok during U.S. war games, injuring 31 people and damaging 150 buildings, mostly people's homes. The anti-war movement in the ROK remains steadfast with the aim of ousting the U.S. and all its military bases and weapons from the Korean Peninsula.
It was also brought out that as the U.S.-ROK-Japan military alliance deepens, the ruling circles in Japan are pushing harder to set aside its "Peace Constitution" and become a warring nation again. There was a massive increase in its military budget this year. It was also noted that Japan has been clamouring for the right to have nuclear weapons under the pretext that the DPRK presents an existential nuclear threat to the country and thereby, through sleight of hand, officially revive its former militarist ambitions.
A panel discussion on the situation in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) noted how the DPRK, despite the brutal sanctions the U.S. has organized against it, has been able to provide for its people and continue its nation-building project with its people front and centre in all matters concerning the country. It was emphasized that the DPRK has done an excellent job in keeping alive the historical memory of its struggles against Japan and the U.S., which plays a big role in strengthening the resolve of the people in the DPRK to uphold their independence, dignity and sovereignty.
Panelists also underscored the importance of standing up for the DPRK today, particularly in the U.S., where since the end of the Korean War, the country and its people have been demonized by one U.S. administration after another.
The Summit ended with a pledge by participants to build their organizations and link their struggles with the struggles of the peoples around the world. It was noted that the total liberation of Korea, which means the ouster of the U.S. from the ROK and the election of a people's government, is linked to the future of the rest of humanity fighting for a world free of imperialism, oppression and slavery.
It was announced that on Korean Liberation Day, August 15, actions will take place in Korea as well as among the Korean community and anti-war forces in the U.S. and other countries to mark Korea's victory over Japan and to strengthen the global fight against U.S. imperialism and all its allies.
Summit participants take part in rally and march in Times Square, New York City, July 27, 2025.
(Photos: Nodutdol)
All Out to Oppose Ulchi Freedom Shield 2025
War Exercises on Korean
Peninsula!
Protest in Seoul, August 21, 2023, against Ulchi Freedom Shield war exercises.
From August 18 to 28 this year, the annual U.S.-Republic of Korea (ROK) war exercises -- Ulchi Freedom Shield -- will be held with the participation of Canada and other countries. It is the second of two massive U.S.-ROK war games this year. The first, Freedom Shield, held from March 10 to 20, was scaled down after two ROK fighter jets dropped eight bombs on a civilian area during the exercises.
Both of these major war exercises have been stepped up in scale and intensity since 2022 and now involve tens of thousands of U.S. and ROK troops as well as troops from other countries. These are the biggest of hundreds of constant U.S.-led war exercises on the Korean Peninsula. The ROK-based journalist Jang Chang-jun reports that the U.S., the ROK, Japan and other allies conducted 200 days of military drills on the Korean Peninsula in 2023 and 275 days of drills in 2024. This number is expected to increase in 2025.
All of these war exercises are provocations against the Democratic
People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and peoples of the region. They are in
violation of the terms of the Korean Armistice Agreement of July 27,
1953, signed between the DPRK and the U.S. to achieve a ceasefire in the
Korean War. The Armistice calls for complete withdrawal of U.S. forces
and signing a permanent peace treaty, which the U.S. refuses to
do.
These war games involve scenarios for invading the DPRK, for regime
change and use of nuclear weapons. For the U.S. to have live war
exercises for using nuclear weapons, in a region where they have already
dropped atomic bombs, is of concern to all worldwide and makes the
demand to end these war games all the more urgent.
The U.S. imperialists brazenly claim that Ulchi Freedom Shield "underscores the enduring military partnership between the ROK and the U.S. and is implemented in the spirit of the October 1, 1953, ROK-U.S. Mutual Defense Treaty and in support of the Armistice Agreement." They declare that it highlights "the role of the alliance as the lynchpin for regional peace and security, reaffirming the ironclad commitment between the United States and the Republic of Korea to defend their homelands."
Canada also participates in these war games as part of the bogus UN Command in Korea, which is an entity that continues to act under the dictate of the U.S. and which should have long since been disbanded as part of the Armistice Agreement.
According to the U.S. military, this year's Ulchi Freedom Shield will incorporate lessons from recent conflicts, including Russia's war in Ukraine, the U.S. attacks on Iran, and threats from drones, GPS jamming and cyber attacks. On August 7, the U.S. spokeperson for U.S. Forces Korea in announcing the upcoming war exercises stated, "We look across the globe at the challenges we may face on the battlefield and incorporate that so we can challenge the participants in the exercise. We are focused on ensuring the alliance is sustainable and credibly deters aggression from the DPRK and addresses the broader regional security challenges."
The anti-war movement in the ROK has consistently joined with the people of the DPRK, Canada, U.S. and worldwide in calling for an end to these war games against the Korean people. They point out that these create not only hostility and aggression against the DPRK but contribute to creating a tense atmosphere on the Korean Peninsula where at anytime, a larger conflict can be triggered causing great harm to the people of Korea and the region.
Canada has no business sticking its nose in the internal affairs of the Korean people. It was criminal for Canada to be part of the U.S. war against the Korean people in 1950 and it is also unacceptable today for Canada to be involved in aggression against the DPRK.
The peace-loving people of Canada and Quebec demand that Canada stop participating in U.S.-led aggression and wars and eliminate all involvement in the U.S. war machine. They also demand that Canada immediately disband Operation NEON against the DPRK in which Canadian frigates and aircraft are involved in an illegal naval embargo of the DPRK under the pretext of "monitoring" the illegal and unjust U.S.-orchestrated UN sanctions against the DPRK. Canada must normalize relations with the DPRK, respect the DPRK's right to be and call on the U.S. to sign a peace treaty as a contribution to peace on the Korean Peninsula.
All Out to Oppose the U.S.-Led Ulchi Freedom Shield 2025 War Exercises
Against the DPRK!
U.S. Troops Out of Korea!
Protest against ROK-U.S. Freedom Shield war exercises, March 3, 2025
DPRK Denounces Upcoming War Exercises
The DPRK's Minister of National Defence of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, No Kwang Chol, issued a press statement on August 10 following the announcement by the U.S. and Republic of Korea (ROK) that the massive Ulchi Freedom Shield Joint Military Exercises will be taking place from August 18-28 on the Korean Peninsula.
Among other things the press release notes: "The enemies do not conceal the fact that new principles and methods of modern warfare targeting regional countries as well as the DPRK will be applied in the joint military exercises to be staged throughout the whole realm with the mobilization of the US overseas troops, including the expeditionary force of the U.S. Marine Corps, and even the troops from member states of the "UN Command."
It adds, "We strongly denounce the US and the ROK for their provocative moves" of confrontation with the DPRK and "once again endangering the security environment on the Korean peninsula and in the region and solemnly warn them of the negative consequences."
The press release points out that the Ulchi Freedom Shield war games are being conducted under "simulated conditions of a real nuclear war" which is not only a direct military threat to the DPRK "but also the real threat of amplifying the unpredictability of the situation on the Korean Peninsula in the state of armistice and perpetuating the instability of the region." The DPRK warned that unilateral threats and confrontation by the U.S. and ROK is the main reason why the situation of the Korean Peninsula has become increasingly unstable which also puts the U.S. and the ROK at risk.
The Minister of National Defence warned: "It is the absolute mission of the armed forces of the DPRK to contain offensive movements of enemy states, counter their military provocations, and defend the security of the state and peace of the region by dint of force. The armed forces of the DPRK will cope with the war drills of the U.S. and the ROK with thoroughgoing and resolute counteraction posture and strictly exercise the self-defensive sovereign right of the DPRK against any provocation going beyond the red line."
(With files from KCNA. Photos: Hankyoreh, People's Dispatch)
Kim Il Sung's Elaboration of Significance of Japanese Surrender
On October 14, 1945, at the Pyongyang public playground, Kim Il Sung addressed the first public rally following the unconditional surrender of Japan to Korean forces on August 15, 1945. That site is today known as Kim Il Sung Stadium.
Hundreds of thousands of people attended this historic event not only from Pyongyang, but also from the neighbouring cities of Sariwon, Wonsan, Hamhung, Sinuiju and other places to hear their outstanding young leader and pay tribute to him for his decisive guidance in leading the Korean people's resistance to achieve final victory over the Japanese imperialists. Extracts from that historic speech are posted below.
Dear fellow countrymen, I should like to express warm thanks to you
for giving us such an enthusiastic welcome today. We are very glad to
meet compatriots of ours in our liberated country like this. We have
fought the Japanese imperialist aggressors for a long time to achieve
the historic cause
of the country's liberation and bring about this day [...]
The 30 million people of Korea groaning under the barbaric colonial rule of Japanese imperialism have been restored to freedom and liberation by smashing the fetters of colonial bondage, and, having emerged from their dark life, have entered on a wide avenue leading to a new life [...]
I should like to pay my deep respects to the revolutionary fighters and to you, fellow countrymen, who have fought staunchly for the historic cause of national liberation despite cruel repression and persecution by Japanese imperialism [...] I should like also to express heartfelt thanks to the heroic Red Army of the Soviet Union who gave help in our people's cause of liberation [...] Thanks to the decisive role of the Soviet Army in World War II, the fascists, the most heinous enemy of mankind, were defeated, and today a new situation has been created in the world [...]
Now that the age-old dream of national liberation has been realized, the Korean people are faced with the historic task of building a new Korea [...] We must build an independent and sovereign democratic state in liberated Korea [...] Only by building such a state can we make our country rich, strong, enlightened and bring prosperity to our nation.
[...]
The masters of liberated Korea are none other than we Korean people. The workers, peasants and others sections of the working masses who have lived insulted and humiliated in every way under the colonial rule of Japanese imperialism in the past should become the true masters of the new Korea, and all national affairs should be decided by them. We should build a new, prosperous and democratic Korea, a genuinely people's country where the entire people participate in state administration and the working masses can enjoy well-being.
In order to do this, the question of power should be solved before anything else. The government to be built in the new Korea will be a genuinely people's government capable of defending in every way the interests of the popular masses and firmly guarantee the prosperity of the country and the people. It is precisely a Democratic People's Republic which will form such a government.
[...]
In order to build a new, democratic Korea a vigorous struggle must be waged against the reactionaries including the pro-Japanese elements and traitors to the nation. The pro-Japanese and traitors to the nation are now hatching all sorts of plots to hinder the building of a new Korea. Unless we counter their moves, we cannot build a truly people's government or bring about the democratization of the country.
An important problem in the construction of an independent and sovereign democratic state is to lay the firm foundation of the national economy by rehabilitating and developing it. Pursuing a cruel colonial policy in Korea, the Japanese imperialists held back the development of our national economy to the utmost and, when pulling out after their defeat, even went so far as destroying even the few small factories and enterprises ever built in Korea. They devastated our agriculture too. This being so, we must endeavor to rehabilitate the national economy as early as possible. Only when the national economy is developed can the ruined livelihood of the people be improved, complete independence achieved and the prosperity and development of the country attained. The entire people should vigorously struggle to rehabilitate as early as possible industry and agriculture ruined and devastated by the Japanese imperialists and lay the foundation of the national economy by devoting their strength, wisdom and skills.
[...]
We must get rid of the remnants of Japanese imperialists' reactionary system of slave education and establish a public educational system to provide the sons and daughters of the working people with broad opportunities of learning, and strive to revive and develop our national culture on a democratic basis.
The work of nation-building confronting the Korean people now is a truly great and important undertaking. Success in carrying out this historic cause depends entirely on the efforts our people make. We should do everything possible for the building of a new, democratic Korea. This great work of building an independent and sovereign democratic state cannot be accomplished simply by the efforts of a political party or an individual. In order to build a new democratic Korea the whole nation must unite firmly and the entire people must join in.
[...]
Unless all the nation unites, we cannot hope to build a new, democratic Korea or achieve the country's complete independence. On no account should we forget the bitter lessons of the past when we lost our country and we were reduced to the miserable status of a stateless people because we had no national unity.
[...]
Today the situation in our country urgently calls for the earliest possible formation of a democratic national united front to solidly unite all the patriotic, democratic forces aspiring to the complete independence and democratic development of the country [...] People from all strata should display patriotic enthusiasm and turn out to build a new Korea [...]
When our people unite their strength and wisdom, they will find nothing beyond their power and no fortress unassailable. Our people are an intelligent people who have a brilliant national culture. Liberated today from the colonial rule of Japanese imperialism, our people are full of enthusiasm to build a new, democratic Korea and ardently desire the achievement of complete independence at the earliest date. Therefore, it is well within our power to build a rich and strong, independent, sovereign, democratic state by our own efforts. Let all the Korean people fight courageously in union for the building of a new, democratic Korea with great hopes for a bright future and a firm faith in victory.
(Kim Il Sung, Works, Vol.1 pp. 308-14)
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