October 10, 1945
78th Anniversary of the Founding of the Workers’ Party of Korea

A Party That Serves the People

Flag raising on the occasion of the anniversary of the Workers’ Party of Korea, October 10, 2023

The Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK) has served the people since its founding on October 10, 1945, regarding it as its duty to take responsibility for their destiny and look after their well-being.

On this occasion, the Communist Party of Canada (Marxist-Leninist) sends its greetings to the WPK, its leadership and membership, and wishes them ever greater successes in their nation-building projects and striving for peaceful reunification of their divided nation.

In February 1946, shortly after its founding, the Party established the Provisional People’s Committee of North Korea, a government of the people whose mission was to defend and realize their interests, and made it implement democratic reforms without delay.

Thus the government adopted and executed the Agrarian Reform Law (March 1946), the Law on Gender Equality (July 1946), the Law on the Nationalization of Major Industries (August 1946) and other people-oriented policies. Thanks to the democratic reforms, the peasants could create a new life on the basis of their own effort on the land given them free of charge and workers could conduct creative activities as masters of the factories and means of production, enjoying the benefits of the eight-hour workday.

Women could be freed from feudal fetters and take part in social activities by standing second to none. Under the leadership of the WPK, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) was founded in September 1948 and has been built up into a country in which the people are the masters of everything and everything serves them.

The people-oriented policies which have been enforced in the DPRK clearly show how much importance the WPK attaches to the interests of the people. The country started to enforce the universal free medical care system in January 1953 in the grim period of the Korean war (1950-1953). It was a courageous decision of the WPK to adopt this system which cost huge human and material resources when the country’s destiny was in the balance.

It also holds true for the case of universal compulsory free education system. The country introduced universal compulsory primary education in August 1956 when the postwar reconstruction for healing severe war wounds was at its height and universal compulsory secondary education in November 1958 in the period when it strived to lay the foundations of socialism. As the socialist construction progressed, it started universal 11-year compulsory education in September 1972, and is now enforcing universal 12-year compulsory education.

The architect of the politics of the WPK which serves people was the DPRK’s first president, Kim Il Sung, followed by Kim Jong Il and now Chairman Kim Jong Un. Today, Chairman Kim Jong Un upholds the people-first principle as the DPRK’s fundamental political ideology and the slogans “Everything for the people and everything by relying on them!” and “Let the whole Party make selfless, devoted efforts for the good of the great people!” Reports from the DPRK indicate that he is leading officials at every level to think about the people’s interest and in everything they do defend their dignity and sovereignty.

The achievements of the DPRK are thanks to the leadership of the WPK which serves the people in everything it does.

Cultural performance celebrates the 78th anniversary of the WPK.