On the Juche Idea
Author | Kim Jong Il |
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Country | North Korea |
Language | Korean |
Subject |
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Published |
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Publication date | 1982 |
Published in English | 1982 |
Media type | |
Pages | 84 (English ed.) |
LC Class | MLCS 83/5240 (J) |
On the Juche Idea | |
Chosŏn'gŭl | 주체 사상에 대하여 |
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Hancha | 主體 思想에 對하여 |
Revised Romanization | Juche sasang e daehayeo |
McCune–Reischauer | Chuch'e sasang e taehayŏ |
On the Juche Idea (
ideology. It is considered the most authoritative work on Juche.The work, although probably ghostwritten for him,[3] legitimized Kim as the sole bona fide interpreter of the ideology. The treatise systemizes Kim Jong Il and his father Kim Il Sung's thought on the Juche philosophy. The treatise marks Juche's departure from the materialism of Marxism–Leninism and posits the consciousness of the masses as dependent on the working class leader.
According to Kim Jong Il, the Juche idea is composed of a philosophical principle, socio-historical principles, and guiding principles. The philosophical principle can be summarized with Kim Il Sung's maxim that "man is the master of everything and decides everything."[4] The socio-historical principles entail that the working masses are the subject of history. The guiding principles are: independent stance, creative method, and giving precedence to ideological consciousness. Emphasis on independence in particular has given raise to Kim's Songun, or military first, politics.
Background
On the Juche Idea is one of Kim Jong Il's major writings on Juche[5] and considered the most authoritative work on it.[6] It is a standard textbook on the subject.[7] The treatise is a systematization of both President Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il's thought on Juche philosophy[4][8] and offers the most comprehensive account of Juche.[6] Kim Il Sung's thought in particular began to be formulated as an original philosophy from the 1970s onward.[4] On the Juche Idea was sent to the national seminar on the Juche idea[5] on 31 March 1982 held on the occasion of the 70th birth anniversary of Kim Il-sung (15 April).[4] The occasion was also honored with the unveiling of the Juche Tower in Pyongyang.[9]
In the treatise, Kim Jong Il links the birth of the Juche idea to Kim Il Sung's personal history as a guerrilla fighter during the
Content
In his early years of revolutionary activities, the leader [Kim Il Sung] was well versed in Marxism-Leninism. But he did not confine himself to applying Marxism-Leninism to the Korean revolution but pioneered a new phase of revolutionary theory from a steadfast Juche-based standpoint and resolved the problems arising in the revolutionary practice from a unique angle.
On the Juche Idea[15]
Kim Jong Il explains that Juche is a departure from Marxism–Leninism rather than simply a reinterpretation of it. According to Kim, Juche offers not only an "independent and creative" direction to the Korean revolution, but also establishes a new era for human history.[6] It is philosophically idealist as opposed to the materialism of Marxism.[16] The work is considered somewhat abstract in style.[17]
In comparison to Kim Il Sung's writings, Kim Jong Il pays particular attention to
In On the Juche Idea, Kim Jong Il divides Juche into three components: the philosophical principle, the socio-historical principles, and the guiding principles of the Juche idea.[4]
Philosophical principle
The philosophical principle entails that Juche is a
Socio-historical principles
The socio-historical principles of Juche can be summarized as follows: the working masses are the subject of history.
Guiding principles
There are three guiding principles in Juche:
- First, independent stance means Juche in ideology, independence in politics, self-sufficiency in economy and self-reliance in defense.[18] These four aspects of the independent stance can be already found in Kim Il Sung's 1965 speech given in Indonesia, On Socialist Construction in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and the South Korean Revolution(조선민주주의인민공화국에서의사회주의건설과남조선혁명에대하여).[16] Even though On the Juche Idea mentions economy, it is not given precedence. Words like "development" and "growth" are more often used to refer to ideology rather than economy.[20] However, noting that an economy built on "self-reliance does not mean building an economy in isolation", Kim does hint at limited economic reforms. Sure enough, a law on joint-ventures was passed in 1984.[14]
- The second principle, creative method, means that all problems arising in the revolution and construction are to be solved by relying on the creativity of the masses.[18]
- The third and final guiding principle is giving precedence to ideological consciousness over all other work.[18]
Legacy
On the Juche Idea has been since used as a justification for Kim Jong Il's Songun, or army-first, politics. The justification can be found in an aspect of one of the guiding principles of Juche, which Kim has "elevated": self-reliance in defense.[21] Kim went on to publish "The Workers' Party of Korea Is a Juche-type Revolutionary Party which Inherited the Glorious Tradition of the DIU(조선로동당은 영광스러운 ㅌ.ㄷ.의 전통을 계승한 주체형 혁명적 당이다)" in October 1982 and focusing in it more on Kim Il Sung's guerrilla activities.[17]
See also
- Kim Jong Il bibliography
- On the Art of the Cinema – Kim Jong Il's application of Juche on art and literature
- On Eliminating Dogmatism and Formalism and Establishing Juche in Ideological Work – Kim Il Sung's "Juche Speech"
- With the Century – Kim Il Sung's autobiography
References
- ^ "Chuch'e sasang e taehayŏ : widaehan suryŏng Kim Il-sŏng Tongji t'ansaeng 70-tol kinyŏm chŏn'guk chuch'e sasang t'oronhoe e ponaen nonmun, 1982-yŏn 3-wŏl 31-il (Book, 1982) [WorldCat.org]". worldcat.org. Retrieved 16 September 2015.
- ^ "On the Juche idea : treatise sent to the National Seminar on the Juche Idea held to mark the 70th birthday of the great leader Comrade Kim Il Sung, March 31, 1982 (Book, 1982) [WorldCat.org]". worldcat.org. Retrieved 16 September 2015.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-5087-9993-1.
- ^ a b c d e f g Kim 2001, p. 386.
- ^ S2CID 144136781.
- ^ a b c Kwak & Joo 2009, p. 19.
- JSTOR 2644331.
- ^ a b c d Hale 2002, p. 301.
- ISBN 978-1-135-94691-3.
- ^ Lee, Grace (2003). "The Political Philosophy of Juche" (PDF). Stanford Journal of East Asian Affairs. 3 (1): 109. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 August 2016. Retrieved 11 September 2015.
- ^ a b Hale 2002, p. 302.
- JSTOR 2644170.
- ^ Mathesius, Konrad (7 June 2011). "Kim Jong-un's Catchphrase?". NK News. Retrieved 3 August 2016.
- ^ a b PSNC; Supercomputer, Poznan; Center, Networking. "Dolnośląska Digital Library – North Korea and its special economic zones: Re-establishing networks with the world economy? Prace Naukowe Uniwersytetu Ekonomicznego we Wrocławiu = Research Papers of Wrocław University of Economics, 2013, Nr 295, s. 93–108". dbc.wroc.pl. p. 101. Retrieved 14 September 2015.
- OCLC 9475822. Retrieved 13 October 2017.
- ^ a b c Armstrong 2013, p. 216.
- ^ a b c Armstrong 2013, p. 217.
- ^ a b c d Kim 2001, p. 387.
- ^ Kwak & Joo 2009, p. 20.
- ISBN 978-1-4724-2229-3.
- ^ Kwak & Joo 2009, p. 35.
Works cited
- Armstrong, Charles K. (25 June 2013). Tyranny of the Weak: North Korea and the World, 1950–1992. Ithaca and London: Cornell University Press. ISBN 978-0-8014-6894-0– via ProQuest ebrary.
- Kim, Yeon-gak (September 2001). Cho Yong-a (ed.). "Ideological Changes in North Korea since the 1990s". Korean Studies at the Dawn of the Millennium: Proceedings of the Second Biennial Conference Korean Studies Association of Australasia. Retrieved 11 September 2015.
- Hale, Chrisopher (2002). "Multifunctional Juche: A Study of the Changing Dynamic between Juche and the State Constitution in North Korea". Korea Journal. 42 (3): 283–308. Retrieved 11 September 2015.
- Kwak, Tae-Hwan; Joo, Seung-Ho (2009). North Korea's Foreign Policy Under Kim Jong Il: New Perspectives. Farnham: Ashgate Publishing, Ltd. ISBN 978-0-7546-7739-0.
Further reading
- Kim Jong-il (1985). On the Juche Idea of Our Party. Pyongyang: OCLC 12433317– contains the full text and other works
- — (2002). On the Juche Philosophy. Pyongyang: OCLC 489459767– contains the full text and other works
- Yi Song-jun (1986). The Philosophical Principle of the Juche Idea. Pyongyang: OCLC 18991464– a companion book
- Exposition of the Juche Idea. Pyongyang: OCLC 10602379– a companion book