LONG LIVE THE DEMOCRATIC PEOPLES REPUBLIC OF KOREA

LONG LIVE THE DEMOCRATIC PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF KOREA!

On the treatise The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea is a Juche-oriented socialist state with invincible might. Delivered to the Juche Idea Study Group of England at its meeting to celebrate the birthday of Comrade Kim Jong Il on 16 February 2010.


by a UK Academic



The birthday of the great leader Comrade Kim Jong Il is a happy occasion for revolutionaries and progressive people all around the world, an occasion to congratulate the Korean people on their achievements under his magnificent leadership, to review the progress of their revolution during the past year, and to survey once again the historic significance of the Korean revolution in the light of the ages-long struggle of the masses of the world’s people for independence and peace.
Comrade Kim Jong Il’s treatise entitled The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea is a Juche-oriented socialist state with invincible might is a classic encyclopaedic survey of the achievements of the Korean revolution in building their independent socialist state, and of their guiding ideology of Juche. In this treatise, Comrade Kim Jong Il states:
The immortal Juche idea is a man-cantered outlook on the world, and an ideology of independence; it is a great guiding ideology of our era that sheds scientific light on the way of championing and realizing the independence of the masses and of the country and nation. Our Republic, which incorporates the great Juche idea in its State building and State activities, is a people-centred socialist country in which the people are regarded as God, an independent socialist State with a strong Juche character and national identity, and an invincible socialist power that prevails over any enemy, however formidable, and overcomes every manner of trial and hardship by dint of Songun.
The DPRK is, then, an independent socialist state which incorporates the Juche idea in all aspects of state-building and state activities - politics, the economy, military affairs, cultural life and external relations. This independent state has been constructed and developed by the Korean people by their own efforts, in their own way, according to their own ideology and faith, and by dint of their revolutionary determination and will inspired and led by two great revolutionary leaders who have guaranteed the continuity of the Juche line of independence across the generations.
The DPRK now stands invincible in the face of all provocation, and consistently prevails against attempts to deflect the Korean revolution from its course. Neither imperialism nor any other outside force has ever succeeded in any such attempt. The Korean people have overcome unbelievable hardships and made untold sacrifices to defend and guarantee their revolution and, from generation to generation, have taken up the revolution as their own, as a struggle to realise their own independence. As a result, the DPRK stands as a people-centred socialist state, dignified, highly respected and prestigious, a beacon of independence for the oppressed people, nations, and countries of the entire world. This achievement has shown up the pernicious consequences of relying on outside forces for success. Instead, Korea’s revolutionaries have consistently repudiated great-power worship, and have never relied on dogmas, received theories and formulas developed from outside. Their watchword has always been: “Let us live our own way!”. They have, in short, seen it as a matter of pride and honour that they have waged their revolution and carried out their construction regardless of what others may say, secure in their conviction that they alone can know the situation in their country and forge their revolutionary path in accordance to their own circumstances.
The lifeline of the Korean people in pursuing this independent path is to defend and uphold the Juche character and national character of the revolution. Independence is the lifeblood of a country, a nation and a people, and is, accordingly, the lifeblood of the revolution, since the revolutionary struggle is waged with the country and nation as the unit. No supra-national bloc or alliance can replace the masses’ independence struggle; this is a bitter lesson of the history of socialism, and the DPRK is a living and inspiring example for socialists and all progressive people throughout the world of the alternative path - the path of independence. This is all the more impressive an achievement in that imperialism has used its most cruel weapon of partition against the Korean people, so that, while defending and constructing socialism in the north, they are faced with the complex and demanding task of struggling for the reunification of their divided nation.
The challenges faced by the independent socialist state of the DPRK have in recent times been daunting indeed, but by developing the revolutionary line of Songun politics - the line of putting military affairs first - Comrade Kim Jong Il has led the Korean people in facing down all threats from outside in a dangerous situation of actual military confrontation with imperialism. Only a people of iron faith and will, united as one around such a seasoned and experienced leader, could have achieved such historic success.
Since it is the masses of the people in each country and nation who are those who wage the revolution, the crucial factor in its success is that the people take up the revolution as their own and wage it independently and creatively. The DPRK accordingly embodies love for the masses of the people, in accordance with its guiding ideology of the Juche idea. In Korea, socialism has a new ideological basis, as a people-centred social system, in which the people are God, in the sense that their noble attributes of independence and creativity stand above all other considerations in ideology and even in philosophy. This is the man-centred outlook on the world - the outlook according to which all matters in nature, society and human affairs are approached from the point of view of man, that is, the masses of the people.
As social scientists, it is our task to study and propagate the Juche idea in order to show the way to the independence of the masses in our own country. This is a difficult task in this, the oldest colonialist country, where the poisonous ideas of chauvinism, racism, and prejudice have been used for centuries to corrode, corrupt and infest the consciousness of the people and divert them from the struggle for social independence and internationalism. The Juche idea is our ultimate guarantee that here also we shall eventually succeed in sweeping away this filth and muck of the capitalist and imperialist outlook, and light the flame of independent and creative struggle of the masses, so that they take up revolutionary struggle as their own.
It is now some years since I last saw Comrade Kim Jong Il, and though I did not have the opportunity to exchange words with him he waved at me and smiled cheerfully, evidently brimming over with health and vitality. Ever since I first took up the study of his works in 1980 I have taken the occasion of his birthday to wish him many more years of good health and success in his leadership of revolution and construction, and to wish the entire Korean people success in achieving their cherished goal of reunification. It is indeed a fitting way to celebrate this happy event that we study once again his classic treatise The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea is a Juche-oriented socialist state with invincible might.
Let us continually draw inspiration, faith and conviction from the glorious struggle of the Korean revolution under the iron-willed leadership of its great leader Comrade Kim Jong Il, and blaze a trail along the path of Juche, so that we, even here in the imperialist heartlands, may open up a path towards people-centred socialism, and so contribute to the great cause of building an independent and peaceful world free from all oppression and exploitation.
Selected quotations from The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea is a Juche-oriented socialist state with invincible might by Kim Jong Il. Discourse published in Rodong Sinmun, Organ of the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea , and Minju Joson, Organ of the DPRK Government, September 5, Juche 97 (2008).

The immortal Juche idea is a man-centered outlook on the world, and an ideology of independence; it is a great guiding ideology of our era that sheds scientific light on the way of championing and realizing the independence of the masses and of the country and nation. Our Republic, which incorporates the great Juche idea in its State building and State activities, is a people-centered socialist country in which the people are regarded as God, an independent socialist State with a strong Juche character and national identity, and an invincible socialist power that prevails over any enemy, however formidable, and overcomes every manner of trial and hardship by dint of Songun.
The Juche character and national identity are the independence and lifeline of a country, a nation and the masses of the people. The struggle of the masses for independence is waged with the country and nation as a unit, so the party, the government and the masses of each country should conduct the revolution and construction independently and creatively as masters.
It is only when they hold fast to the Juche character and national identity and maintain the line of independence in the revolution and construction that they can defend the sovereignty of the country and nation, guarantee their independent development and realize the independence of the masses successfully.
Having put forward such original ideas on the Juche character, the national identity and the line of independence for the first time in history, President Kim Il Sung blazed the trail for the independent development of the Korean revolution and guaranteed, by dint of his iron faith and will and seasoned leadership, that the principle of Juche, the line of independence, was maintained consistently in the revolution and construction.
True to his idea of State building, our Party and State regarded preserving the Juche character, the national identity and the line of independence as the fundamental principle in accomplishing the cause of the masses’ independence, the cause of socialism, and strictly adhered to it, and thus built our country into a highly dignified and prestigious independent country, a socialist State embodying noble love for the people and nation.
We have solved all the problems arising in the building and activities of the State and in the revolution and construction by our own efforts and in our own way on the principle of self-reliance, in accordance with our ideology and faith, our determination and will and the actual situation in our country, and in line with the interests of our revolution. By holding fast to the principle of Juche, the principle of independence, in all fields of politics, the economy, military affairs, culture and external relations, we have resolutely opposed great-power worship, dogmatism and all other ideas advocating dependence on outside forces, and categorically rejected any form of intervention and pressure by the imperialist reactionaries and other foreign forces.
We are also doing everything we choose and decide in conformity with our own ideology, demands and interests, regardless of the existing theories or formulas, and despite what others may say.
Our Party long ago put forward the slogan of “Let us live our own way!”; this is Juche, independence and self-reliance, and herein lie our dignity, pride and honor.