Pyongyang Declaration-22nd anniversary

Pyongyang Declaration

The collapse of socialism in the Soviet Union and other Eastern European countries drove the people, who had aspired after socialism, into doubt and despair. The world socialist movement was faced with an important choice–whether to revive socialism or not. The attention of the socialist advocates and other progressive people of the world was focused on Korea, which remained faithful to its commitment to socialism in the face of the great worldwide political upheavals.

Chairman Kim Jong Il directed primary efforts to inspiring the people, who were suffering from ideological vacillation and confusion in the wake of the sudden event, with confidence and showing them the way forward for the socialist movement. His work titled, The Historical Lesson in Building Socialism and the General Line of Our Party published on January 3, 1992, was his first message on the reconstruction of the socialist movement.

He wrote in the work that because the path to socialism is an untrodden one, setbacks and frustrations may occur, but they are only temporary, local phenomena, and the advance to socialism is the main direction of historical development. He explained that the basic reason for the frustration of socialism in some countries was that they had not put the main emphasis on strengthening the motive force for building socialism and on enhancing its role; they had failed to understand the essence of socialism with the masses, the makers of history, at the centre. He continued that it was the strategic line of the WPK for building socialism to carry out the ideological, technological and cul¬tural revolutions while strengthening the people’s government and steadily enhancing its functions and role. He pointed out the truth of this line by combining it with the practical experience of Korea. For the profundity, truth and scientific accuracy of its content, the work was hailed as a guidebook for the reconstruction of the socialist movement among the world progressive people, and circulated widely as soon as it was published.

Following its publication, representatives of many revolutionary parties all over the world visited Pyongyang on the occasion of President Kim Il Sung’s 80th birthday on April 15, 1992. While taking part in the celebration events and looking around various parts of Korea, they expressed their admiration at the practice of Korean-style socialism centred on the masses and the might of its single-hearted unity. Saying that they were encouraged by the true socialist features of Korea, they expressed their unshakable will and determination to strive to reconstruct the world socialist movement on a new basis centring on Korea. During their stay in Pyongyang, they arranged bilateral or multilateral contacts and negotiations to work out a common fighting programme, based on Kim Jong Il’s Juche-oriented ideas and theory of socialism.

The Pyongayang Declaration, titled, Let Us Defend and Advance the Cause of Socialism, was adopted in Pyongyang on April 20, 1992, and signed by the representatives of 70 communist and workers’ parties and other progressive political parties, including 48 party leaders.

The Pyongyang Declaration passed a correct judgement upon the temporary confusion in the progress of the socialist cause and scientifically elucidated the essential superiority of socialism over capitalism, the historical inevitability of the victory of socialism, and the cause of the frustration of socialism in some countries and the lesson drawn from it. It set common fighting tasks to be tackled by revolutionary parties of all countries in defending and advancing the cause of socialism: To firmly maintain independence and build up their respective internal forces; to refrain from abandoning revolutionary principles and hold high the banner of socialism at all times and in all circumstances; and to strengthen international unity in the struggle for socialism. In addition, it called upon the progressive parties and people all over the world to struggle to the last to carve out the future of mankind with firm confidence in the socialist cause.

The adoption of the Pyongyang Declaration provided the parties aspiring after socialism all over the world with a common fighting programme, and enabled the world socialist movement to rearrange its ranks centring on Pyongyang and launch a fresh onward march.