The first time in history with the publication of "On The Juche Idea", on March 31st, 1982 by Kim Jong IL was the philosophy of Juche introduced to the Korean people and to the international community in a comprehensive and compact format. This was a treatise sent to the National Seminar on the Juche Idea by the Great Comrade Kim Jong IL on the occasion of the 70th birthday of the Great Leader President Kim IL Sung. Kim Jong IL set out in an explicit and detailed manner the philosophical, the social-historical and guiding principles of the Juche Idea. Kim Jong IL's greatest service to humanity's philosophical and ideological development was to have systematized the Juche Idea. This was indeed a semiotic change in the annuals of philosophy and political thought since the publication of "The Economic & Philosophic Manuscripts" (1844) and "The Communist Manifesto" (1848) by Karl Marx and Frederick Engles. When this revolution in philosophy occurred with the publication of "On The Juche Idea", it went unnoticed by some progressive political activists and academics in Western Countries. In the last few years as the profile of the DPRK as risen as the foremost bastion of socialism and anti-imperialism today, so as the interest in the Juche Idea has grown in the West.
As for the work itself, it consists of chapters on "The Origin of The Juche Idea", "The Philosophical Principle of The Juche Idea," "The Social-Historical Principles of the Juche Idea," "The Guiding Principles of The Juche Idea" and "The Historic Significance of The Juche Idea". In the first chapter Kim Jong IL chronicles the evolution of the Juche Idea during the time of the Korean Revolution and why there was the need for a fresh ideological approach away from the orthodoxies of the era in question. Kim Jong IL connects the link between Marxism-Leninism with the Juche Idea while maintaining the original nature of the Juche ideology as a distinctive philosophy.
Kim Jong IL explores in the next chapter the philosophical principles of the Juche Idea. The core principle of Juche is that man is the master of the world, in effect the main determinant factor. Humans, although objective circumstances do play a role, it is human beings who are the agents of change of their environment. Juche means in translation to be the master of one's own fate.
Man wants to live independently free from subornation of natural fetters and exploitative social relations. Human beings constantly desire to further improve their own conditions and become master of the world. Chajusong (independence) is a key quality of what makes of human beings who they are in the natural and social realm. Independence cannot be gained without creativity and consciousness. Creativity is a means for humans of dealing with problems, of an environmental, technological and social-political essence. Consciousness is a unique quality function of humans throughout the centuries. Having a consciousness of the tasks and issues ahead and to change them, it was consciousness which helped to build the great civilizations and to alter society and nature for the betterment of humanity.
Kim Jong IL sees the conception of the philosophical principles into their historical realisation. In other words, it is the masses who are the masters of history and the struggle for independence is the very essence of human existence. Without the masses there would no social movement or historical progress. Man has been able to achieve the position of the master due to his social character. The individual becomes more powerful when they are part of the collective. The social-technological-cultural legacy the millennia has made man, the social being a more assertive actor in the world. Man as an individual is nothing without the community and his fellow beings. The social-political community has over the course of centuries been separated in national and social-class units. The product of society is divided into social relations and social wealth.
Man is part of society and society is part of man. People are part and parcel of the social-political organism. Aristotle (384-322 BC) refers to man as polis creating as well as polis inhabiting, politics by its definition means of the community and democracy is translated as the rule of the people. Social-political integrity is more vital to human life than physical existence. To serve the community for progressive change makes one well remembered in the hearts and minds of humanity for decades and centuries, for instance like the revolutionaries, thinkers and scientists who have enhanced the quality of life for all people. Nobody will ever think twice about a mean spirited individual and a narcissist.
To make the masses independent is the most pressing requirement of the social-historical movement. When social relations become outdated and restricted for human needs, it is time to replace them with new ones, such as the transition from feudalism to capitalism or from capitalism to socialism. It is the social systems of socialism and communism which are more intrinsically suited to genuine human nature. Victory in the revolutionary struggle is achieved by leadership, organisation and ideology. Ideological remoulding of the people is essential for progress in the revolution and the building of a just society. Without leadership and organisation based upon the leader and party, there cannot be revolutionary change and the masses will not be able to gain the position of masters of the society.
In practical terms, Kim Jong IL applied Juche into ideology, independence into politics, self-sufficiency into the economy and self-reliance into the field of defence. The masses of each country and region are the ones who know best how to conduct the revolution and to construct the new society better than any outside forces. Friends and foes alike wonder why the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea remains on the world stage and prospers while upholding its independence and social system. Some other socialist and anti-imperialist countries have fallen by the wayside due to lack of principle, creativity and independence. With having the Juche Idea implemented into all areas of activity in the DPRK Chairman Kim Jong Un has conceptualized the ideology of Kimilsungism-Kimjongilsim in keeping with the demands of the century. The road of Juche is one of red revolutionary victory and glory for the DPRK.
Can I recommend "On The Juche Idea" for study by those who are new to the terminology of KimIlsungism-Kimjongilsm and to those people who are already familiar with the texts of the Juche classics? "On The Juche Idea" is a manifesto and a clarion call for new times, for an era of global independence, socialism, anti-imperialism and internationalism!!
The contribution made by Shaun Pickford to the online debate on the occasion of the 38th anniversary of the publication "On The Juche Idea" which was held by the Juche Idea Study Group of Britain on March 30th, 2020.
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