Thursday 18 January 2024

Answer from comrade Alan Bolon , KFA UK Organisation Secretary and Head of KFA UK West of England to the 4th Joint Songun Juche Study Session Question.

In consultation with our Comrades we as KFA-Germany formulated the

following questions for the upcoming event:"What is the difference between Juche-Philosophy and Marxism-Leninism? We received some very mean accusations from the Communist Party of Germany, that Juche would be an idealistic Philosophy that breaks with the core principles of ML.

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Let's start with the fact that the accusations about the supposedly idealistic nature of Juche philosophy are very old and constantly repeated from various sides of the Left.

If the Communist Party of Germany said that Juche idea is an idealistic philosophy I would like to ask: what is so 'idealistic' that they see in Juche philosophy? Did they define specifically what it is? it is easy to make such judgments in general terms without providing details. So, I would ask them to specify their doubts and invite them to discussion. Let's them say what they see idealistic in the Juche philosophy. I would invite them to discussions with us. If they are so sure of their opinions about Juche, let them present them and let them justify them.

Kim Il Sung, searching for a path for the liberation of the Korean nation, relied on the experience of the development of Marxism - Leninism to the extent that Marxism - Leninism was theoretically developed in that period of time. 

Juche philosophy is an original anti - imperialist philosophy of the Korean road to socialism, based on connections with the Marxism - Leninism and maintaining full compliance with the principles and rules of the Marxism - Leninism. But on hundreds of scientific works, historical achievements and experience of Korean socialist construction, on the practice of the people of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea based on Marxism - Leninism values and principles in everyday community political and economic life of the DPRK society, Juche idea developed its original features.

It needs to be said clearly, Juche philosophy is not simply Marxism - Leninism applied to DPRK. Whilst Juche idea inherits many features of Marxism - Leninism it also has original features as well. Juche idea stresses that man is the master of everything and the popular masses are the masters of the revolution and construction. Juche philosophy stresses the subjective factor as well as the objective factor. In the past socialist countries that followed Marxism - Leninism emphasized the material economic factor and believed that once socialist relations of production were established that the consciousness of the masses would automatically change as result ideological work was neglected. It does not happen as we know; the consciousness has not raised certainly level to be and the result of neglect ideological work was tragic as the socialist system collapsed in many countries and produced counter - revolutionary forces that destroyed from within and with the help of the capitalist system through many actions supporting. That is why Juche philosophy stipulates giving priority to ideology, basically ideological work is the motor of building socialism.

What are the similarities and differences between Marxism - Leninism and Juche philosophy?

Juche philosophy takes as its starting point the recognition of a dialectical - materialistic worldview. This does not mean, however, that Juche philosophy simply inherited and developed the materialist dialectics, but it does mean that it starts from the assumptions of the materialist Marxist's dialectics and has nothing in its content inconsistent with the materialist dialectics.

There is no contradiction with Marxism - Leninism. All accusations of idealism and incompatibility with dialectical materialism are only the invention of those who either do not understand Juche philosophy or do not want to learn it and rigidly stick to the Marxist's - Leninist's dogma from the era of the October Revolution and the USSR, not wanting to see that since then Marxist's thought has developed retaining its original features but also enriching it with new experiences in the international struggle of the communist movement.

Juche philosophy is a unique philosophy, it is a complex of developed and systematized its own, it's only own relevant statements. Its historical contribution to the development of philosophical thought is not simply in the development of Marxist's dialectical materialism, BUT IN THE FOUNDATION OF NEW PHILOSOPHICAL PRINCIPLES WHERE THE FOCUS IS ON MAN ISSUES.

Marxist's philosophy, applies the materialist conception of history. However, there are rules in the social movement that is peculiar only to this. The social movement changes and develops according to its own regularities, unique to it. This social movement was discovered for first time in the Juche idea in the Juche view of the world, that the world is dominated and transformed by man. It is inconceivable separately from the materialist dialectical understanding of the essence of the objective material world, and general laws of its motion. A major point of the Juche idea, is the elucidation of the laws of the socio - historical movement. The socio - historical movement has its own peculiar law. This law, however, is not the result of some supernatural forces. Marxism - Leninism stressed that socio - historical movement is changing due to economic and social changes. However, Marxism - Leninism did not see the special role of man in this, but only his action, his activity in this process of change, in the processes of revolution. Juche idea, noticed the unique features of man such as independence, consciousness and creativity, which given by nature itself allow him to be a more perfect creation by nature, not by supernatural power or spiritual forces and thanks to these features, a man can change the world. What's more, Juche idea defined man as a social being and not just an object of economic and social changes as in Marxism - Leninism. Therefore, in a social movement, man has a unique place and task, because it depends on him what economic and social processes will take place, and not only what effect they have.

So, THE FUNDAMENTAL DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE JUCHE PHILOSOPHY AND THE PREVIOUS PHILOSOPHY RESULTS IN THE FINAL VERDICT OF DIFFERENT VIEWS ON MAN but we have to stressed out, very important is to say that there it is no contradictions between two ideas, between Juche philosophy and Marxism - Leninism. Juche philosophy just explaining wider the position of man which Marxism - Leninism not explained and seen a man as a sum of social - economic relations. Juche view of man is not idealistic how some of pseudo - Marxists says. It is not, because Juche accepted man as a product of nature who is depend to nature objective law, but also as man is social being, which feature has not been explanation by Marxism - Leninism before, man can create his life by own according to the objective law of nature not to any idealistic or metaphysical laws. If Juche philosophy would be idealistic, it would refer to some supernatural spiritual forces or other forces beyond matter. Meanwhile, such factors of Juche philosophy as creativity, independence and consciousness are factors created by nature in man as its product in the process of social life, social life, which was discovered and emphasized for the first time by Juche philosophy

Very important is to understand, that Juche treats man and the popular masses as the SUBJECT of revolution and not the OBJECT as it is in Marxism - Leninism. 

What does mean? 

It means that the revolution is created by the masses and people themselves and is dependent on them. The masses of the people and man, recognized in his unique features of social being in the Juche philosophy, enter into relationships with the world and in this, create and change it also in the revolutionary process.

These unique features of man were not noticed in Marxism - Leninism, which is why man and the masses of people in the revolutionary process were the only SUBJECT of revolution in economic and social transformations, because Marxism - Leninism defined a man as a sum of social relations not as a social being as a Juche idea. Defined man as a social being in the Juche ideaas a social being, endowed with unique features of independence, creativity and consciousness does not mean that these features are supernatural.

Therefore, allegations and accusations about the alleged idealism in the Juche philosophy and its contradiction with Marxism - Leninism are not reflected in reality and come only from deliberate ill will or simply from ignorance of the Juche philosophy and lack of willingness to explore it, very often out of laziness.

Finally, on the subject of Juche's connections with Marxism - Leninism and the old but constantly renewed accusations about the alleged contradiction of Juche philosophy with Marxism - Leninism, I would like to recommend two extensive articles which I will send in a moment in a PDF file, the first one is my authorship and is a polemic that I conducted with dogmatists from the so - called 'Marx Institute', a group of young Marxist -  Leninist in Poland a few years ago, who in their dogmatic vision of Marxism - Leninism rejected Juche idea as the achievements of international communist thought. It is 'Polish ultra - leftist dogmatism in the service of hostile propaganda. A response to the revisionist lies about the DPRK and the Juche Philosophy published by dogmatists from the Polish ’Institute of Marx’' The second material is by the Korean Friendship Association from Brazil,        'Exposing To Light The Criticism Against The Juche Idea', where they also explain the connections of Marxism - Leninism with the Juche philosophy and reject some of the more famous accusations of the fake leftist. 

I hope it will help to understanding more connections Juche idea with Marxism - Leninism, and will allow us to reject any imaginary accusations that Juche philosophy is idealistic or contrary to  Marxism - Leninism.

Thank you for listening

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