JUCHE AND
CULTURE: A PRESENTATION BY SHAUN PICKFORD
Culture
pervades all aspects of society, the material and ideological values
characterising the historical stage attained by social formations in the course
of their development. The issue of culture is generally seen as being a product
of the superstructure, rather than the structure of any given society, in other
words, the material base. More specifically is it customary to distinguish the
material realms such as production and machinery from the areas of art,
literature, philosophy and ethics. The Juche Idea regards the role of culture
in the struggles for class and national emancipation, as being of primary
importance. Various interpretations of Marxism have viewed culture as of
secondary significance or as a by-product of the economic-social base.
The Juche
Idea considers culture as a vital factor in the establishment of a
revolutionary ideological outlook on the world. Cultural activities are given
the greatest attention by the Workers' Party of Korea as the means of promoting
a socialist consciousness among the population of the DPRK. The position of
culture has increased in society due to the vast technological advances of the
late 20th century and of the early 21st century, culture is indeed present in
everyday activities in the forms of the electronic and print media and in
social media. There cannot be any grey or neutral areas in the realms of
culture, cultural movements can be either of a progressive or of a reactionary
nature. One of the fundamental reasons why Korean style socialism has not only
survived but actually flourishes is due to the fact that culture has been
treated as a crucial component of the revolutionary struggle.
Korea's
culture goes back to at least Five Millennia, the Korean nation was at the
forefront of cultural innovation. Korea had already in the 12th century
invented a metal type printing press, three centuries before Guntenberg. Over
6,000 volumes of Buddhist scriptures were completed as a result of the invention
of printing. The Koreans were studying the stars at the Chomsongdae observatory
in the era of Kogurgo, during the 7th century.
The first ever Iron-clad ships were manufactured for the navy of Li Sun
Sin for repelling Japanese aggression in the Imjin War of 1592. A visitor to
the Central Art Gallery in Pyongyang can see for themselves that Ancient Korea
excelled in the arts and literature. Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941), an Indian
poet described Korea as a lamp ushering in a golden age for Asia. This golden
age was to come to an end in 1910 when Japan formally occupied Korea. The
Japanese Imperialists looted the rich cultural heritage of Korea and sought to
wipe out Korean culture. Even the Korean language and the use of Korean names
were suppressed by Japanese colonialism.
When Kim IL
Sung launched the revolutionary struggle against Japanese Imperialism, culture
became a weapon of the resistance. As part of the revolutionizing of the masses
into the fight for national liberation during the 1930s-1940s, Kim IL Sung
wrote many plays such as "The Sea Of Blood", "Blood At An
International Conference" and "Three Pretenders". The plays in
question and other works of revolutionary art inspired the Korean people in
their war against Japanese Imperialism. Kim IL Sung recalls in volume five of
his "Reminiscences - With The Century" how preparations were made in
the secret camp at Manjiang in 1936 for the performance of "Phibaba"
(Sea Of Blood) and how the Anti-Japanese masses enthusiastically responded to
the play. The progressive traditions of Korean culture were kept alive despite
Japanese colonialization by the likes of such bodies as the Korean Proletarian
Arts' Federation.
After
liberation in August 1945, literature and art developed in the New Korea.
illiteracy was eliminated throughout the north of Korea in the late 1940s and,
democratic education and culture were spread to all sectors of society. Kim IL
Sung exerted great efforts to wipe out the cultural backwardness which had been
the legacy of the old society, to build a new socialist culture in Korea. Kim
IL Sung repeatedly stressed that culture in the DPRK had to be socialist and
national in both content and style so as to suit the requirements of the Korean
revolution. Kim IL Sung placed ideology and culture on an equal scale of
priority in the campaigns for the Three Revolutions in the battle to construct
a socialist society, in other words, the Ideological, Technical and Cultural
Revolutions.
Kim Jong IL
was skillfully able to systematize all the teachings of Kim IL Sung on the role
of culture into a compact theoretical framework. In the 1960s and 1970s, Kim
Jong IL was at the helm of the revolutions in the cinema, in the opera and in
the dramatic arts of the DPRK. Kim Jong IL brought about a radical change
within the cultural sphere beginning in the mid-1960s, overcoming formalism in
the arts and literature and replacing them with themes which were Juche based,
working class and revolutionary in origin. Kim Jong IL grave precedence to the
revolution in the cinematic art and promoted the success achieved in this
sphere to all other realms of art and literature. Kim Jong IL gave an
ideological expression to the innovations in the art and literature through
numerous treatises on cultural issues, such as "On The Art Of The
Cinema", "On The Art Of The Opera", "On Fine
Art","On Juche Literature", "On The Art Of Drama" and
"On The Art of Music". In the work "On The Art of The
Cinema," Kim Jong IL put forwards explicitly the Juche orientated theory
of culture. "On The Art of The Cinema" was published on April 11th,
1973 and consists of eight chapters and forty-seven sections. "On The Art
Of The Cinema" is highly regarded by academics and cinematographers as a
classic work on the theory of film making.
The theory
of Kim Jong IL on Juche centred culture and art is that priority had to be
attached to matters relating to Chajusong (Independence) of Man, the Social
Being (Man in the gender-neutral sense) and depict the working masses as the
most powerful and noble beings who aspire after independence worthy of the
makers of history. Kim Jong IL provided the first scientific exposition of the
human being as a social subject in the creation and appreciation of culture and
art. The question of how the popular masses are to represented in the arts and
literature under socialism was given when Kim Jong IL revealed the nature of
people as independent, creative and conscious beings capable of moulding
cultural values. The socialist culture must advance the cause of the independence
of the popular masses in every aspect of cultural life. A unique aspect of Kim
Jong IL's writings on culture was his emphasis on the "Chongjia"
(seed) of artistic and literary creation. The seed of a cultural work is the
basis of a given piece which unifies the subject, theme and ideology into an
organic whole. Both the ideological and artistic qualities of an artistic work
must be of the highest standard, neglecting either aspect would lead the
creation not having the desired effect.
In the
Socialist Countries which had revisionist leadership, the problem of culture
was overlooked and there was cultural opening from imperialism in these
nations. Without a socialist culture, there cannot be a truly socialist
society. Many of those Socialist Countries which disregarded cultural affairs
succumb to counter-revolution and collapse. Some of the Socialist Countries in
the past tried to emulate Western cultural styles and ended up with a
substandard culture which promoted imperialist values. By building up the
cultural front, Kim Jong IL ensured the continuation and consolidation of
Korean-Style socialism. Kim Jong IL saw to it, that a ceaseless struggle was
conducted against the infiltration of imperialist culture and bourgeois
lifestyles in the DPRK. There have been some socialist theoreticians like
Antonio Gramsci who dealt with the subject of culture, but it has only been Kim
Jong IL who has offered a comprehensive and clear revolutionary theory on
culture.
Kim Jong
IL's theories on culture were translated into reality with what became the
flowering of Korean arts and literature, truly a renaissance of the 20th
century. Many outstanding masterpieces of operatic performance were created in
the 1970s under Kim Jong IL's guidance like "The Sea Of Blood, "The
Flower Girl", "A True Daughter Of The Party", "Tell Oh
Forest", "Song Of Mount Kumgang and "The Song Of Paradise".
The DPRK cinema enjoyed international recognition with its brilliance and
originality, the film "The Flower Girl" won the highest award at the
Karlovy Vary International Film Festival in 1972. Over the years the DPRK has
produced some really renowned classics of cinematic art as "The Star Of
Korea", "The Flower Girl", "The Nation And Destiny",
"An Jung Gun Shoots Ito Hirobumi", "Unknown Heroes",
"The Country I Saw" among other feature films. Every two years
Pyongyang hosts an International Film Festival which increasingly draws the
attention of filmmakers from many countries. According to "Kim Jong IL:
The Peoples Leader" volume 2 authored by Choe In Su when the Manusdae Art
Troupe arrived for their performance in London during 1972 the dock and railway
workers were on strike and appreciating the art from Juche Korea the strikers
were greatly inspired in their class struggle. Quoted at the time of the visit
of the Manusdae Art Troupe to the UK, was the sentiment by theatre goers that
if GMT is International Standard Time, then Korean Art is the best standard of
human creativity.
Kim Jong Un
has advanced and applied the Kimilsungist-Kimjongilist theories on culture to
the circumstances of the 21st century. Kim Jong Un in his letter to Social
Scientists on December 1st, 2012, addressed the question of how the
Juche-orientated culture has to be in step with the times and that the
methodology of Juche should be implemented in an innovative manner. Kim Jong Un
cites The Moranbong Band as a prime example of promoting socialist values in a
novel and attention-grabbing way. On July 6th, 2012 the Moranbong Band gave its
very first performance, and since then, this all-female band has come to
symbolize the dynamism of the Mailima Era, with their energetic dance routine
and memorable songs. Cultural activity was used for the purpose of fostering
north-south relations when the Winter Olympics was held in Pyengchang, south
Korea in 2018. At the initiative of Kim Jong Un, the Samjiyon Band gave a
concert on the occasion of the 2018 Winter Olympics in Seoul, which gave a
boost to the drive towards opening the way of peaceful, independent
reunification on the Korean peninsula. Incidentally, the overseas Korean
composer Yun I Sang's work is staged in the DPRK as it reflects the historic
desire of the Korean people for independent reunification. Over the past six
years, many cultural amenities have either been built or renovated, such as The
Samjiyon Orchestra Concert Hall and The Peoples Theatre. A delegation from the
Juche Idea Study Group in September 2018, was able to experience for themselves
two awesome illustrations of Juche orientated culture in the forms of the mass
games "Glorious Country", and the Grand Concert to mark the 70th
anniversary of the founding of the DPRK.
It is one of
the tasks assigned to the adherents of the Juche Idea in this country (Britain)
on how to formulate an independent, democratic and people-centred culture. All
the quality cultural assets are the preserve of the ruling elite while working
people cannot afford the luxury of aesthetic enlightenment in capitalist
society. The mass consumer culture of capitalism can be seen as the biggest
kind of narcotic in existence, even worse than the notorious drug
"Monkey-Dust", which smoothers the consciousness and creativity of
the working masses with its banality. Britain has a long and proud tradition of
working-class culture as we recount the literacy work of Robert Tressell and
the compositions of Cornelius Cardew. The progressive drama group, The Banner
Theatre who are based in Birmingham, participated in The April Spring
International Festival held in Pyongyang, showcasing the best of British
Proletarian Culture. Cultural exchanges between Britain and the Democratic
Peoples Republic of Korea should be encouraged and art troupes invited to
perform in each other countries. It is through the cultural exchange can we
overcome all the lies and distortions about the DPRK put about by the
imperialist media.
In this
presentation, it is only possible to give a brief overview of the Juche
theories on culture, in giving talks on the topics of the DPRK Cinema or the
Korean Opera or Popular Music in the DPRK would constitute separate and
detailed subjects in themselves. The teachings of the Great Leader President
Kim IL Sung, of the Great Leader Chairman Kim Jong IL and the Dear Respected
Marshal Kim Jong Un on culture and the arts, can be regarded as the most
invaluable contribution to the development of socialist thought and practice.
For the first time in history, the Juche-orientated culture of the DPRK has
raised the concepts of human dignity and creativity to new heights, Juche is
the way forward for all of humanity!!
The speech
was given by Shaun Pickford to the National Meeting of the Juche Idea Study
Group, held in London on February 2nd, 2019
Reference
material used for "Juche And Culture" was " The Kim IL Sung
Encyclopedia" New Delhi, India, 1992,
"The Kim Jong IL Encyclopedia," International Institute of the
Juche Idea, 2012 and "Kim Jong IL The Peoples Leader" by Choe In Su,
Foreign Languages Publishing House, Pyongyang, DPRK 1983
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