JUCHE AND CULTURE: A PRESENTATION BY SHAUN PICKFORD

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