Friday, 15 December 2023

A Leader who embodied the spirit of Living Our Own Way -special article for the 12th anniversary of the passing away of the great leader comrade KIM JONG IL by Dr Dermot Hudson

                                                                        



It is 12 years since the great leader comrade KIM JONG IL passed away on the 17th of December 2011 whilst giving on the spot guidance to key economic sectors in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) and it is also the 45th anniversary of the slogan “ Let Us Live Our Own Way “ which was put forward by comrade KIM JONG IL himself . Comrade KIM JONG IL was a leader who embodied the spirit of “ Living Our Own Way “, independence , patriotism and self-reliance.


From the start comrade KIM JONG IL who had been born on Mt Paektu in swirling snowstorms amidst the echoing gunfire of the anti-Japanese war advocated doing things in the Korean way, in relying on the efforts of the Korean people not outsiders .



 In 1959 KIM JONG IL visited the former Soviet Union and went around Moscow University. It was suggested that he study at Moscow University. However he declined the request saying that the DPRK had excellent universities such as KIM IL SUNG University .During the years of the anti-Japanese armed struggle  President KIM IL SUNG had declined to study abroad saying that the Korean people were his teachers . Comrade KIM JONG IL followed the road set down by the great leader comrade KIM IL SUNG .Furthermore  comrade KIM JONG IL  pointed out that

"I'm always thinking of how to enhance the glory of our socialist homeland, liberated and developed by our leader. Exalting the socialist homeland for ever is the way to remain true to his revolutionary vision and leadership. Looking around the university of this country, I have strengthened my determination to study in Kim Il Sung University. I will study in Kim Il Sung University"



Whilst at studying at the august and prestigious KIM IL SUNG University comrade KIM JONG IL gave a talk to the students of the university on the 5th of April  1961 titled “ Worshipping Big Powers and Depending on Foreign Foreign Forces is the way to National Ruin “ in the talk he said that “Sycophancy to the great powers blemishes people’s national pride ,self respect and spirit of independence and paralyses them ideologically and mentally “. adding  that  “sycophancy and dependence on foreign forces is an ideological poison which leads a country and a nation to ruin ,as it prevents people from displaying their strength to the full


At the time it was ever more important for the DPRK to asset its independence against big powers because the big power-chauvinists in the Soviet Union were trying to force revisionism on the DPRK after they had become revisionist after 1953 and also tried to subordinate the DPRK economy to their own . Within the DPRK it was vital to oppose the deep rooted mentality of sycophancy or flunkeyism towards big powers . In 1956 agents of the big-power chauvinists , the anti-party counter-revolutionary factionalist had tried to seize power in the DPRK and sell the country out to both the big power chauvinists  and US imperialists but the attempt was thwarted by the great leader President KIM IL SUNG. In the aftermath of this, comrade KIM JONG IL led the struggle to establish the Juche-orientation and root out flunkeyism.



  Comrade KIM JONG IL consistently opposed dependence on outside forces and flunkeyism towards big powers .In December 1978  comrade KIM JONG IL put forward the slogan "Let Us Live Our Own Way " , a militant slogan encapsulating the desire of the Korean people to live their own way and not be dominated by others especially by big powers .This slogan was announced at the same time as when a neighbouring country to the DPRK adopted the so-called  "reform " and "opening up " policy  45 years ago later this slogan is upheld by the Korean people. Comrade KIM JONG IL said that  "It is only when one displays a great revolutionary spirit of self-reliance that one can have faith in one's own strength, exploit the internal resources of one's country to the maximum and conduct the revolution and construction with success. Experience shows that only when one gives full play to the revolutionary spirit of self-reliance can one surmount every manner of difficulty and ordeal"


 Thus the DPRK ploughed ahead along the path of living one's own way , the path of self-reliance ,the path of Juche .This defied the imperialists , revisionists and big power chauvinists who schemed to stifle the Korean revolution .Later in the 1990s comrade KIM JONG IL declared  'Expect No Change from Me ' when the imperialists hoped for either the collapse of the DPRK or a so-called 'change of policy ' . This was a blow to the imperialists which at the same time was a cast-iron and militant affirmation of the stance of living the way of the DPRK and not the way of another country .

  


 In his 1997 work , "ON PRESERVING THE JUCHE CHARACTER AND NATIONAL CHARACTER OF THE REVOLUTION AND CONSTRUCTION” comrade KIM JONG IL set out in a systematic form the need to uphold the independence and Juche character in the revolution , for the DPRK to live its own way and not the way of others.

. Basically preserving the Juche character and national character of the Korean revolution also means 'living our own way '. The work was a thunderbolt against the crazy ideas of globalisation advocated by the imperialists. The DPRK rejected globalisation and its associated 'Americanisation' and 'cocacolaistion'.


  Thanks to the energetic leadership of the great leader comrade KIM JONG IL and his brilliant idea of ' Let us live  Our Own Way ' , the DPRK is well known as the most independent country in the world, a country with 'undiluted sovereignty ' as one former British prime minister put it .

 

 Today  comrade KIM JONG IL's wise policy of living our own way is continued by his successor, respected Marshal KIM JONG UN who stresses the idea of self-reliance  .



Victory and glory belong to the Korean people who follow the idea of the great leader comrade KIM JONG IL , the idea of Let Us Live Our Own Way and are led by dear respected Marshal KIM JONG UN.

Dr Dermot Hudson

 Chairman British Group for the Study of the Juche Idea


Chairman Korean Friendship Association UK


President Association for the Study of Songun Politics UK


Chairman British Solidarity Committee for Peace and Reunification on the Korean Peninsula.


Hon Secretary International Central Committee for Songun Study


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