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North Korean leader | 'Juche(Self-Reliance)' Ideology |
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Foundation |
‘Juche’ is North Korea regime’s official ideology.
Because it theoretically justifies the one-man rule
under Kim Il-sung, ‘Juche’ can be thought of as
an institutionalized version of the cult of personality.
The term ‘Juche’ was first mentioned officially
in a speech given by Kim at a ‘Propaganda and Agitation’
Congress of the KWP on December 28, 1955, entitled
“On establishing self-reliance and eradicating dogmatism
and formalism in ideology projects”.
Stalin’s death had sparked a move away from the
Stalinist model of power in the Soviet Union. This
was regarded by Kim as a possible threat to his
one-man rule, since Soviet influence on North Korea
was strong at the time. The ‘Juche’ ideology was
devised to shut out such negative influence.
‘Juche’ was initially introduced as a guideline
for ideology-related projects at the time. However,
the gradual elimination of various anti-Kim factions
within the KWP engendered a generalization in the
term’s usage. ‘Juche’ was used to refer to economic
self-reliance and self-defense in the military context.
When the Soviet-China rift widened and revisionist
debates flared up, ‘Juche’ was applied as a diplomatic
guideline as well. |
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| Ideological Self-Reliance |
KWP Congress on Propaganda and Agitation
(Dec 28, 1955) |
 Stalin’s
death
Elimination
of Namrodang factions within KWP |
| Economic Self-Reliance |
Full Congress of KWP Central Committee (Dec
11, 1956) |
Decreased
foreign aid (complications in drawing up the
5-Year Plan)
Intensified
anti-Kim movements within KWP |
| Political Self-Reliance |
Extended Full Congress of KWP Central Committee
(Dec. 5, 1957) |
Cessation
of cults of personality in communist states
Elimination
of Yonan and Soviet-based factions within
KWP |
| Self-Defense |
5th Full Congress of 4th KWP Central Committee
(Dec. 10, 1962) |
Widening
Sino-Soviet rift, potential U.S.-Soviet coexistence
May
16 military coup in the ROK |
| Diplomatic Self-Reliance |
2nd Congress of KWP Representatives (Oct
5, 1966) |
Further
worsening of Sino-Soviet relations
Expansion
of counter-alliance movements |
| Establishing a ‘Monolithic’ System of Thought |
15th Full Congress of 4th KWP Central Committee
(May 28, 1967)
8th Full Congress of 5th KWP Central Committee
(Feb 12, 1974)
National Propaganda Day lecture to the military
(Feb 19, 1974)
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Completion
of one-man rule under Kim Il-sung
Personal
veneration of Kim Il-sung |
| Fortification of ‘Juche’ Thought Throughout
Society |
6th Congress of the KWP (Oct. 10, 1980) |
Solidification
of the dynastic (power succession) regime |
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Following the completion of the one-man rule
system and the widespread adoration of Kim, ‘Juche’
came to be referred to as the ‘Monolithic System
of Thought’. The term was intended to realize political/ideological
unity within North Korean society. At the 5th KWP
Congress of 1970, ‘Juche’ was crystallized in the
KWP Statutes as the official ideology of the Party.
Furthermore, the revised constitution of 1982 adopted
‘Juche’ as the official ruling ideology of North
Korea. In 1974, ‘Juche’ was officially renamed ‘Kim
Il-sung-ism’ (or simply ‘Kimism’), as “a new and
unique system of revolutionary thought, theory,
and methodology that reflects the needs arising
from an era of self-reliance”. ‘Kimism’ was expressly
distinguished from Marx-Leninism, and the former
was claimed to be superior to the latter in later
years.
The fact that Kim Jong-il was officially declared
the successor to power in 1974 implies that ‘Juche’
is closely linked not only to Kim Il-sung’s ‘monolithic’
one-man rule but also Kim Jong-il’s ascension to
power. Starting in 1982, more concrete interpretations
of ‘Juche’ in political, economic, and military
contexts were laid down as North Korea’s operating
principles. Kim Jong-il claimed that his father
first proclaimed the establishment of the ‘Juche’
thought at a cadre meeting of the ‘Anti-Imperialism
Youth Federation’ held in Manchuria as early as
June 1930. Considering the fact that Kim Il-sung
fought with the Chinese Communist Party’s anti-Japanese
forces during the 1930s and worked for the Soviet
88th Special Brigade in the early 1940s, this claim
is most likely untrue. |
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The ‘Revolutionary Commandant’ View |
The specifics of ‘Juche’ thought have changed
as circumstances demanded. It was initially introduced
as being based on the philosophical position that
“Man is the master of all things, and must decide
everything for himself”. While man was supposedly
a social and historical subject who utilized his
independence, creativity, and consciousness to
determine his own fate, this process was conditional
on the ‘proper guidance of a commandant’.
Therefore, the role of the commandant was essential
in establishing self-reliance. This is the so-called
‘revolutionary commandant’ view of ‘Juche’.
In 1986, the ‘sociopolitical organism’ view was
added as well. This view stated that “the subject
of the revolution is none other than the organic
body that comprises the Commandant, Party, and
the People”, which is seen to be “a sociopolitical
organism in that all three of its components share
a single fate”. This view later involved into
the ‘lineage’ view, which served to justify Kim
Jong-il’s ascension to power.
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’Juche’ in the Kim Jong-il Era |
The usage of the term ‘Juche Thought’ itself became
less frequent in the Kim Jong-il era. However, this
does not mean that it has lost its authority as
the regime’s ruling ideology. Instead, the newfound
importance of its subordinate concepts can be interpreted
as having overshadowed the apparent dominance of
‘Juche’ itself.
That is, while propaganda of the general term ‘Juche’
has become less extensive, new subordinate concepts
such as the ‘Red Knight Thought’, ‘Strong Fatherland’,
and ‘Military First’ all trace their roots to ‘Juche’. |
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