Juche Ideas as a Response to Humanity's Most Complex Challenges

By Andrei Grishin, Nikolai Zapopadko

In his speech in January this year at the closing session of the VIII Congress of the Workers' Party of Korea, the General Secretary of the WPK, Comrade Kim Jong Un, called for the continuation of the revolutionary cause of Juche: “Let us all advance dynamically towards a fresh victory of the revolution with strong confidence in the victory of the socialist cause, the revolutionary cause of Juche, and rallying rock-solid around the Party Central Committee.”

In doing so, the DPRK leader emphasised the importance and relevance of the Juche idea, despite the fact that 90 years had passed since their emergence. Moreover, the Juche character of the DPRK's political system, self-reliance in the economy and the socialist system have become a powerful barrier to the main challenge of humanity today - the COVID-19 pandemic.

The pandemic vividly demonstrated the world's unpreparedness for such tests. Even economically developed nations have faced population panic, lack of quality medicine and the collapse of national economies. Thus, living in the region of Central Asia, we see that all five countries of the region, as well as the rest of the world, have suffered serious damage due to the mass sickness of the population, the inability of governments to respond adequately to the epidemic, and the collapse of national economies. In Kazakhstan, for example, unemployment reached 40 per cent during the year of the pandemic, and even the official figures show 10 per cent of children living in poverty, though the real figures may be much higher.

At the same time, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea not only managed to withstand the new threat but also demonstrated to the world the superiority of the Juche idea and the socialist system. The Juche idea proclaimed in the 1930s by Great Leader Comrade Kim Il Sung was a response to the age-old aspirations of the Korean people for independence and justice. It was thanks to these ideas that the Korean people managed to shake off the Japanese oppression and defeated the superior aggressor, the United States, and finally built a modern powerful state where absolutely every individual have surrounded by care of the Party and the Leader. Also, the Juche idea implies genuine independence of the state, including full provision of own-produced goods to the citizens.

In Central Asia, each of the countries is directed towards the production of a particular segment of products, which has also resulted in shortages of medicines and products during the pandemic, particularly in Turkmenistan. In the case of Kazakhstan, the main production is the extraction and sale of oil and minerals. At the same time, despite enormous land resources and the fact that 45% of the population lives in rural areas, Kazakhstan is only self-sufficient in wheat due to inefficient use of resources. Virtually all other products have to be imported to 2 cover the needs of the population. The production of medicine, consumer goods, engineering and so on has been in its infancy for all thirty years since the collapse of the USSR. For this reason, the prices of all products and goods have skyrocketed in the last year especially as they have to be imported and are becoming less and less affordable to the majority of the population. Another problem facing Kazakhstan is the lack of internal discipline among the population, which is why the coronavirus infection has become so widespread. Virtually all of the same pain points are present in other countries in the Central Asian region.

In our opinion, if the governments of these countries, as well as the whole world, had studied the experience of the DPRK and understood the depths of the Juche idea, it is obvious that 2020 would not have been so destructive for the economies and the population. Some elements of the Juche ideas are trying to be hastily introduced in some countries, but without understanding their essence, they fail. In some cases, they isolate themselves; in others, they cut economic ties and try to prevent export of goods to meet the demand of their own citizens. But all such initiatives are doomed to fail. The great leader Comrade Kim Il Sung used to say, "The masses without a wise leader are like a human organism without a brain.” Similarly, the Juche idea inseparable from socialism and cannot exist apart from it. The preamble to the Socialist Constitution of the DPRK again states: “Having put forward Juche-oriented revolutionary lines, the great leader Comrade Kim Il Sung wisely led various stages of social revolution and construction work, thus strengthening and developing the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea into a socialist country centred on the masses, into a socialist State which is independent, self-suf icient and self-reliant in defence.”

But capitalist governments will never voluntarily make a turn towards socialism because they have a vested interest in making super-profits and stealing from their citizens. And so at the moment the Juche idea is a tool in the hands of the people of progress, although at present only one country - the DPRK - can use this tool to the full. This is primarily due to the long practice of applying the Juche idea in the politics and economy of the DPRK, as well as the natural genius, foresight gift and analytical talent inherited by the respected Comrade Kim Jong Un from the great leader Comrade Kim Il Sung and the Beloved Leader Comrade Kim Jong Il.

By taking a Human as the basis, through the Juche idea, it was possible to ensure that the needs of every citizen of the socialist state were met. The Juche model of economy established by the wise leader Comrade Kim Il Sung and developed by the beloved leader Comrade Kim Jong Il and later by the respected Comrade Kim Jong Un enabled the DPRK to keep production and prices unchanged. Moreover, prudent and intelligent decisions by Comrade Kim Jong Un, General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea, prevented the epidemic from making its way into the socialist state. Thus the citizens of the DPRK are living their former happy life without any loss in its quality, realizing that the DPRK is an impregnable fortress for any enemy.

Other important characteristics of the people of the DPRK which arose under the influence of the Juche idea are the cohesion of the masses around their leader and the highest discipline and 3 dedication of the entire population of the DPRK. All these make it possible to remain confident that the peaceful life of the citizens of socialist Korea and the progressive development of the DPRK are secure.

Thus, the Juche idea established 90 years ago have not only proved their viability but also their practical application in the most difficult situation.

“In a nutshell, the Juche idea means that the masters of the revolution and the work of construction are the masses of the people and that they are also the motive force of the revolution and the work of construction. In other words, one is responsible for one's own destiny and one has also the capacity for hewing out one's own destiny.” - wrote great leader comrade Kim Il Sung in his work "On Some Problems of Our Party's Juche Idea and the Government of the Republic's Internal and External Policies"

For our part, we also call upon the masses of the world to become the true masters of their destinies and use the knowledge contained in the Juche idea to change their consciousness for the building of popular states based on the example of the DPRK. We also urge to the leaders and governments of the world (especially those striving for genuine democracy and independence) to immerse themselves in the study of the works on the Juche idea and carefully study the best practices of the DPRK on their practical application for subsequent implementation in their own country.

Humanity now faces the cornerstone task of rebuilding economies after overcoming the pandemic. In his immortal work "On the Juche idea", the beloved leader Comrade Kim Jong Il stated: "It is only by adhering to the principle of self-reliance, mobilizing all the energy of the people and natural resources of the country and using own funds and machinery that one can develop the economy proactively and at a high rate and overcome all dif iculties and ensure prosperity of the country.” In parallel with the transfer of the economy to socialism it is necessary to change political formations in favour of socialism. In this way humanity may be given a chance to make a breakthrough, and experience and the whole history of the DPRK shows that this chance must be seized.