Kim Il Sung and Juche idea

Kamen Taskov

– member of Bulgaria group for study of Kimilsungism-Kimjongilism

The fact that the creator of Juche idea was Comrade Kim Il Sung has been written in history forever with golden letters. This idea is not only inherited, but also creatively developed by his successors in the party and state leadership - Comrades Kim Jong Il and Kim Jong Un - in accordance with the changing conditions in Korea and the world.

Juche idea is a revolutionary worldview, at the center of which stands man not only as an individual, but as a social being. This is a revolutionary doctrine for independence of the masses and the realization of this independence in practice. The ideological and organizational activity of the Workers Party of Korea is based on Juche idea as guiding compass in the implementation of the revolution and in the socialist construction.

From the very first moment of the party's and state founding, Comrade Kim Il Sung put in its program the radical transformation of Korean society in order to create a strong, independent and prosperous state, as result of the conscious, creative efforts of the Korean people. And the party vigorously organized and mobilized the entire Korean people for the implementation of this program. Thanks to this efforts, the existence of such a state is a fact today.

By developing Juche idea into a single ideological system and transforming the entire Korean society in accordance with this idea, Kim Il Sung not only successfully solved the problems of the Korean Revolution, but also built a new, highest level ideology illuminating the path of construction of socialism. Containing in itself all that is most valuable of Marxism-Leninism, it overcomes its historical limitations.

If Marxism-Leninism is explaining the contradictions of capitalism, illuminating the ways of struggle, the ways of victory and the retention of power by the working class, then Juche ideas are clarifying the essence of socialism, its socio-economic laws of development which are radically different from the capitalist ones and oppose them. The definition that Juche idea give to man is as follows: he is a social being with independence, creativity and consciousness. According to this, if a person is aware of its role in society, he will become a revolutionary, if not - he will become a slave. Hence the political conclusion that if the party and the state sincerely love man and work for the good of the people, then they must appreciate human independence, his ability to create and his consciousness, directing all their activities to develop these qualities.

Relying on this view Comrade Kim Il Sung worked to the last breath for the good and happiness of the Korean people. Putting ideology first, he gave primary importance to building a correct worldview for Korean people which will show them the right way, keep the revolution alive, and inspire them to overcome all difficulties with self-reliance. Today, Juche ideas are a guide to action built on humanism, not on hatred.

Another invaluable contribution of Comrade Kim Il Sung with Juche idea was his understanding of freedom. The need for more and more freedom, the need for liberation from every natural and social dependence, threatening the human development, has its highest manifestation in Juche idea.

The classics of Marxism - Marx, Engels and Lenin - express the view that economy plays a decisive role in the the history of mankind. This view creates the danger of underestimating the idelogical education of the masses and concentrating all efforts in economic construction. But the underestimation of ideological work, as a factor for creativity of the masses, leads the economic construction itself into stagnation and, in the end, creates conditions for the destruction of socialism. If the decisive role of the ideology in the social development is not recognized it will lead to the ideological degeneration of the people, and later to the degeneration of the party and the state and ultimately to the destruction of the socialist system itself.

In order to avoid such outcome, the creator of the Juche idea firmly adhere to the principle always to put the ideological revolution at the forefront in all spheres and carrying out political work first. The driving force for the development of the mankind is not money but the great ideology.

Objective conditions are important, they are the framework on which human activity unfolds, but they are not decisive. As Juche idea points out: "It is not objective conditions but man that play a decisive role in historical development." and adds that the social movement is indeed a movement of matter, "But there is no subject in natural movements, and at the same time there is one in the social movement."

According to Juche idea, real life is established through the struggle of the people to build the new and progressive. Such a struggle is the noblest and most beautiful. In it the independence of both the working masses and the individual is born. But independence in life and in politics has a twofold nature:

• On the one hand, it is the aspiration for an independent life, the aspiration of a person to become a master of his own destiny, in order to satisfy the personal need for freedom;

• On the other hand, it is the collective way of life through which this independence is realised. That is, the conscious, creative 5 struggle of the collective and society, and sometimes in the collective itself, and society itself, through which man exercises the right and role of master of his destiny.

Living as the master of own destiny is the most wonderful way of life. Its opposites are submission, servitude or begging for help and protection.

These are the characteristics of slavery, of unhappy existence. To be enslaved or to live at the expense of others is contrary to human nature.

The essence of the Juche idea created by Kim Il Sung excludes any domination over the people. It also excludes the neglect of the people and the manifestations of bureaucratic attitudes. That is why, throughout his life, Kim Il Sung has demanded that party and state leaders at all level to live among the people and provide them with a happy life.

The ideal of "The people are God" of President Kim Il Sung and Chairman Kim Jong Il reflects the absolute and invariable principle of Juche idea.

This idea is based on the most scientific outlook on the decisive role of the popular masses, the driving force of the revolution, and on the trust and love for them.

On the basis of the revolutionary principle that the popular masses are the masters of the revolution and construction and they are also their motive force, the President and the Chairman had always found themselves among the people and solved all 6 the problems in keeping with the demand and interests of the people by using their strength and creative wisdom.

Thanks to the idea of "The people are God" and the leadership guided by it, the DPRK could display its might as a genuine people's country, a socialist state centered on the popular masses.

Juche idea point to two factors that shape socialist morality:

• The first factor is the recognition and affirmation of human independence and recognition and development of his creative potential. To value your independence and your creativity, to recognize the other as an independent and creative person, and, finally, to carry out joint creative activity in the team and society for the practical realization of independence, is the basis of friendship between people.

To value friendship is the foundations of socialist morality. The friendship between the people in socialist society, however, does not fall from the sky. It is born from the selfless mutual help in the collective work and from the friendly love between the members of the collective. It is the feeling of mutual help, sympathy and respect between people united by common interests, aspirations, goals, ideas and ideals that constitutes the true content of friendship.

That is why Juche idea demand that all human relations, whether between superiors and subordinates, between old and young, men and women, be built on the principles of friendship and equality. There can be no true friendship between masters and servants. True independence and the development of creative human potential are possible only in an atmosphere of true friendship and effective equality.

• The second factor is an expression of love and trust in man. Selfless work for the good of society and the collective in socialist society is a moral duty of everyone. And loving others and caring for others inspires trust. In a socialist society, without people's trust in each other, it is impossible to organize and carry out any collective and public work.

Living fully and happily in the present and creatively transforming nature today in the name of an happy tomorrow is at the heart of the life philosophy of Juche idea. That is why the Juche idea define the goal of the revolution as a process of realizing the independence of the masses, finding expression in the highest love for man, aimed at his perfection. Revolution is a path and a way to human perfection.

Another eternal and immortal merit of Comrade Kim Il Sung is the historical formulation of the three main forms, which are at the same time directions for the development of the revolution: the ideological, technical and cultural revolution.

The three revolutions are a form and a way of struggle for the liquidation of everything rotten, obsolete which is trying to preserve itself in the main spheres of public life - in the ideological, technical and cultural spheres - and to replace it with new inherent in the new society ideology, technologies and culture. And as the experience of the Workers Party of Korea 8 shows, only by successfully carrying out the three revolutions can society free itself from the barriers of outdated ideologies, technologies and culture.

Carrying out the three revolutions, the party invariably adhered to the principle of ideological revolution priority before the other two. This is the most accurate line, based on scientific analysis, determining the role of ideas in human activity and the importance of ideological work in the revolutionary struggle.

Many more contributions of Kim Il Sung can be numbered, but the Juche idea he created as the most coherent and progressive system of views elevated him to the level of a world-class leader. It is correct to say that in the course of the struggle he grew up not only as the national leader of the Korean people, but of all progressive humanity as a whole. As such, it remains eternal and unforgettable not only for the Korean but for all world peoples.

By immortalizing his work and merits, he immortalized Korea forever.

The more such leaders humanity has, the sooner the kingdom of inndependence and freedom will come.

A bow, a deep bow to Kim Il Sung!