Quotations from the works of Kim Jong Il.

20 September, 2008.

 

Korea’s revolution and construction are guided by the Juche idea.

The Korean revolution is guided by the Juche idea, and all its victories would be inconceivable without this idea. The Juche idea has led the revolution and construction straight along the new road which had never been trodden by others before. OJI.

 

The Juche idea responds to the requirements of the age of independence.

The steady expansion and development of the revolution which started with the emergence of the working class, gave birth to a new age when the working masses who had so far been the object of history appeared as its masters. OJI

 

The Juche idea inherits the banner of scientific socialism.

The appearance of the working class on the arena of history ushered in a new era in human history. The new historical conditions under which the revolution against capital had started, urgently demanded a revolutionary idea which would bring home the inevitability of the downfall of capitalism and the triumph of socialism to the working class who had risen up in struggle. The most important question in this was to vanquish the idealism and metaphysics which had sanctified the domination of reactionary capital and preached its eternity, and to elaborate a scientific world outlook of the working class. The materialistic dialectical world outlook came into being as a reflection of this requirement of the times. OJI

From the point of view of the mission of revolutionary ideas, the Juche idea and Marxism-Leninism are one and the same scientific, communist idea, and as such they share common ground. The Juche idea inherits the revolutionary stance of the working class, naturalistic and dialectical principles and scientific theories which run through Marxism-Leninism. OSPEJI

Marxism was a revolutionary doctrine which represented the era when the working class had emerged in the historical arena and was waging a struggle against capital. As such it made an immortal contribution to eliminating the exploiting class and the exploitative system and realising the class liberation of the popular masses. HL

Thanks to Marxism, the inevitability of the collapse of capitalism and the victory of socialism was proved, and the demands of exploited working people who aspire to socialism were linked with practical revolutionary forces and a revolutionary fighting method capable of meeting their demands.  Socialism was thus converted from a utopian scheme into a science, and a revolutionary change took place in the history of humanity’s struggle for liberation. SS

 

Juche philosophy inherits the principles of dialectical materialism as its premise.

The Juche view of the world that the world is dominated and transformed by man can only be established when the materialistic dialectical understanding of the world that the world is made of material and ceaselessly changes and develops is recognized. JPORP

 

The historical background to the origination of the Juche idea

In order to advance the revolution under the new historical conditions, the working class and the people of every country, conscious of being the masters, had to solve all problems in accordance with their actual situation. In our country, this was a particularly important matter because of the peculiarities of historical development and the complexity and arduousness of the revolution. The Korean revolution demanded more urgently that the popular masses hew out the path of revolution in an independent and creative manner. OJI

The revolutionary struggle for socialism and communism is waged in different conditions of the time and the concrete circumstances of each country. There is no formula for the revolution and construction that is suitable to all eras and all countries. Therefore, one must always proceed from the actual situation and creatively solve all problems in conformity with it. OJI

When the leader embarked on the road of revolution, a new development was taking place in the struggle of the working class and the popular masses against exploitation and oppression. On the world arena, the influence of socialism, which had won its first victory, grew strong, and the revolutionary struggle of the working class and the liberation struggle of the peoples in colonies and semi-colonies were intensified sharply. In an attempt to stop the revolutionary advance of the masses and weather the serious political and economic crises they were passing through, the imperialists further increased their plunder and oppression of the people. In many countries contradictions and antagonism between revolution and counter-revolution were intensified, and the masses of the people whose sovereign rights had been trampled down for a long time rose up in a struggle for their class and national liberation. A new age was approaching, in which the revolutionary movement made progress in a broad and diversified way on a worldwide scale. OJI

The leader discovered the truth of the Juche idea in the course of the struggle against bigoted nationalists and bogus Marxists, flunkeyists and dogmatists, while hewing out a new path for the revolution. Finally, he explained the principles of the Juche idea at the Meeting of Leading Personnel of the Young Communist League and the Anti-Imperialist Youth League held at Kalun in June 1930 and put forward a Juche-oriented line for the Korean revolution. This was a historic event which heralded the creation of the Juche idea and the birth of the Juche-oriented revolutionary line. OJI

 

The starting points of the Juche idea.

However, the communists and nationalists who were allegedly engaged in the national-liberation movement in our country in the 1920’s gave no thought to the need to go among the masses to educate, organize, and arouse them into waging a revolutionary struggle. But divorced from the masses they were only engrossed in the scramble for hegemony and empty talk. They did not unite the masses but divided them by factional strife.
In the first years of his revolutionary struggle, the leader saw through their mistakes and took a road different from theirs, the genuinely revolutionary road which led him to be among the masses and to rely on them in the struggle. He elucidated the truth that the masters of the revolution are the masses of the people and that when one goes among them to educate and mobilize them one will be able to register victory in the revolution. This is one of the starting points of the Juche idea. OJI

Drawing on serious lessons derived from such flunkeyism and dogmatism, the leader clarified the truth that a revolution should be carried out not by anyone’s approval or instruction but by one’s own conviction and on one’s own responsibility and that all problems arising in the revolution should be solved in an independent and creative way. This is another starting point of the Juche idea. OJI

 

 

Juche philosophy is an original revolutionary philosophy

In his early years of revolutionary activities, the leader was well versed in Marxism-Leninism. But he did not confine himself to applying Marxism-Leninism to the Korean revolution but pioneered a new phase of revolutionary theory from a steadfast Juche-based standpoint and resolved the problems arising in the revolutionary practice from a unique angle. OJI

Although they established the materialistic dialectical view on the human question, they did not give a full account of the essential features of man as dominator and transformer of nature and society.
The Juche philosophy made it clear for the first time that independence, creativity and consciousness are the essential features of man, the social being. Thus it gave a perfect conception of man and a correct philosophical answer to his position and role as master who dominates and transforms nature and society. OSQ

That the world outlook of the materialistic dialectics is the premise for the Juche philosophy does not mean that the Juche philosophy has merely inherited and developed the materialistic dialectical understanding of the objective material world. JPORP

You cannot draw the conclusion that man is the master of the world and plays a decisive role in transforming the world simply from the proposition of materialism that the world is made of material and from the dialectical principle that the world ceaselessly changes and develops. JPORP

 

The international significance of the Juche idea.

By clearly showing how to stage a revolution in an independent and creative manner, the Juche idea has enabled the people of each country to have a strong sense of responsibility as the masters of the revolution, ridding themselves of the fetters of all outdated thought hampering independent progress; and it has also helped them to work out a policy which is suitable to the actual conditions in their country, according to their own views and belief, and to exploit their own creativeness to push ahead with the revolution. OJI

 

 

 

HL	The Historical Lesson in Building Socialism and the General Line of Our Party. Talk to the Senior Officials of the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea. January 3, 1992.
JPORP	The Juche Philosophy Is an Original Revolutionary Philosophy. Discourse Published in Kulloja, Theoretical Magazine of the Central Committee of the Worker’s Party of Korea. July 26, 1996.
OJI	On the Juche idea. Treatise sent to the National Seminar on the Juche Idea held to mark the 70th birthday of the Great Leader Comrade Kim Il Sung. March  31, 1982.
OSPEJI	On Some Problems of Education in the Juche Idea. Talk to the Senior Officials of the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea. July 15, 1986.
OSQ	On Some Questions in Understanding Juche Philosophy. Talk to Theoretical Propagandists of the Party. April 2, 1974.
SS	Socialism Is a Science. Treatise published in Rodong Sinmun, organ of the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea. November 1, 1994.