Juche
From Wikinfo
- See also Juche: A critical view
Juche (pronounced "Joo-cheh"), officially called the Juche Idea in English, but also dubbed by westerners as Kimilsungism, is the official state ideology of North Korea. The name is Korean and means "self-reliance". It states that the subject of the revolution should be the masses, not any foreign power. It further develops that the nation must rely on itself; in this sense self-reliance or autarky. Juche is based on the teachings of President Kim Il-sung. There are several major differences between Juche and Stalinism.
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What is the Juche idea?
The North Korean government and educational system have promoted Juche since President Kim Il Sung first used the term in a 1955 speech. At first, the ideology consisted of two fundamental ideas: that the proletarian revolution belongs to the people, and that man is the master of the revolution.
From an economic standpoint, Juche calls for North Korea to be self-sufficient in industry and services, while preserving the dignity and sovereignity of the entire nation. Starting in the 1960's, the state implemented Juche more strenuously. The Juche-influenced Chollima (later known as Taean) economic campaign of the 1960s describes the rapid development of North Korean economy and growth, and strenghtened North Koreas independence from other nations. The economic focus has been on heavy industry, national defence, and agriculture.
In 1977, Juche replaced Marxism-Leninism in the North Korean constitution, thus solidifying and making permanent its position in the government and society of the state. Today, Juche requires the maintenance of national independence without any reliance on foreign countries. One can contrast this with South Korea, which continues to be a base for thousands of United States soldiers.
Juche and Korean reunification
The Juche idea is also the basis of President Kim Il-sung's plans for Korean reunification. Thus Kim Jong-il, in "Let Us Carry Out President Kim Il Sung's Instructions For National Reunification", in outlining the requirement for a unified Democratic Confederal Republic of Koryo, states:
- The country must be reunified at all events on the principle of national independence. Maintenance of the principle of national independence is fundamental to adhering to the Juche character and the national character.
- All nations have the right to shape their destiny by their own hands and independently according to their will. Nobody can deprive a nation of its right to independence or infringe upon it. Since the reunification of our country is an affair of our nation and concerns its right to independence, our nation must achieve it by its own efforts as the master in accordance with its independent will and desire.
North Korea considers Kim Il Sung's approach to be the correct one. The same document criticises South Korea's handling of the situation:
- Even after the liberation of the country, the successive rulers of south Korea who worshipped the United States committed anti-reunification treachery to the country and the nation, with the backing of the United States, following its aggressive policy. Attempting to find a solution to the problem of national reunification to win back the sovereignty of the nation deprived by foreign forces by depending on foreign forces is a foolish act which is tantamount to putting ones neck into the noose of slavery of its own accord.
Juche outside North Korea
Some sociologists and other overseas scholars have likened Juche to a religious movement. Juche authorities state that the idea is a secular one and that the idea of a religious movement lacks any basis in reality as Juche only addresses the problems of life, not what happens after death. The Juche is a political ideology, not a religion.
The Juche concept is explicitly to satisfy the national needs of North Korea. There was never any intention to export the ideology outside Korea. While Juche study groups exist in many Western countries, they are not numerous; they are often run by enthusiasts and they exist more for curious and interested people rather than actual study.
Some have compared Juche in Korea with ideology in other countries, for example communism in Romania.
Juche Calendar
The North Korean government and associated organisations use a variant of the Gregorian calendar with a "Juche" year based on 1912 C.E., the birthdate of Kim Il Sung, as year 1. As a result, the year numbering is the same as that for the "Minguo" year numbering used in Taiwan (Republic of China). Months are unchanged from the standard calendar. There was no Juche Year zero. In many instances the Juche year is given after the C.E. year, for example 27 June 2005 Juche 94. In texts in the Korean language, the Juche year is usually put in front of the corresponding C.E. year instead.
See also
References
- Adapted from the Wikipedia article, "Juche" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juche, used under the GNU Free Documentation License
External link
- The International Institute of the Juche Idea
- Juche Idea Study Group of England
- Songun Politics Study Group USA
- Korea is one!
- Korean Friendship Association
Background material
- Michael Harrold. 2004. Comrades and Strangers: Behind the Closed Doors of North Korea. Chichester, West Sussex: Wiley. ISBN 0470869763.
- Kongdan Oh and Ralph C. Hassig. 2000. North Korea: Through the Looking Glass. Washington, DC: Brookings Institution Press. ISBN 0815764359.
- Chris Buckley. "South Korea Proposes Aid to North as It Disarms." The New York Times. July 27, 2005
