States with a socio-political system similar to that established in the northern part of the Korean Peninsula, on the territory former USSR It never happened. There is, and never has been, anything like it in other countries.
It is wrong to assume that the dominant ideology in North Korea is communist. In the country's constitution and in the policy documents of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea (WPK), neither communism nor socialism is even mentioned. The official name of the country is the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. The Juche theory, rooted in ancient philosophy, is the doctrine of self-sufficiency and self-reliance as the official ideology.
Juche
The basic principle of the Juche doctrine can be summed up in the formula "man decides everything and is the master of everything." Further, from this principle follows the need to be independent, and since Korea is a country of independent people, it does not need anyone. The principle of "reliance on one's own strength" justifies the almost complete closeness of the country from the outside world. A typical example is that since 1997, the Juche calendar has been officially adopted in the DPRK. The new North Korean calendar begins in 1912, the date of birth of the country's first president, Kim Il Sung. He is also credited with the creation of the Juche theory itself.
In fact, the Juche theory is just an ideological entourage, a political cover. It allows the ruling WPK, headed by the Kim dynasty, which has not been replaced for more than sixty years, to completely subjugate the population of North Korea.
This is the main feature of the social system of North Korea - the complete absence of any civil liberties, even formal ones, and the absolute priority of the collective over the individual. The Juche theory completely excludes personal material interest in labor. And at the same time, you will not hear the slightest hint of disagreement with the order in the country from a North Korean, even if he is a refugee and left the DPRK, fleeing hunger.
Cult
Worship of the leaders - Kim Il Sung and his son Kim Jong Il, who became the head of the country after the death of his father in 1994 and led it until his own death in 2011, has acquired a fantastic scale in the DPRK. This is a real religious cult, which even Christian Europe did not know during the Middle Ages. Portraits of the "two leaders" hang not only in every house, but also in every carriage of the Pyongyang subway. Sometimes they can be found in the most unexpected places, for example, next to a peasant field. The monuments erected all over the country must bow to the leaders, there are no exceptions for foreigners.
In every kindergarten North Korea has a separate room, in the center of it is a large model of Kim Il Sung's native village of Mangyondae, on the walls there are necessarily pictures from the childhood of the leader, his son and the official portrait of Kim Il Sung.
Before the start of classes, preschoolers and educators should bow to the portrait three times and at the same time repeat in a singsong voice: “Thank you, Marshal Father!”.
Many years of total and unquestioning adherence to the Juche ideas did not lead North Korea to economic prosperity. Isolation from the outside world and, as a result, a huge technological gap, monstrous military spending (since 2005, the DPRK has had nuclear weapons), inefficient forced labor - these and many other manifestations of the totalitarian regime have brought the country to the brink of economic collapse. One of the most terrible consequences of "following the Juche path" is the acute shortage of food in the DPRK.
No statistical data in the DPRK on the standard of living of the population is published. However, in 2000, the North Korean authorities officially admitted that between 1995 and 1999, "a large number of people" died of starvation in the country. European experts believe that up to three million people died of starvation in North Korea during these years. Now the situation has somewhat stabilized, not least due to international humanitarian assistance. But according to some reports, the facts of mass starvation are still taking place, especially among the population of remote rural areas of the country.
In 1955.
general information
Date of occurrence- 1955.
Etymology- In Korean, the word "Juche" means "master of the body"
Story
The concept of Juche was officially mentioned for the first time by Kim Il Sung in his work "On the Eradication of Dogmatism and Formalism in Ideological Work and on the Establishment of Juche" in 1955. Although the history of this term goes deep into the twenties of the last century. Since the organization was created in 1926. From that moment, the conception and development of the Juche idea began. There is a version that Kim Il Sung first uttered this word in 1930. In 1972, the "Juche" constitution was adopted in the DPRK. In 1980, Kim Il Sung devoted a number of scientific articles to this theory. After the death of Kim Il Sung, the Juche idea was enriched and advanced by his son.
Juche chronology
Since 1997, the Juche calendar has been adopted in the DPRK. The first year of which was the year of birth of Kim Il Sung - 1912.
Essence
The subject of the social movement is the masses.
A nation with a high sense of national pride and revolutionary dignity is invincible
Juche implies a socialist economy, which, unlike the capitalist economy, does not strive for profit, but works for the benefit of the people.
According to the Juche version, the people must fight against imperialism, aggression, enslavement, and protect their interests and the interests of the working people of the whole world.
The country must be strong, combat-ready, well-armed, and then the people will be able to resist the aggressors and invaders.
Revolution is the struggle of the people for their independence.
You can't sit idly by.
The Juche ideology provides for loyalty to the leader.
Man is the master of his destiny and the world.
Consciousness is the highest function of the human brain.
Nature is the object of labor and the source of man's material needs.
Monument to the Juche Idea
In 1982, on the occasion of Kim Il Sung's 70th birthday, was installed.
Current State
The Juche ideology is still the official ideology of the DPRK to this day. At the same time, North Korea remained the world's last stronghold of pure socialism. This is one of the only countries where free medicine, free housing, free education have been preserved. North Korea is the fourth largest country in the world armed forces(. The imperialists of all countries are fighting the DPRK, wanting to turn it into a pitiful appendage of the West, which it already is. But the Korean people cannot be broken, not by tales of "hunger" and the "Iron Curtain", nor by all kinds of international sanctions and bans.
Juche idea
Artyom ALEXANDROV.
Etymology
Korean-Russian dictionaries give this term the interpretation of "the main part" and "originality". The hieroglyphs that make up this word in the hieroglyphic record mean "master" and "nature." Based on this, we can assume that the word "Juche" means "man is the master of everything on earth" or "self-sufficiency."
Story
According to the 1972 constitution, the DPRK is a sovereign socialist state, which in its activities is guided by the Juche ideas. In accordance with these ideas, all issues of inner life must be resolved from the standpoint of independence, relying on one's own strengths.
According to the official point of view of historians of the DPRK, for a long time it was believed that the Juche idea was proclaimed by Kim Il Sung in 1930 in the city of Kalun (China), but it is now believed that the Juche idea began to take shape from the moment the "Union for the Overthrow of Imperialism" was formed (October 17 1926).
The aggravation of relations between the DPRK and the USSR in the mid-1950s of the 20th century and with China (the second half of the 1960s of the 20th century) served as a confirmation of the course towards independent and independent development of the country.
In the 1980s, Kim Il Sung published a number of articles on the Juche idea, finally shaping it as a philosophical system. However, there is no fundamental text setting out the essence of the doctrine. Although the term appears constantly in the writings of Kim Il Sung, a work entitled "On the Juche Idea" was written by Kim Jong Il and is more reminiscent of short course basic postulates, and not a serious theoretical work. After the collapse Soviet Union elements of Marxism-Leninism were removed from Juche. The death of Kim Il Sung added elements of religious teaching to it (formulations about Kim Il Sung like "being in the form of immortality").
On July 8, 1997, North Korea adopted the new Juche calendar, which begins in 1912, the year Kim Il Sung was born. Thus, the year 2000 is Juche 89.
Basic provisions
The masses are the subject of the social movement.
A nation with a high sense of national pride and revolutionary dignity is invincible.
Unlike the capitalist economy, which strives for profit, the main goal of the socialist independent economy is to satisfy the needs of the country and the population.
The people of each country are obliged to fight not only against aggression and enslavement, for the consistent defense of their independence, but also against imperialism and dominationism, which encroach on the independence of the peoples of other countries.
In order to establish a nationwide and nationwide defense system, it is necessary to arm the entire people and turn the entire country into a fortress.
Revolution is a struggle for the popular masses to realize their needs for independence.
Sitting idly by, waiting for all the necessary conditions to ripen, is tantamount to giving up the revolution.
In order to work out a correct view of the revolution, it is absolutely necessary to base education on a feeling of selfless devotion to the Party and the leader.
General philosophical views
Man is the master of the world and the master of his destiny;
Consciousness is the highest function of the human brain;
Nature is the object of human labor and the material source of human life;
A person infected with servility ceases to adequately perceive reality.
Creation of the Juche idea
Advanced ideas have played and are playing an important role in socio-historical development.
The masses of the people become powerful creators of history when they are guided by progressive ideas. Of course, not all advanced ideas play the same role in socio-historical development. Their significance depends on how they express the aspirations and interests of the masses of the people, how correctly they illuminate the path of struggle for them. Long before the emergence of the working class, there were ideas that reflected the aspirations of the advanced sections of society. However, the ideological currents of past times, due to their historical and class limitations, were forced to play their role within a limited framework in the development of society. Only the revolutionary ideology of the working class correctly reflects the demands of the time and conveys the aspirations of the masses of the people, mobilizing them for a revolutionary struggle, giving a powerful impetus to the historical development of society.
The revolutionary ideas of the working class are created by outstanding leaders.
More than a hundred years of history of the communist movement can be said to be the history of the emergence and development of revolutionary ideas developed by the leaders of the working class, the history of putting these ideas into practice and transforming the world on their basis. Having created Marxism in the middle of the 19th century, Marx and Engels pointed to the historical mission of the working class that appeared on the battlefield and lit the way to its liberation. They contributed to the development of the struggle against capital and laid the foundation for the international communist movement. Lenin developed Marxism further in relation to the new historical conditions of the development of capitalism into the stage of imperialism. He created Leninism and thus inspired the working class, all the peoples to fight for the destruction of the citadel of imperialism, for liberation and freedom, and laid the foundation for the transition from capitalism to socialism.
After deeply analyzing the requirements of the new era, when the oppressed and humiliated masses began to act as masters of their own destiny, Comrade Kim Il Sung created the great Juche idea and led the masses to a new stage in the struggle for independence. He marked the beginning of a new period in the historical development of mankind - the Juche era.
The revolutionary ideas of the working class are created as a reflection of the pressing demands of the development of the historical, revolutionary process.
Comrade Kim Il Sung embarked on a revolutionary path when a new frontier was taking place in the struggle of the working class and the masses of the people against exploitation and oppression. The influence of socialism, victorious for the first time, grew on the world stage, the revolutionary struggle of the working class and the liberation struggle of the peoples in the colonies and semi-colonies experienced a steep upswing. In an effort to stop the revolutionary uprisings of the popular masses and find a way out of the deep political and economic crisis, the imperialists intensified plunder and introduced cruel repressions against the peoples. In many countries the contradictions and antagonism between revolution and counter-revolution have intensified, the masses of the people, whose sovereign rights have been trampled on for many years, have risen to fight for their class and national liberation. A new epoch has come when the revolutionary movement has begun to develop in all its breadth on a world scale, assuming more and more new forms.
In order to carry out the revolution in the new historical conditions, the working class, the people of each country had to resolve all issues in a businesslike way, in accordance with their specific conditions. This task was put on the agenda in Korea especially seriously due to the peculiarities of its historical development, complex and difficult nature local revolution. The course of the Korean Revolution demanded more urgently that the masses of the people work their way to the revolution independently and creatively. The Juche idea arose on the basis of the same requirements of the practice of the Korean Revolution. A revolution is a struggle for the popular masses to realize their needs for independence, a struggle for their own liberation. They will win victory in the revolution only by arming themselves with revolutionary ideas and uniting as an organized political force. The duty of a revolutionary is to go into the midst of the masses of the people who are carrying out the revolution, to educate, organize and rouse them to the struggle. And revolutionary strength must be forged in the masses of the people. All questions that arise in the course of the revolutionary struggle must be decided on the basis of the reason and strength of the people. But the Korean communists and nationalists of the 1920s, who considered themselves participants in the national liberation movement, instead of going into the midst of the masses, educating, organizing and mobilizing them for the revolutionary struggle, worked in isolation from them, fought for hegemony, engaging in idle talk. They failed to unite the masses, but only split them with their factional struggle. From the very first days of his revolutionary activity, Comrade Kim Il Sung understood their mistakes and took a different, truly revolutionary road, penetrating into the midst of the masses of the people and relying on them in his struggle. He discovered the truth that the popular masses are the masters of the revolution and that for its victory it is necessary to go to the masses, educate, organize and mobilize them. This was one of the starting points for the emergence of the Juche idea. The revolution in each country must be carried out independently, with full responsibility by its owner - the people of the given country, creatively lead it in relation to their specific conditions. An independent and creative approach to business is the essential requirement of a revolutionary, communist movement. The Korean Revolution, which opened the Juche era, had to be carried out independently from the very beginning, otherwise it would not be able to move forward creatively. The Korean revolution could not but acquire a difficult and complex character. Having a strong enemy in the face of Japanese imperialism, it had to fulfill both the tasks of an anti-imperialist and national liberation revolution and the tasks of an anti-feudal, democratic revolution. It was not easy to walk on an unbeaten path. The situation was also complicated by the fact that at that time within the anti-Japanese national liberation and communist movement in Korea, cringing before the big countries prevailed, which prevented the forward movement of the revolution. The nationalists and pseudo-Marxists inherited from their predecessors the spirit of servility and habits of factional struggle, which in their time brought the country to ruin. Instead of carrying out the revolution on their own, they tried in vain to achieve the independence of the country, relying on external forces. At that time, those who pretended to be a member of the communist movement, each created party groups in his own way. They constantly appealed to the Comintern, seeking to obtain its sanctions, trying to mechanically follow ready-made theories and copy someone else's experience, ignoring the historical conditions and the specific reality of Korea, a former colonial-semi-feudal society. The strong influence of servility and dogmatism made it impossible to open the way to revolution.
Comrade Kim Il Sung learned a serious lesson from the consequences of servility and dogmatism and discovered the truth that 
the revolution should be carried out not on someone's sanction or instruction, but on one's own conviction, with a sense of responsibility, that it is necessary to solve all the issues that arise in the course of its implementation, independently and creatively. This is another starting point that started the birth of the Juche idea.
Thus, Comrade Kim Il Sung, on the basis of practical experience and the lessons of the revolutionary struggle, created a new revolutionary doctrine - the Juche idea.
The ideological and theoretical activity of Comrade Kim Il Sung consistently proceeded from revolutionary practice. He developed and enriched revolutionary ideas and theory in the process of resolving issues raised by revolutionary practice. It is possible to apply existing theories in accordance with the interests of the revolution and the real conditions of one's country, to seek out new truth and put forward new ideas and theories, only on the basis of revolutionary practice. Even in the early period of his revolutionary activity, Comrade Kim Il Sung mastered the teachings of Marxism-Leninism. But, not limiting himself to applying it to the practice of the Korean revolution and standing on the unshakable Juche position, he reached new frontiers in revolutionary theory and creatively resolved the questions raised by revolutionary practice. Struggling with hard-nosed nationalists, pseudo-Marxists, low-worshippers, dogmatists, and at the same time laying new road revolution, Comrade Kim Il Sung discovered the truth of the Juche idea. At a meeting of the leading cadres of the Komsomol and the Anti-Imperialist Youth Union held in Kalun in June 1930, he highlighted the principles of the Juche idea and put forward the Juche line of the Korean revolution. This was a historic event that heralded the creation of the Juche idea and the birth of the Juche revolutionary line. Comrade Kim Il Sung, who was not yet 20 years old at the time, clearly discerned in the muddy stream of national reformism, right and left opportunism and all sorts of other currents the spirit of the times, the aspirations of the people and the laws of the development of history. He discovered the Juche truth and paved the way for the independent development of the Korean Revolution.
Name of the official ideology of North Korea, first proposed in 1955 Kim Il Sung as opposed to Marxist ideas emanating from the USSR and China.
The essence of the Juche idea is to rely on the development of the Koreans' own forces.
Strictly speaking, the term "Juche" was known in medieval Korea.
“At the end of 1955, at the plenum of the Central Committee of the WPK Kim Il Sung delivered a speech "On the elimination of dogmatism and formalism - and the establishment of Juche in ideological work", directed against cringing in general and before the USSR in particular.
The leader of the Soviet faction Pak Chan Ok and his associates were subjected to harsh criticism. The speech was a complete political program that could be put into practice. It is especially interesting because it contained the formulation of the Juche idea, which will very soon become the official North Korean ideology.
The term itself "Juche" usually translated as “independence”, “originality”, “self-reliance” or “man is the master of everything”.
Kim spoke about forms of direct copying of Soviet reality alien to Koreans. In the Ministry of Defense, landscapes of Siberia hang on the walls, and not the beautiful mountains of Mehyang and Kymgan. In the red corners at the enterprises, photos of Soviet factories and their production indicators are placed, and not pictures of the restoration of the DPRK industry. And even in schools, instead of the classics of Korean literature, portraits hang Pushkin and Mayakovsky.
Why is Rodong Sinmun copying headlines from Pravda? he asked. “Why is even the table of contents printed in Western style at the end of books, and not at the beginning, as is customary in Korea?”
Balkansky A., Kim Il Sung, M., "Young Guard", 2011, p. 144.
“Juche prioritizes human consciousness and will to transform the world. The idea is in the first place in relation to the matter. Particular emphasis is placed on the education of the individual.
It is assumed that with the help of education and the right approach to a person, it is possible to radically change him, to create a new, improved breed of people.
From Confucianism in the Juche ideas, the principle of hierarchy was also adopted. At the top of the hierarchy is the leader, who makes the decisions, then the party, who communicates them to the masses, and then the people, who carry out the orders. At the same time, the nation is conceived as one big family, and the leader - as a loving father.
However, it would be wrong to perceive Juche as a complete philosophical and theoretical system. This is not a set of dogmas, but rather a certain worldview set forth in the texts Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il. It is practical in nature, helping to manage the state.
Putting forward the Juche idea was a very practical move. For a small country, which for many centuries depended on big powers and recently got rid of colonial oppression, the desire for independent development without regard to others was absolutely natural and enjoyed full support in society. The emergence of its own ideology emphasized the importance of the DPRK as one of the key countries of the socialist camp. And Kim himself, with such ideological baggage, could confidently call himself a world-class theorist.
One of the most important components of Juche is the thesis about the key role of the leader in the life of the state. Since the early 1970s, North Korean educational institutions the course of "leadership" is taught.
They explain to young Koreans that if they receive a physical body from their parents, then the leader gives socio-political life - Kim Il Sung(and after that - Kim Jong Il).
To exalt the leader, a special title was developed. Kim Il Sung was called "Great Leader", "Legendary Hero - Sun of the Nation", "Invincible Steel Commander", "Sun of Our People", "Marshal Father", " Greatest Hero of the XX century”, “Outstanding leader of the international communist movement”, “Lamp of unification”, “Politician of world scale”, “Genius of theory and practice of leadership”.
Portraits of both Kims hang in every house and apartment. In the event of a fire or flood, it is first of all supposed to save them, and then all the rest of the property.
Balkansky A., Kim Il Sung, M., "Young Guard", 2011, p. 181-182.
In 1997, North Korea adopted a new "Juche chronology", which began in 1912 - it was then that the leader was born Kim Il Sung.
A concept similar in meaning "Jucheesong" used in his ideology park chung hee is the leader of South Korea.
The social system of North Korea is called "Juche", which translates as "the master of his own body and the whole world." Officially, this direction was introduced in the 50s of the last century, when the DPRK sought to get rid of the excessive influence of its neighbors - China and the USSR. Moreover, the term existed in the Middle Ages as a well-known philosophical concept of Confucianism.
Main Principles of Juche
After the collapse of the country in 1948, the northern part joined the socialist camp and adopted the dogmas developed under Stalin and Mao Zedong. However, by the mid-1950s, the government headed by Kim Il Sung realized that it was necessary to get rid of the cultural and political influence of the allies. That is why the ideologists began to develop the provisions of the new system, which combined the classical socialist teachings and the foundations of Confucianism, according to which Korea lived for almost half a millennium.
The new political direction did not take shape in a short time. It took years to develop, and the main provisions were never compiled into a manifesto. The Juche ideas can be judged from the works of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il, which have almost a thesis structure.
The main ideological provisions are the following statements:
- The people adhere to a strict hierarchical structure, which is controlled by the leader.
- The state established the priority of collectivism over individualism.
- The main task of Juche is to satisfy the needs of the entire people, and not of its individual sections.
- The system supports the positions of isolationism and anti-globalism.
- The main principle of the state system is songun. It assumes the primacy of the army. At the same time, the troops are not opposed to the rest of the people, but are its armed part.
The notion of revolution is interpreted atypically by ideologues. It does not mean form. coup d'état, but the struggle of a person with his weaknesses, as well as the continuous desire to improve the world around him. The political subtext in this case is not the main one, but it is also implied by the "world around". Labor is considered the best form of struggle - both in the domestic and in the military field.
Juche and North Korean foreign policy
The ideological system of this type has a militaristic coloring. According to the teachings of the leaders, the state should be a fortress that protects itself from external influence. This is supported by the policy of isolationism - all data on the political, economic and military life of the country are classified. In addition, the army was placed at the basis of the functioning of society. Each soldier must serve in such a way that he would give his life for the commander without hesitation.
This view of how life works affects North Korea's relations with other countries. They consider the republic to be aggressive and dangerous. However, the DPRK authorities are convinced that a continuous show of force is necessary in order to pursue a policy of "deterrence of aggression" aimed primarily at the United States.
For this, the following methods are used:
- propaganda- for example, the creation of a video about dropping a nuclear bomb on the territory of America;
- ideological education- North Koreans are taught from childhood that the United States is the main enemy of the nation;
- test launches of ballistic missiles;
- seizure of ships passing near the North Korean coast;
- development and testing of nuclear weapons.
Such actions lead to retaliatory aggression - dozens of sanctions and trade bans have been imposed against the DPRK, undermining the already weak economy of the country. However, the rejection of propaganda methods of struggle will inevitably lead to the fall of the political system. International organizations are looking for a way out of this situation, but it is still getting worse every year.
The idea of Juche in North Korea: the impact on everyday life
There are rumors about how people live in the DPRK, which are difficult to confirm due to the closed society. In most cases, they have an extremely negative connotation: the system is attributed to a totalitarian repressive policy and non-observance of basic human rights. Most of the data of this plan was obtained from South Korean intelligence services and refugees from the DPRK.
Only a few can be confirmed:
- The inhabitants of the country are obliged to take Active participation in political life– join the Labor Party and attend mandatory lectures on ideological education.
- North Korea has universal conscription. Men serve from 5 to 12 years, women - 3 years.
- Society is built on the class principle of songbun. From the origin and trustworthiness of a person depends on what benefits he can count on.
- Residents prohibited leave the country, use the general access to the Internet, store Western and South Korean films and books.
Life in North Korea is subject to the general rhythm. The country has a normalized working day, after which volunteer work and labor meetings are held. The government determines the place of a person in society and sets the course of his life. Refugees who have moved to South Korea often complain that the most difficult thing for them in the new environment is to learn to live independently, without relying on party decrees.
