Editing Juche

'''''Juche''''',<ref group="lower-alpha">Korean: 주체/主體, <small>lit.</small> 'subject'; usually left untranslated or translated as "self-reliance"</ref> also called the '''Juche idea''', is the official ideology of the [[Democratic People's Republic of Korea|DPRK]].<ref name="North Korea: State of Paranoia">{{Textcite|author=Paul French|year=2014|title=North Korea: state of paranoia|pdf=|publisher=Zed Books|isbn=978-1-78032-947-5|lg=|doi=}}</ref> Juche is predominantly translated into English as "self-reliance" or "independence," but a more accurate and comprehensive translation is "subjecthood."<ref name=":0">Riley Seungyoon Park and Cambria York. "Socialist Education in Korea: Selected Works of Kim Il-sung." 2022. Iskra Books, Madison, Wisconsin. Peacelandbread.com. [https://www.peacelandbread.com/_files/ugd/ec1faf_74d445f950b944939edeb30d225968c1.pdf PDF].</ref>  

In the foreword to the book ''Socialist Education in Korea'', [[Derek Ford]] and [[Curry Malott]] write that the "mobilization of Juche allows for endless tactical flexibility in foreign, economic, and social policy even today" and argue its success by noting that Koreans played a key role in defeating [[Empire of Japan (1868–1947)|Japanese imperialism]], forced the [[Korean War|U.S. to sign an armistice in 1953]], and survived the [[Cold War]], the [[Reform and Opening Up|opening up of China]], the [[Overthrow of the Soviet Union|dissolution of the Soviet Union]], and the overthrow and collapse of the [[Eastern Bloc|European Socialist Bloc countries]], and have "managed to rebuild their country from rubble" while navigating these "endlessly complex geopolitical challenges".<ref name=":0" />  

The [[Korean Association of Social Scientists]] explains that because man has independence "as his life and soul," independence therefore "becomes life and soul of a country and nation, the people’s collective." Following this, if the people’s independence is to be realized, it is important to first realize independence of a country and nation, "the basic unit of carving out destiny."<ref>[https://www.kass.org.kp/index.php/course/view/635?lang=eng "Philosophical Meaning and Socio-Political Meaning of Independence."] Kimilsungism-Kimjongilism Course: Juche Idea. Korean Association of Social Scientists. [https://web.archive.org/web/20230815081746/http://www.kass.org.kp/index.php/course/view/635?lang=eng Archived] 2023-08-15.</ref>

==== Marxism–Leninism ====

Kim Jong-il states this about the unique Juche characteristic of Socialism in Korea and how it is not merely Marxism-Leninism, <blockquote>"In the early years of revolutionary activity, the leader (Kim Il-Sung) 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-oriented standpoint and resolved the problems arising in the revolutionary practice from a unique angle."<ref>[https://www.marxists.org/archive/kim-jong-il/works/On-The-Juche-Idea.pdf On the Juche Idea - Kim Jong-Il, page 7]</ref></blockquote>Kim Jong-il stated that the historical achievements of Marxism–Leninism must be acknowledged but also states that it has limitations when it comes to the specifics of post-revolution socialist construction in the present day context, and states that, "the present historical condition is fundamentally different from what it was when the founders of Marxism–Leninism were active" and while Lenin certainly advanced Marxism, "is now clear to everybody that one cannot build socialism properly by drawing on a theory that was put forward based on prediction and supposition a century ago." Kim Jong-il adds, <blockquote>"Although Marxism-Leninism has limitations and failed to clarify the specific ways for building socialism, those parties that are building socialism can prevent the degeneration of their class character if they correctly maintain the revolutionary principle of Marxism-Leninism [...] As for the mistakes revealed in socialist construction in some countries, their parties which allowed dogmatism and revisionism, not Marxism-Leninism and its founders, are to blame for them."<ref name=":2">[[Library:On some problems of the ideological foundation of socialism|On some problems of the ideological foundation of socialism]]</ref></blockquote>While the achievements of Marxism–Leninism are recognized in the Juche outlook, it is considered that Marxism–Leninism does not provide all the answers necessary for socialist construction in the modern conditions or the specific conditions of Korea, and that it is limited by its historical age.<blockquote>The Juche idea must not be viewed as a simple inheritance and development of Marxism-Leninism; it must be viewed as a new and original idea. That we should see originality in context with derivations in understanding means that the Juche idea is not an ideology, which contrasts with Marxism-Leninism and that the historical achievements of Marxism-Leninism must be acknowledged. We acknowledge the historical achievements of the dialectical materialism of Marxism, as it smashed the reactionary idealistic and metaphysical outlook on the world, but do not view it as the perfect philosophy of the working class. We appraise the historical achievements of Marxism-Leninism as it proved the inevitability of the fall of capitalism and the triumph of socialism and clarified the and theory on building a classless ideal society free of exploitation and oppression, but we do not see it as a perfect communist revolutionary theory. As a matter of course we have so far not spoken much about the limitations of Marxism-Leninism. But today when its limitations are more and more evident, it is necessary to bring them home to our officials. Only then can they fully understand the originality and superiority of the Juche idea, the revolutionary idea of the leader, and make firmer their conviction of our style socialism based on the Juche idea. – Kim Jong-Il<ref name=":2" /></blockquote>

Along with Korea's anti-imperialist struggle and Korea's position between influential world powers, the development of the Juche idea has also been influenced by DPRK's focus on their own particular circumstances in revolution and socialist construction, rather than mechanically following the ideological lines of its neighboring socialist countries, China and the Soviet Union. Although DPRK at times received help from each nation and has maintained friendly, peaceful relations with them, the Juche idea was emphasized to avoid extreme dependence on either country's applications of Marxism–Leninism. This was to avoid dogmatic and mechanical application of their ideas and to prioritize the importance of focusing on the material conditions within Korea.

Providing context for the role of Juche in Korea in respect to the advances of Marxism–Leninism in the Soviet Union, [[Kim Jong-il|Kim Jong-Il]] said in a 1990 speech:<blockquote>In the past, many countries, while building socialism guided by Marxism-Leninism, applied the propositions of Marxism-Leninism advanced long before as they were, and imitated the Soviet experience in a mechanical manner. [...] As a matter of fact, we cannot deny the historic exploits and experience of the Soviet Union which built socialism for the first time in the world. However, the experience of the Soviet Union in socialist construction is, in every point, the reflection of the then historical conditions and the concrete situation of the Soviet Union. [...] In our country, once a backward, colonial semi-feudal society, we could not literally accept the Marxist theory which had been advanced on the premises of the socio-historical conditions of the developed European capitalist countries, or the Leninist theory presented in the situation of Russia where capitalism was developed to the secondary grade. We had had to find a solution to every problem arising in the revolution by racking our own brains and with our own efforts to suit our country’s socio-historical conditions. Immediately after liberation we started building a new society under the situation in which our country was divided into north and south and we were in direct confrontation with the US imperialists; this situation urgently required us to solve every problem from the standpoint of Juche. Such a requirement of the developing revolution was fulfilled satisfactorily by the great leader who, on the basis of the Juche idea, put forward original lines and policies suited to our people’s aspirations and the specific situation of our country.<ref>Kim Jong Il. [https://www.marxists.org/archive/kim-jong-il/works/Socialism-Of-Our-Country-Is-A-Socialism-Of-Our-Style-As-The-Embodiment-Of-The-Juche-Idea.pdf "Socialism of Our Country is a Socialism of Our Style as the Embodiment of the Juche Idea."] Speech Delivered to the Senior Officials of the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea. December 27, 1990. Marxists.org.</ref>  </blockquote>