Juche

Juche [Korean: 주체/主體, lit. 'subject'; usually left untranslated or translated as "self-reliance"] is the official ideology of the DPRK.

Kim Il-sung developed the ideology, with his On the Juche idea which was originally viewed as a variant of Marxism–Leninism until it became distinctly Korean in character. It incorporates the historical materialist ideas of Marxism–Leninism and strongly emphasizes the relationship between the individual, the nation state and its sovereignty.

Description

The Juche Ideology differs from mainstream marxist theory in that its emphasis is placed on a theory of national sovereignty and sustaining an existing revolution, as opposed to focusing on class conflict. As a result, it argues that independent human agency and struggle are the main pre-requisites to the sustaining of class consciousness and the fight for popular sovereignty. The masses are to form an independent consciousness together and "resist fate" accordingly in building a revolutionary state. This theoretical premise forms the core strategic goal of the ideology in upholding the sovereignty and independence of the DPRK from Imperialism, a product of the precarious security situation the country faces against the United States. This is fleshed out into "independence in politics, achieving self-support in the economy and adhering to self-reliance in national defence"- of which underscores the logic of its nuclear weapons program.