March 29, 2024
KCNA Uriminzokkiri (En)

On the Principle of Independence

Date: 02/12/2021 | Source: Uriminzokkiri (En) | Read original version at source

To shape his destiny properly man should steadily maintain the principle of independence, above all.

Leader Kim Jong Il said:

"Proceeding from the philosophical principle that man occupies the position of master in the world and plays the decisive role in advancing the world and in shaping his own destiny, the Juche idea demands that man should always be regarded as the central factor, that everything should be approached from an independent point of view and that all activities should so as to contribute to enhancing the position and role of man."

To maintain the principle of independence in hewing out man 's destiny means to regard it as his iron rule to solve all the problems arising in shaping destiny in line with his interests, according to his independent judgment and by his own efforts. Only when the principle of independence whose main points are independence and self-reliance is thoroughly maintained can the masses of the people hold and keep the position as the master in shaping the destiny of their country and nation.

The principle of independence in shaping destiny takes concrete shape in the form of establishing Juche in ideology, independence in politics, self-sustenance in the economy and self-reliance in national defence.

To establish Juche in ideology is precisely to take a firm standpoint and attitude of squarely exercising one's right and fulfilling one's responsibility as the master of one's own destiny away from dependence on others. To implement the principle of independence in politics means to effect politics of keeping national independence and sovereignty of one's country and nation without tolerating domination and interference of any outside forces and of defending the interests of one's people and relying on their strength. To apply the principle of independence in the economy is to build an economy which stands on its own feet so as to meet the material needs of the people of one's country mainly by itself, that is, a comprehensively-developed independent national economy. To implement the principle of self-reliance in national defence means to defend one's country by one's own efforts.

To maintain the principle of independence it is necessary above all to establish Juche in ideology.

President Kim Il Sung said that when a person turns to flunkeyism he becomes an idiot, if a nation takes to flunkeyism their country falls into ruin and if a party follows flunkeyism, it makes a mess of revolution. His instruction carries a profound meaning that one should always approach problems with a mind of one's own and deal with them in one's own way.

The validity of his saying was clearly evidenced by the fact that socialism collapsed in the east European countries.

Those countries had tried to solve all problems with the help of other country without their own independence standpoint and decision, looking up to the face of the big country. They were steeped in flunkeyism and dogmatism, so the world people scoffed at them, saying that if it rains in Moscow, people in Berlin carry umbrella though it does not rain there. They danced to the tune of the former Soviet Union without a mind of their own and collapsed in succession in the wake of the downfall of it that they believed in and relied on as their eldest brother.

Like this, Juche in ideology is so important that apart from it one cannot maintain the principle of independence nor carve out his destiny as the master of it.

Politics is the domain of vital importance in social life and so the principle of independence should be carried out in politics.

The destiny and future of a country depend on the kind of politics it administers. The dignity, prosperity and rosy future of nation are guaranteed by progressive and popular politics whereas the destiny of nation gets nowhere under reactionary politics.

As the destiny of the people is shaped under different specific circumstances with a country and nation as a unit, a politics that correctly leads the people to carve out their destiny is independent politics. Only by administering independent politics can a country foil all manner of dominationist moves of outside forces to interfere in its internal affairs, firmly defend its political sovereignty and become a dignified and fully-fledged independent but without political independence will be nothing but a present-day colony.

The world people call Japan pretending to be a "economic power" a "political dwarf "because it does not pursue independent politics. Take the removal of the US airbase in Futenma as an example. Japan has failed to settle the issue according to its demand, succumbing to US pressure while deceiving the people, thus becoming the launching stock of the world community. It can be seen nothing other than a poor deed of a slave without political independence.

Independence in politics is the lifeblood in carving out the destiny of a country, nation and the popular masses. This is evidenced by the experience and lessons in the world history of politics.

The economy is the domain forming the material basis of social life and the principle of independence is unthinkable apart from independence in the economy.

Depending on others economically amounts to leaving one's lifeline to others. It is the law of the world that beggar cannot lead a dignified life and a person in debt is so far a slave. It is obvious that a country that can get along not by itself but with the help of others, leaving its lifeline in the hands of others, leaving its lifeline in the hands of others, cannot but accept any political strings and be caught in the trap of economic and political subordination.

The importance of self-support in the economy in carving out the destiny of a country, nation and the people can be seen through the issue of the Council for Mutual Economic Aid (COMECON) which was under hot debate in the period when there existed the socialist camp.

With the advent of modern revisionism in socialist countries, the great-power chauvinists forced all the socialist countries to join the COMECON on the basis of the theories of "international division of labour" and an "integrated economy", in disregard of the basic demand of the people who share their destiny with nation-state as a unit.

In the initial days of building socialism, the DPRK was also under pressure from the great-power chauvinists.

In view of the country's level of economic development which was lower than that of the socialist countries in Europe, it was obvious that the DPRK would never have been well-off but would have got on subserviently, if it lived on selling coal, gold and other mineral resources while placing its economic lifeblood in the hands of others.

President Kim Il Sung who had invariably regarded the principle of independence as the lifeblood of revolution and construction turned down the big-power chauvinists' pressure on the country to enter the COMECON, starting from the Korean people's demand for independence, and chose the untrodden path of building an independent national economy without hesitation.

Socialism in those countries that had acceded to the COMECON in compliance with other's intention and demand broke down in the aftermath of the break-up of the Soviet Union. But the DPRK that had built a self-supporting national economy in strict adherence to the interests of the country and the people has remained a fortress of independence despite the world's political upheaval, an eloquent testimony to the great significance of self-sustenance in the economy in hewing out the destiny of a country, nation and people.

Strong self-defensive military power constitutes a basic guarantee for the independence of a country and nation and the destiny control of the popular masses. As the saying goes, when one has a weak fist he is compelled to wipe away tears with it. Without one's own military strength, there will be no independence in politics and self-sustenance in the economy and one cannot but surrender to the aggressors and bear disgrace.

This is proved by the lesson left by the Balkan War in 1999. Considering that the military strength of then Yugoslavia got weak in the aftermath of the dissolution of global peace, conscience and international law as the country refused to accept its brigandish demand. During the 78-day-long war the Americans launched over 2 000 cruise missiles and made some 25 000 indiscriminate air raids with over 1 200 aircraft. Yugoslavia was defeated in the war, subjected to unilateral attacks by the opponents, as it had no means of striking enemy warplanes flying at an altitude of 12 000 metres and aircraft carrier and other warships launching missiles from 300 kilometres away.

Later, a Yugoslav senior official said:

"Through the war we keenly realized the necessity of building up self-defensive military power. We felt our hearts burst as we saw the neighbouring countries joining forces with the NATO and Russia we had so trusted giving no help to us. We have come to a conclusion that we must build up military strength of our own above anything else and this is the only way to survive."

It is the precise truth gained by humankind at the cost their blood that each country and people can carve out their destiny by their own efforts by securing the position as the master of their destiny only when they thoroughly maintain the principle of Juche in ideology, independence in politics, self-support in the economy and self-reliance in national defence.

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