Alan Bolon,

Organizational Secretary KFA UK,

Chairman of West of England Branch

of the UK Korean Friendship Association

On the occasion of the 75th founding anniversary of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, it is worth recalling the history of the creation of the current power of this country by noting that it achieves comprehensive prosperity and this anniversary is certainly honored worldwide.

What are the ideological sources and ideological foundations of what today constitutes the strength of a developed socialist state on the level of an Asian superpower?

To answer this question, we must go deep into the past.

The Korean revolution, which brought the present great and epoch-making achievements in socialist construction, began many years ago. The ideological foundations of this process include an example of a creative approach to Marxism-Leninism. The path of the Korean revolution was a world example in the international communist movement. The Korean revolution liberated the masses of the people from the Japanese imperialists’ yoke and created a state based on equality and justice.

How was the idea of the Korean revolutionary way to liberate the country, the way to build up the Korean style of socialism created? What are the characteristics of the Korean revolution? What are the characteristics of the DPRK’s path to socialism?

First of all, attention should be paid to the strongly emphasized role of man in the process of revolutionary transformation of society and all the spheres of the political, economic and cultural and social life. The priority role of man which results from the Juche idea, which places man in the centre with his inherent features, is not idealistic, as claimed by the revisionist view widespread in Western society. First, the Juche idea defines a special role and position of man in the world.

Starting from the liberation from the Japanese occupation, through victory in the war against the American aggressors and the successive march of building socialism and many achievements and successes in these periods, until now Korean-style socialism is continuously prospering and flourishing into single-hearted and united society. During the Japanese occupation (1905-1945), the great Leader Comrade Kim Il Sung, first sought a way to release enthusiasm from popular masses, to initiative energy for action to organize for fight to achieve liberation and independence of Korea by relying on the strength of the masses.

Comrade Kim Il Sung continued through his active and devoted life with the popular masses his searching for the proper and suitable path for the Korean nation for liberation. He was always listening to popular masses.

The victorious October Revolution (1917) in Russia, brought hope to the popular masses around the world, and showed the direction on the way to building the first socialism in the USSR.

As we can see in the works of Comrade Kim Il Sung, he was looking for a way to liberate Korea while considering Korean objective historical and social conditions with reference to Marxism.

Comrade Kim Il Sung said.

“It was not simply out of academic interest or from a spirit of inquiry that I spent night after night reading in my secondary school days. I did not delve into the books with the object of becoming a scholar or for the purposes of a career. How could we expel the Japanese imperialists and win back our country? How could we do away with social inequality and make the working people prosperous? These were the questions the answers to which I wanted to discover in the books. No matter what book I was reading and where, I was always seeking the answers to these questions. I am sure it was in the course of this that my position was established of approaching Marxism-Leninism not as a dogma but as a practical weapon and of searching for the truth not in an abstract theory but always in the practice of the Korean revolution. In those days I read The Communist Manifesto, The Capital, The State and Revolution, Wage Labour and Capital and other Marxist-Leninist classics and books expounding them which I came across.

In addition to political books, I read many works of revolutionary literature.”

The great leader Comrade Kim Il Sung, studied Marxist literature and spent many days and nights on learning and reflecting on creating the way to the Korean path of liberation.

In these days and in the practical experiences and activity of forming Down-with-Imperialism Union Comrade Kim Il Sung enriched his creating process to Korean style revolution.

Comrade Kim Il Sung said.

“A man can be said to have established his revolutionary world view when he becomes aware of his class position and interests, hates the exploiting classes, is prepared to safeguard the interests of his class and then embarks on the path of revolution with a determination to build a new society. I began to realize my class position through reading the Marxist-Leninist classics and other revolutionary books, became aware of many inequalities by observing social phenomena, conceived a growing hatred for the exploiting classes and exploiter society and, in the end, embarked on the road of struggle with a resolve to reform and rebuild the world.

The more I read the works of Marx and Lenin and the deeper I became absorbed in them, the greater the urge I felt to disseminate their revolutionary theories among the young people and students as soon as possible.”

Comrade Kim Il Sung, had to face the objective historical and social conditions to solve in new way, the way for creating programme to liberation to the Korean nation and establish wider in the process of socialist construction.

Comrade Kim Il Sung, in creating the path of the Korean revolution, had to solve many problems, social, economic and military aspects as well. He was close to his friends and discussing many times the issues with ideological struggles and differences from Marxist view to seek for the path of the Korean revolution:

President Kim Il Sung said.

“Once I asked Pak So Sim about the Marxist-Leninist propositions on the dictatorship of the proletariat. He explained to me the propositions of the Marxist-Leninist classics which interpreted the proletarian dictatorship from different angles at different stages of historical development. For his theoretical attainments and learning, he could be called a master of Marxism. But there was something that was beyond the reach of his knowledge, something he found it hard to answer. I asked him the question: Although the Marxist-Leninist classics say that the class emancipation of the working class comes before national liberation, is it not true that in our country the yoke of Japanese imperialism should be thrown off first before the class emancipation of the workers and peasants? This question was argued about a great deal among our comrades. We found that the Marxist-Leninist classics fell short of providing a theoretical explanation of the interrelations between the emancipation of the working class and national liberation. As for the national liberation struggle in colonial countries, there were many problems which required scientific elucidation. Pak So Sim answered my question only vaguely.

I asked him another question: The Marxist-Leninist classics generally say that the revolution in the suzerain state and that in a colonial country are organically linked with each other and stress the importance of the victory of the revolution in the suzerain state. That means that our country will be able to attain its independence only after the working class of Japan have won their revolution, doesn’t it? So should we wait until they win their victory?”

As we can see, Comrade Kim Il Sung did not rely only on Marxism-Leninism. He drew from the wisdom of other people and relied on the knowledge and experience of the Korean people.

So, for example, the experiences of the Russian revolution, although worth noting, could not be a profitable basis in the Korean way to be copied. It could not because the class system of Korean society was different and also different in objective social and historical conditions.

After many discussions, considerations and theoretical-writing work, and above all on the practice gained in partisan struggle, Comrade Kim Il Sung created the Korean way of revolution and national liberation.

President Kim Il Sung said.

“My accumulation of knowledge and experience in Jilin enabled me to build the framework of an independent revolutionary thought in the future.”

For the first time, the path of the Korean revolution was featured in an epochal speech at the Meeting of Leading Personnel of the Young Communist League and the Anti-Imperialist Youth League held at Kalun, on the 30th of June, 1930. In this speech Comrade Kim Il Sung, for the first time outlined the fundamental principles that would guide the Korean revolution in the future. These principles are based on trust in oneself, on using one's own strength and self-confidence. In this speech, the first features of the Juche idea emerged. Comrade Kim Il Sung stressed that the Korean people must go their own way, relying on their own strength, not to copy anything from others, only this way would enable the Korean nation to free itself from the shackles of the Japanese slavery. It was one of the foundations of the Juche idea in the emphasis on independence and unity in the outlined goal of the revolution.

The Juche idea remains a source of inspiration for more than 1 000 study groups around the world to this day. One of these groups fascinated by this epochal philosophical thought is the British Group for the Study of the Juche idea. Korean Friendship Association UK, together with the British Group for the Study of the Juche Idea, conducted annual cyclic courses of lectures and study of the Juche idea, which enjoyed great popularity and gathered a large number of participants. Also at present, we publish our books and brochures and popularize the Juche idea, as of many worth mentioning “Juche Philosophy. A short Study Guide” or “KFA UK Juche Philosophy Study Course” by the common authors Dr. Dermot Hudson and Alan Bolon, which is a broad and elaborate and comprehensive textbook for the study of this idea based on his own lectures. Moreover, we conduct deep studies of the Juche idea in a broad scientific context, and the result of this is as example is the first part of “Foundations of the theory of man’s development as a social being and in social life under the guidance of the Juche Philosophy” which will be continued and expanded in the future regarding to progress in study of the Juche idea.

We can say that the historic speech at Kalun meeting in 1930 delivered by Comrade Kim Il Sung inspired the popular masses to resist the Japanese occupiers and start the great flame of the Korean Revolution. The significance of this historic speech is much greater. It prepared popular masses, organized and mobilized them to brave difficulties and hardship in the process of active armed struggle.

President Kim Il Sung said.

“Next, in order to guarantee success in the Korean revolution, we must step up the work of founding a party.

For the Korean revolution to be victorious there must be a Marxist-Leninist party, the General Staff of the revolution. Only a revolutionary party can formulate a correct line, strategy and tactics, mobilize the broad masses for a struggle against the Japanese imperialists, and build a socialist and communist society.”

It is worth stressing out, because in our times, modern revisionism, together with imperialists, tries to distort and distort the truly face of the Workers’ Party of Korea. Revolutionary path of the Korean liberation is based on Juche idea. The Juche idea is an original revolutionary idea created in reflection of the requirements of our times and the Korean revolution.

The Korean nation can and should be a model for other nations that are under imperialist exploitation and strive for full independence.

The Korean revolution, after establishment of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea in 1948, developed in line with the historical needs of the new People’s Republic. Comrade Kim Il Sung and then Comrade Kim Jong Il, developed the Korean revolution into the three revolutions to do away with the remnants of the old society in ideological, technical and cultural spheres through the anti-imperialist, anti-feudal democratic revolution and socialist revolution. Therefore these three revolutions enabled the DPRK to build a modern and developed state of people’s democracy as is now.

The Korean socialism is exceptionally rich and distinctive. It is unique socialism on a world scale, primarily in the fact that, as one of the few, it is solid and durable, it is firmly established on the basis of the people-centred idea, which Comrade Kim Il Sung formulated with focus on man in the Juche idea.

After many decades of splendid development, now the DPRK is close to achieving a great goal-full communism in social and economic relations. No country in the world has come as close to the ideal of a communist state as the DPRK, and this is due to the steadfast and incessant march of the DPRK people on the path of socialism, illuminated by the beacon of wisdom of their leaders with Marshal Kim Jong Un as a first.

The invincible spirit of Mount Paektu, the spirit of struggle and sacrifice of the first partisans of Korea lasts and will last forever in the hearts of the DPRK people and it will mark and illuminate the path of the Korean revolution, the path of the successful march towards complete communism.

Free health service with extensive social care, free accommodation and no taxes are a few from a long list to make the DPRK a country of real socialism, socialist paradise with a social system that is friendly to people and focuses on their needs, and the continuous improvement of their living conditions in every way.

The DPRK is a country that cares about its values and achievements.

The enemies of the people are opposed to this splendid DPRK. The enemies have existed since the DPRK was founded and even before. People’s Korea since its founding has met with extremely hostile activities from imperialist countries led by the US. Therefore, the DPRK must protect and defend its socio-political system and it must always be vigilant and attentive to any attempts of hostile activity. By the way, comrade Alejandro Cao de Benos who is the founder and president of the Korean Friendship Association said:

“It is such a mysterious country, you know. It is a secret country - okay, it is fine. It is true.

It is a secret country, you can see that.”

(From a movie: “The Propaganda Game”)

It is a fortress indeed. This fortress has been built up by many decades for peoples as a land of happiness. It is a land where each citizen lives to the fullest of his ideals and development and realizes his natural aspirations and needs without obstacles for all. Not for selfish reasons or for profit, as is the case in capitalist countries, but for the good of the whole, for the good of a whole society and therefore where there is a high degree of social discipline and activity for the good of the motherland and its development.

The DPRK is a fully sovereign state. A state that is independent and not dependent on anything or anyone in political, economic and social spheres. The DPRK is a country where power is in the hands of the popular masses. It means that every citizen of the DPRK is allowed to contribute in democratic elections and express their opinions and ideas. Not like in imperialist countries where the ruling classes dictate who and where is taken the state power to express aspirations to secure the bourgeois interests of a group of capitalist corporations or owners of the resources of production. The economy in the DPRK is planned according to the central plan and subordinated to the needs of the society and not for the profit of private owners. The DPRK manages all areas of socio-economic life in accordance with the Juche idea focused on man and his needs.

The last decade of developing People’s Korea shows clearly that the path from the beginning time, from foundation is absolutely right. People’s Korea is growing in strength and power in the military and economic spheres. The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea is an “Asian–superpower” in our age.

All of this is happening through hardships and difficulties created by the hostile imperialist countries with the US at the forefront. It is also under the conditions of hostile propaganda and numerous economic sanctions. The Juche idea, where man is the center of everything under the guidance of beloved and the respected Comrade Kim Jong Un, guides People’s Korea, Korea of Juche to new victories and glorious achievements in the march towards communism.