The Democratic People's Republic of Korea, which celebrates its 75th anniversary, has consistently walked its path

Dr. Hyun Hwan Kim (Director of the Institute for the Study of the Jaju Idea in the United States)

Since its founding on September 9, 1948, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) has consistently followed the path of self-reliance. "Autonomy" is the fundamental attribute of social beings\and the basic factor that defines the dignity\and worth of individuals. Therefore, every human being considers the advocacy\and realization of autonomy as a vital issue\and an absolute demand. Autonomy is the characteristic of social beings who seek to live\and progress autonomously as masters of their destiny\and the world. Preserving autonomy becomes an absolute demand of social beings\and an unalienable basic right.

Stating that safeguarding autonomy is an absolute demand of social beings means that among the demands people make to pioneer their destiny, it is a fundamental demand that cannot be replaced by any other demand, regulating all other demands. Calling it a basic right means it is a right that must not be lost under any circumstances among the rights that people must exercise. By possessing autonomy, people have the dignity\and worth of being the sole masters of the world,\and they live\and act accordingly. If a person lacks autonomy, they cannot be considered social beings, even if they have a physical existence. This is because, in this sense, without autonomy, one lacks social\and political life, even if one's physical life continues. Therefore, calling autonomy the life of social beings is meaningful.

When we refer to autonomy as the life of social beings, it signifies the unique attribute that humans acquire as social beings. As social beings, humans always live\and function within society,\and to the extent that they are politically\and socially bound\and subjugated, they cannot lead autonomous lives that align with their inherent needs. In such a situation, they cannot possess the dignity\and worth of a human being. Social\and political autonomy plays a crucial role in the life of social beings, as it is the most invaluable essence that cannot be replaced by anything else. Therefore, calling social\and political autonomy the life of social beings emphasizes that safeguarding one's autonomy in society is equivalent to safeguarding one's social\and political life. This demonstrates that preserving the autonomy of social beings is synonymous with protecting their social\and political life.

 

Preserving autonomy is an absolute requirement for social beings,\and it becomes a fundamental right. It is related to the fact that only through advocating autonomy can people enjoy fulfilling\and happy lives. The desire for a fulfilling\and happy life is an inherent demand of social beings, an absolute requirement of human life,\and an unalienable demand. However, desiring a fulfilling\and happy life\and having the right to such a life does not automatically make it a reality,\and no one else can provide it. It is solely up to individuals to become masters of their lives\and create such a life.

The fundamental rights of social beings in their social lives are the right to live as masters without any form of oppression\or restraint, the right to progress\and develop. Every person should have these rights,\and they should never be taken away under any circumstances. If a social being loses these rights in society, their life becomes not only devoid of true meaning but also unhappy, even if they continue to exist. Without autonomy, the dignity\and worth of a social being, as well as their rights as masters in social life, are compromised, leading to unhappiness rather than happiness.

People's social lives encompass various aspects, but they can broadly be categorized into political life, economic life,\and intellectual\and cultural life. Therefore, advocating\and realizing autonomy in people's social lives should be a collective effort across all three major aspects. Autonomy should be achieved in all areas of life to make it a truly fulfilling\and happy existence.

The present era is an era of self-reliance,\and safeguarding one's own autonomy is the most crucial demand of pioneering one's destiny. In a world\where imperialist alliances spare no effort to extinguish the autonomy of the people, the struggle to preserve one's autonomy becomes the most precious\and sacred endeavor.

In the mid-1990s, the North Korean people found themselves at a crossroads of destiny,\where they had to embark on a "march of hardship" due to the collapse of Eastern European socialism\and natural disasters. Their choice to take this path was not simply because there was no other way to sustain physical life. Rather, it was because they believed that living as autonomous individuals, even for just one day,\and enjoying a true human life as social beings was more dignified than living as servile slaves under the yoke of others. For this reason, the North Korean people chose the path of self-reliance\and, through unwavering struggle, firmly safeguarded the sovereignty\and dignity of their country\and people.

Secondly, after liberation, North Korea continued to adhere to the path of socialism, starting with legal reforms such as land reform, labor law revisions,\and the nationalization of key industries. No matter how much a nation may aspire to the path of self-reliance, it cannot truly follow this path as long as there are persistent "class contradictions" within the nation. As long as inequalities exist between the haves\and the have-nots, internal conflicts within the nation will continue. Therefore, North Korea implemented rapid social reforms within a short period, prohibiting the privatization of the means of production\and realizing the socialization of the means of production. This effectively addressed the fundamental inequalities that had existed in North Korean society.

Socialist ideology is the most revolutionary ideology that advocates\and achieves the autonomy of the people. It opens the path to unlimited intellectual development, serving as a true weapon for ideological liberation\and human emancipation. Chairman Kim Jong-il expressed the following views on socialist ideology.

"Socialist ideology is the comprehensive development of human thought that incorporates\and synthesizes all progressive ideas that align with the autonomous demands of the people, making it the most extensive\and advanced ideology, reaching the pinnacle of human thought."

In this way, North Korea, by placing people at the center\and clearly explaining the essence of socialism\and the inevitability of its triumph, was able to overcome the shortcomings of existing socialist ideology\and elevate socialist ideology to the highest level. This allowed them to establish a theoretical foundation for correctly defining the direction\and strategies for the struggle in carrying out socialist missions. Transitioningrom a society based on individualism to one based on collectivism is an inevitable requirement for the progress of history,\and because socialism represents the aspirations\and will of the people, North Korea believes that socialism will inevitably triumph.

Socialist ideology aims to nurture the people into autonomous individuals with independent ideological consciousness\and creative capabilities. In contrast, capitalist ideology reduces the people to obedient subjects under the domination of capital, turning them into subservient beings\and spiritual paupers. In capitalist societies\where exploitation\and coercion by capital prevail, the people's autonomous consciousness is suppressed, their aspirations\and demands are ruthlessly trampled upon,\and the creative wisdom\and talents of the people are stifled\and deformed.

Imperialist powers\and reactionary conservative forces in the South Korea use all sorts of falsehoods\and deceptions to paralyze the sound thinking of the southern people of Korea, spreading capitalist reactionary ideology\and a corrupt capitalist way of life among them. This is a form of ideological oppression that obstructs the development of people's autonomous ideological consciousness\and engages in criminal ideological indoctrination, forcing counter-revolutionary ideas upon the people.

Thirdly, in the face of imperialist forces\and their supporters opposing the path of self-reliance\and socialism that North Korea pursues, North Korea had no choice but to follow the "path of single-hearted unity" to counter them. Additionally, to achieve socialism in a short period, the people of North Korea had to unite. The unity in North Korea is a single-hearted unity based on one ideology. North Korea's single-hearted unity is rooted in the human-centered Juche ideology of President, Kim Il-sung,\and it has been solidified through Chairman Kim Jong-il's philosophy of love\and trust, the politics of virtue,\and wide-ranging policies. North Korea has realized unity based on Supreme leader, one ideology, revolutionary beliefs,\and loyalty. This is called "single-hearted unity" in North Korea.

Chairman Kim Jong-il put forth the ideology that the subject of the revolution is the complete unity of the Supreme leader, the party, the military,\and the people. He carried forward\and developed the achievement of revolutionary unity\and unification achieved by President, Kim Il-sung at an early stage, transforming the entire society into one "socio-political\organism"\where the Supreme leader, the party, the military,\and the people share their destiny. Within this unified socio-political\organism, the Supreme leader is the supreme brain of the people\and the sole center of unity.

Just as an individual conducts their vital activities with the brain at the center, socio-political groups form a unified\organizational entity with the Supreme leader at the center to carry out socio-political activities. Just as it is impossible to think about a person's existence\and activities apartrom the brain, it is impossible to think about the existence\and activities of a socio-political group without considering the Supreme leader. The party forms the nucleus of the socio-political\organism,\and the military\and the people are the direct executors of the revolutionary tasks.rom this perspective, the Supreme leader\and the party constantly believe in\and love the military\and the people, while the military\and the people absolutely trust\and highly regard the Supreme leader. This is presented as an essential requirement to elevate unity to the highest level of a destiny-sharing community in\order to achieve complete unity of purpose.

Furthermore, North Korea, guided by the "Juche ideology," is a country\where the Supreme leader, party, the people,\and the military are united as one socio-political\organism. Chairman Kim Jong-il, for the first time in history, established the "ideological theory" based on the people-centered Juche ideology.

Chairman Kim Jong-il stated the following:

"In the revolutionary struggle\and construction projects, I advocate the theory that people's ideology is fundamental,\and everything is determined by people's ideology."

According to him, ideological consciousness governs\and regulates all human actions, playing a decisive role in the revolution\and construction, with the "autonomous ideological consciousness" of the people being crucial. All human activities are activities aimed at realizing one's autonomous nature,\and the fundamental purpose of all activities is to fulfill autonomous demands\and relationships. Therefore, the decisive factor regulating human activities is not objective environmental conditions\or knowledge but rather the "autonomous ideological consciousness" that reflects the inherent demands\and relationships of social beings. Chairman Kim emphasized that the "autonomous ideological consciousness" is self-awareness as the master of one's own destiny\and the will to independently pioneer one's destiny,\and it is the driving force that must activate people's ideologies in\order to succeed in the social revolutionary movement.

Based on these principles, the independent subject of the social transformation movement is a collective intellectual fusion of the people armed with the human-centered Juche idea, united under the leadership of the Party\and the Supreme leader,\and guided solely by the Juche idea. Only when the Supreme leader, the Party, the military,\and the people are united as a "socio-political\organism" centered around the Juche idea can the people possess eternal vitality as agents of transformation, fulfilling their responsibilities\and roles. In this way, North Korean society has armed all its members with the human-centered Juche idea, focusing on the Supreme leader as the center of the socio-political\organism,\and uniting the entire population in single-hearted unity.

Fourthly, no matter how much North Korea aspires to the path of self-reliance\and socialism,\and no matter how united its people may be, if it does not prepare modern physical military capabilities, including nuclear weapons, to effectively counter imperialist forces, it could ultimately become a victim of imperialism. This is because the logic of imperialism is essentially the logic of bullies,\and what they understand\and respect is force. In such a situation, North Korea had no choice but to pursue the path of the military-first approach, as outlined in the "military-first politics."

In the mid-1990s, as Eastern European socialism collapsed\and North Korea began facing a series of natural disasters, the imperialist\and anti-socialist forces embarked on a path of political, economic, cultural,\and military aggression against North Korea's Juche socialism. The question of whether to uphold Juche socialism\and live as masters of their own destiny\or return to colonial slavery became a sharp issue in history.

In this situation, the issue of increasing physical military deterrence, including nuclear weapons,\and how to lead the military became a fundamental issue that truly determined the survival of Juche socialism. In this international political context, Chairman Kim Jong-il elevated defense to a vital\and central national issue\and adopted the unique political approach of Songun politics. This approach positioned the military, the Party, the state,\and the people as one, with the People's Army as the pillar\and mainstay of the revolution. It tackled the newly emerging challenges\and addressed all issues related to revolution\and constructionrom the perspective of the military, the Party, the state,\and the people, effectively responding to the crisis.

The revolutionary armed forces, represented by the People's Army, are characterized by their strong revolutionary spirit,\organization, unity,\and combat capabilities, surpassing any other segment of society. Therefore, they serve as the core capacity of the transformative group\and become the mainstay military force. Consequently, a strong military force ensures that, even in the worst-case scenario, a revival is possible,\and the party\and the regime can be safeguarded. Conversely, if the military force is weak, not only can the party\and the regime not be protected, but the country itself could be at risk.

Therefore, in the long-term confrontation with imperialist\and anti-socialist forces, to defend Juche socialism, it is necessary to position the People's Army as the pillar\and mainstay of the country\and to invest strategic efforts in strengthening the physical military power, including nuclear weapons\and missiles. This is Chairman Kim's doctrine for building a strong nation. 

North Korea's military-first politics, under the leadership of Chairman Kim Jong-il, is a powerful political approach of self-reliant times that inherits\and further develops the ideologies\and strategies of President Kim Il-sung, emphasizing the centrality of the people\and the military. It has adapted to the changing demands of the evolving political landscape. By implementing military-first politics comprehensively, North Korea has been able to withstand military pressurerom imperialist\and anti-socialist forces, including the United States, using the strength of its armed forces to safeguard Juche socialism, even in challenging circumstances. Additionally, it has firmly resisted continuous ideological\and cultural infiltrationrom foreign adversaries.

Furthermore, by placing the People's Army at the forefront\and emphasizing the military, North Korea has been able to address economic challenges\and make remarkable progress in the construction of socialism within the country. Implementing military-first politics on all fronts has been essential not only for North Korea's survival but also as a necessary requirement for supporting\and upholding the global socialist movement.

North Korea's Songun ideology, which elevates the People's Army as the pillar\and mainstay of the revolution, represents a unique\and\original concept in history. It is a legitimate argument based on a scientific analysis of the position\and role of the People's Army in the current North Korean revolution, as well as the revolutionary spirit\and combat capabilities of the military. For the first time in history, it articulates the idea that the People's Army is the pillar\and main force in carrying out socialist tasks, advancing the revolutionary capacity of the working class to a higher level. By proclaiming the concept that the People's Army is the pillar\and mainstay of the revolution in the performance of socialist tasks, this ideology has significantly deepened the revolutionary theory of the working class regarding the\organization of revolutionary capacity.

Furthermore, North Korea's nuclear capabilities serve as a reliable deterrent to war\and as a guarantee to protect national sovereignty. In the more than 70 years since the advent of nuclear weapons, there have been numerous wars in various regions around the world, but countries possessing nuclear weapons have not faced military aggression. When a nation possesses the capability to deliver precise nuclear strikes anywhere on Earth, potential aggressors are deterredrom any reckless actions. The greater\and stronger the nuclear strike capability, the greater the deterrent power against aggression.

In particular, in the case of North Korea, it faced a constant nuclear threatrom the United States, the world's largest nuclear-armed nation. Under these circumstances, it was necessary to consistently strengthen its nuclear capabilities qualitatively\and quantitatively. North Korea believed that on a foundation of strong nuclear capabilities, it could maintain both peace\and prosperity while ensuring the happiness of its people.

Kim Jong-un, the General Secretary of the party, has recently emphasized the need to visit various military units to produce more precision\and miniaturized nuclear weapons, as well as their delivery systems,\and to continually advance nuclear weapon technology to develop more powerful\and advanced nuclear weapons actively. He also presented various combat tasks aimed at enhancing the capabilities of nuclear-armed countries on all fronts, including modernizing the nuclear industry, developing independent nuclear power industries to address the country's long-standing power issues,\and raising the central role of nuclear capabilities in the strategies of war deterrence\and war execution within the People's Army. These tasks are aimed at increasing the strength of nuclear-armed nations through various means.

 

In this way, North Korea, deeply insightful into the demands of the times\and revolution, has positioned the military as the foremost in all state affairs\and further strengthened the People's Army as the pillar\and mainstay of the revolution. Not only has it instilled a culture of learning the <revolutionary soldier spirit> throughout the Party\and society, but it has also enhanced modern armed forces, including nuclear weapons\and missiles. 

Until now, North Korea has consistently walked the paths of <self-reliance>, <Juche socialism>, <single-hearted unity>,\and <military-first>. The North Korean people have been consistently following these four paths, preventing any gaps in the war provocations of imperialist\and anti-socialist forces\and advancing towards the construction of a powerful nation. By consistently strengthening the subjects of transformation with the focus on the Juche idea, North Korea has prepared modern weapons such as nuclear weapons\and missiles, placing the military at the forefront of all state affairs,\and pursued a unique military-first politics. This unique people-centered socialism of North Korea, centered around the Juche idea, has been preserved, allowing North Korea to safeguard its national\and state independence. As a result, North Korea has become a beacon of hope for the world's people who aspire to independence\and socialism,\and an alternative to the new world\order. The world is now closely watching the future of humanity in the military-first socialist country of North Korea,\and at the same time, North Korea is fulfilling its role as a powerful vanguard in the global struggle for independence.

I have immense pride\and admiration for the global historical significance of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. I sincerely congratulate the Democratic People's Republic of Korea on its 75th anniversary.