NK Investigative Report 2001

Juche Ideology

from Chapter 1 of "Re-examining North Korea Missions" by David Lee, download entire thesis (185k, pdf)

B. Juche Ideology

Another obstacle facing mission work and church planting in North Korea is Juche ideology. Even if one had access into North Korea to do mission work, the Juche ideology poses such an immensely different view of the world than Christianity that many difficulties would arise. Thus, it is necessary to seek a definition of Juche, examine the uses of the Juche ideology in society, and explore the challenges it presents to church planting and mission work in the country.

1. Definition of Juche Ideology

Juche is the philosophical theory that guides all facets of political, economic, social, religious, and personal life in North Korea. Juche is a brand of Communism, which mixes aspects of Marxism, Leninism, Christianity, Confucianism, and xenophobia (hatred of foreigners) to emphasize that the Korean people's destiny can be assured only by self-reliance. Juche, in Korean, means, "self-reliance" or "self-dependence."
Juche ideology consists mainly of two parts-a philosophical theory and a guiding principle. The philosophical theory maintains that the masses are the masters of history and revolution. Kim Jong Il says, "the history of social development is the history of man's independence, creativity and consciousness," and "the socialist cause is the revolutionary cause of independence, which is limited at realizing independence for the popular masses and is advanced and accomplished by the struggle of the masses." In other words, the Juche cause is to free the popular masses, and this is possible because history is determined by the masses. The guiding principle asserts that the masses are not able to realize their revolutionary goal without being organized and led by the Leader ("Suryong"). The Leader makes it possible for the masses to unite and pursue "the revolutionary cause" of independence and self-reliance. The "Theory of the Immortal Socio-Political Body" states that political life is given only by the Leader, and political life must be considered more precious than physical life. Thus, in Juche thought the Leader deserves the respect and obedience that is due to the divine Creator. The ruling hierarchy in Pyongyang has also grafted the Confucius virtue of loyalty and filial piety into Juche ideology, and through ceaseless indoctrination campaigns, converted all the people into becoming loyal children of the "absolute father."

Originally North Korea adopted Marxism-Leninism as its ruling philosophy when it proclaimed its establishment in 1948. However, it later replaced it with the so-called Juche ideology, which it alleges is a creative application of Marxism-Leninism. The evolution from Marxism-Leninism to Juche can be divided into four stages:

The first stage covers the period from the inauguration of the North Korea regime in 1948 through 1967, when Marxism-Leninism served as a pure ideology, the second stage from 1967 through 1974, when the Juche idea was declared a "creative application" of Marxism-Leninism, the third stage of a transitional nature from 1974 through 1980, when the term Marxism-Leninism, was erased from the charter of the Workers' Party, and the fourth stage after 1980 when Marxism-Leninism was scrapped both in theory and reality.

2. Influence of Juche in Society

The Juche idea guides all political matters in North Korea by giving the regime an ultimate goal of liberation from imperialist forces and reunification of the country. Kim Jong Il describes the need to preserve Juche against imperialism:

The struggle to preserve the Juche character and national character is the struggle against imperialism and dominationism . . . the imperialists are now working more blatantly than ever to obliterate the Juche character and traits of other countries and nations and realize their dominationist ambition.

The Juche thought asserts that the nation's struggle is one against imperialistic forces that are trying to erase the independent qualities of the country. The North Korea regime describes South Korea's opening to the West as a tragedy. Kim Jong Il says, "In South Korea... the soul of the nation and beautiful customs are now being totally erased by the clamour of the authorities for anti-national "internationalization" and "globalization."
Further, the Juche idea guides political action in North Korea by making reunification with South Korea an urgent national goal. Kim Jong Il describes reunification as a sacred national task:

To reunify the country in accordance with the noble idea of respected comrade Kim Il Sung is the revolutionary duty and moral obligation of our party and our people. It is a sacred national task devolving upon our generation . . .

The North Korea regime sees national reunification as the only way in which the nation of Korea can successfully complete "the revolutionary task" of freeing the popular masses and country from imperialist forces. It is an extremely nationalistic and paranoid political regime.

The Juche thought also guides all economic matters in the North. The North Korea regime seems intent on being self-reliant even in economic terms. Even though its closed economic policies have resulted in mass famine and a degrading economy, Kim Jong Il continues to avoid reform and introduction of capitalistic features in the economy. This is largely due to the fact that Juche ideology criticizes capitalism as a major obstacle to national development. Kim Jong Il says:

It is not socialism but capitalism that blocks the road of national development. In the capitalist society where the nation is split into hostile classes and individuals' interests are place above social interests, national unity cannot be achieved, people cannot have the attitude as befits masters towards the development of the country and nation, nor can social wealth be used properly for the common development of the nation.

Kim Jong Il believes that adherence to the Juche idea, even in its economic principles, will eventually lead to national prosperity.
The Juche thought also pervades every other facet of North Korean society, affecting society, culture, family, education, and even personal relationships. As a result of Juche, the nation has become very nationalistic and extremely loyal to Kim Jong Il. The Juche idea has also created a culture in which collective rules and norms are followed versus a western, individualistic view of relationships. Korea specialist Bruce Cuming has cleverly noted that Juche "is a state of mind, not an idea, and one that is unavailable to the non-Korean. It is the opaque core of what one could call North Korea national solipism." In Juche thought, there is no room for God, because Kim Il Sung is God the Father, Kim Jong Il is God the Son, and Juche is God the Holy Spirit.

3. The Challenge of Juche to North Korea Missions

The Juche philosophy presents several challenges to North Korea missions. First, in Juche thought there is no room for Christian missions or Christianity. Since Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il are God, any suggestion that there is another God is sacrilegious. How does one share the message of the true and living God with people who are so convinced that their "Leader" is the true God? Second, in Juche thought there is no room for the Christian church. If a North Korean decides to believe in Jesus, then how does he participate in church life? Is he to proclaim his faith and face arrest or martyrdom, or is he to keep his faith secret and attend secret church meetings? How does a North Korean Christian live his life in a Juche-oriented society? Third, how can missionaries "redeem" elements of the Juche thought in proclaiming the gospel and spreading a church planting movement? Though much of the Juche ideology opposes Christian thought, its structure and world view are similar. Can elements of Juche be used to help North Korean people understand and accept the gospel easier? How can the collective values of Juche be used in a healthy, Christian way? These questions, and more, are the challenges Juche philosophy presents to Christian missions in North Korea.

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