Juche In North Korea

North Korea, which is also known as the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), has been one of the most isolated countries in the world since the single country of Korea was split in half along the 38th parallel after World War II. North Korea operates under a communist style government and is currently lead by Kim Jong Un. Kim Il Sung, the grandfather of Kim Jong Un, was the first and “eternal ruler” of the present North Korea. Kim Il Sung used Juche, which can be translated as “self-reliance” to make his rule stronger. Juche came about from the ideals of Kim Il Sung and from the devastation of the Korean War. There are three main focuses of juche which are chaju, charip, and chawi. Each component promotes a different kind of independence

It is said to be “the guiding idea of revolution” in Korea in a document titled On the Juche Idea by Kim Jong Il. In this document, Kim Jong Il discusses juche and its relevance in North Korea. The book was written to mark the 70th birthday of Kim Il Sung and offers an interesting perspective of juche from the inside rather than from the outside looking in as many other sources do. Kim Jong Il discusses how the idea of juche came about. He claims that it began as a part of the communist revolution. It is said in the document, “our leader created the great Juche idea after acquiring a deep insight into the requirements of a new era when the oppressed and humiliated masses of the people became masters of their own destiny” (Kim Jong Il). This shows the ideals that Kim Il Sung held and how he explained and implemented the idea of juche into society. By using it as a societal tool, Kim Il Sung was able to make it a major part of the society of the country. The people saw him as their great leader and as a result adopted the idea of being self-reliant so that they could make their country great again after being occupied, split, and torn apart by war. This shows how the idea of juche came about. Kim Il Sung wanted to make North Korea great, and to do so he believed that being self-reliant was the only way to climb back up in the new era that they lived

Is Juche a successful way of thinking for a country to adopt? One article claims that it is not, declaring that juche diplomacy is more used for “domestic propaganda and diplomatic rivalry with South Korea than as a genuine blueprint for developmental assistance” (Armstrong, 2009). In this case, juche is seen as more of a tool that was used to unite the people of North Korea against other countries and to uphold their own country as above all others. Juche did not do anything more than give the leaders of North Korea more consolidated power over the people. In relations with the rest of the world, this enforced policy hurt the country rather than provide much needed