KIM JONG IL
SOCIALISM
IS THE LIFE OF OUR PEOPLE
Talk
with the Senior Officials of the Central
Committee
of
the Workers' Party of Korea
November
14, 1992
Over
the recent years the imperialists and
reactionaries have been resorting to every
scheme possible to stifle our country, which
is advancing invariably holding the banner
of socialism under the leadership of the
Party and the leader. The more desperate the
enemy is in his attempt, the higher we must
hold the banner, crushing the enemy’s
counterrevolutionary offensive by means of
revolutionary offensive.
Although
the imperialists and reactionaries are
making desperate attempts to obliterate
socialism on the earth, socialism is
cherished as deep as ever in the hearts of
the revolutionary people all over the world
and is advancing on its track. Socialism is
the ideal of humanity and that socialism
achieves victory is a law of the development
of history. No matter how desperately they
attempt to stamp out socialism, the
imperialists and reactionaries cannot
reverse the tide of history. Today the
revolutionary people of the world, under the
banner of the Pyongyang Declaration, are
fighting resolutely to defend and advance
the cause of socialism. The struggle for
socialism is being waged not only in those
countries where socialism has collapsed but
in the capitalist countries. It is doubtless
that the manoeuvring of the imperialists and
reactionaries will be frustrated and
socialism will make an uninterrupted advance
and emerge victorious in the long run by the
struggle of the revolutionary parties and
people of the world.
With
an unshakable faith in the victory of
socialism, we must approach the present
situation on an optimistic point of view and
staunchly defend the cause of socialism.
Socialism
is the life of our people. Whether our
people remain alive or die, i.e., whether
they lead an independent and creative life
as masters of the state and society or
become the slave of others, getting
maltreatment and contempt, depends on
whether they defend socialism or not. As the
song goes, socialism defended means victory
and socialism abandoned means death.
Whatever the difficulties and trials, we
must never abandon the socialism we chose
and are building by our efforts.
In
order to defend and advance the cause of
socialism, we must apply the Juche idea in
all fields of revolution and construction in
a thoroughgoing way.
The
Juche idea is the ideological foundation of
socialism and the only guiding ideology of
revolution and construction. Our style of
socialism centred on the masses is based on
the Juche idea and embodies this idea; it is
Juche-orientated socialism. Socialism devoid
of ideological foundation and perfect
guiding ideology cannot be called genuine
socialism and it might be frustrated, unable
to check the anti-socialist schemes of the
imperialists and reactionaries. This is
shown graphically by the lesson of those
countries where socialism was frustrated and
capitalism has been restored. Our socialism
is advancing victoriously unperturbed amidst
the continuing vicious moves of the
imperialists and reactionaries just because
it is based on the Juche idea and guided by
this idea. While socialism is the life of
our people, the Juche idea is the life of
our socialism.
We
must staunchly defend the Juche idea from
the infiltration of the bourgeois
reactionary ideological trend of all hues,
steadily develop it and apply it in a
thoroughgoing way in all fields of
revolution and construction.
The
course of building socialism is the course
of applying the Juche idea and socialist and
communist societies are those modelled on
that idea.
The
great leader Comrade Kim Il Sung
authored the idea in his early years and has
applied it in all fields of revolution and
construction with all consistency. He leads
revolution and construction and lives his
life in our own way. The anecdote concerning
the colour of suiting illustrates
graphically how firm his Juche-orientated
stand is. Once our officials suggested to
him that he have his suit made of the
material of a certain colour, saying that
suits made of such material were now in
fashion. He told them fashion should follow
him, not the other way round.
We
must cherish the Juche idea as our faith and
apply it in all sectors of revolution and
construction thoroughly so as to add further
lustre to our style of socialism centred on
the masses, the Juche-orientated socialism.
In
order to defend socialism and exalt its
brilliance, we must further consolidate the
single-hearted unity of the leader, the
Party and the masses.
The
leader, the Party and the masses form a body
in which they share their destiny. Their
firm unity based on ideology, will, morality
and obligation is a guarantee for the
invincibility of the cause of socialism. We
must rally all people around the Party and
the leader more firmly, thus incessantly
consolidating the might of the
single-hearted unity.
In
defending socialism in the present times it
is of great importance to check the abuses
of every description the imperialists and
bourgeois restorationists are levelling
against socialism and bring the
righteousness and advantages of the
socialist cause home to Party members and
other working people.
The
imperialists and those who have restored
bourgeois society are abusing socialism,
calling it "totalitarian", "barracks-like"
and "administrative-commanding". This is
illogical, reactionary sophistry devoid of
theoretical foundation. What are the
bourgeois restorationists themselves doing
now, those who are abusing socialism? They
have disbanded communist parties and force
everything on the lower echelons by invoking
presidential decrees.
They
are slinging mud at socialism and if we fail
to lay bare the reactionary nature of their
"theory", some people not prepared
ideologically might become sceptical of
socialism. We must disclose the reactionary
nature of their "theory" and equip Party
members and other working people with the
socialist ideology.
I am
going to write and make public in the near
future a treatise criticizing their abuses
of socialism. The sector of theoretical
information, too, must produce many articles
that lay bare the reactionary nature of the
theory of the imperialists and bourgeois
restorationists against socialism and
explain the truthfulness and advantages of
the socialist ideology and theory. Our Party
expounded all theoretical problems arising
in the practice of the socialist revolution
and socialist construction including the
problem of the three
revolutions--ideological, technological and
cultural--the problem of achieving oneness
of mind of the leader, the Party and the
masses; also the problem of properly
combining centralism and democracy and
strengthening the people's democratic
dictatorship. When we reveal the reactionary
nature of the abuses of socialism hurled by
the imperialists and bourgeois
restorationists as we stand on the ideas and
theories our Party put forward for the
socialist revolution and socialist
construction, we will be able to greatly
encourage the people who are making an
effort to check the imperialists' and
reactionaries' machinations and defend
socialism.
We
must also write articles on the limitations
of the theories authored by the earlier
writers of classics so as to give our Party
members and other working people a correct
understanding of the originality and
superiority of the socialist ideology and
theory of our Party.
Marxism-Leninism
is a revolutionary ideology created
reflecting the requirements of the
revolutionary practice of the working class
in the days of pre-monopoly capitalism and
imperialism. History has advanced far and
the times have changed since then. We are
now in a new era of independence, when the
popular masses, as the masters of history
and their own destiny, carve out history and
their destiny independently and creatively.
The authors of Marxism had no experience of
building socialism, and it is the same with
Lenin. Owing to the limitations of the
conditions of their times and their
practical experiences the socialist theories
put forward by the authors of
Marxism-Leninism could not go, in some
cases, beyond the limit of prediction and
supposition.
For
all their limitations, we must not take a
nihilistic approach to Marxism-Leninism or
cavil at their authors. We must recognize
the exploits Marx, Engels and Lenin
performed for mankind and respect them.
Thanks to the creation of Marxism-Leninism,
the socialist theory developed from fantasy
to science; the working class was able to
have a guiding ideology for the first time
in history and they could struggle
vigorously against capital and for class
emancipation, national liberation and
socialism. Respecting the authors of the
theories is an obligation on us in view of
the principle of the juniors of the
revolution respecting their seniors.
When
writing articles about the limitations of
Marxism-Leninism we must not fail to explain
the exploits their creators accomplished.
Only then can we give a correct
understanding of Marxism-Leninism to the
people and deal a blow to the imperialists
and bourgeois restorationists who are
caviling at this ideology.
In
order to correctly write about the
limitations of the theories expounded by
Marxism-Leninism, one must have a good
knowledge of the originality and superiority
of the revolutionary ideology of our Party,
the Juche idea. The Juche idea is an
original idea and perfect revolutionary
theory of communism the great leader created
reflecting the requirements of the new era
of history, the era of independence. If we
clarify the originality and superiority of
the Juche idea effectively, then the
limitations of the theories of
Marxism-Leninism will be revealed on its own
accord.
The
officials in the field of theoretical
information should study the Juche idea hard
and learn in depth its originality and
superiority. They should also study
classical works like The Capital to become
well-informed of Marxism-Leninism.
Songs
of high ideological and artistic qualities
should be created in a large number. Such
songs instil faith in the cause of socialism
and strong will in the hearts of the people
encouraging them to greater efforts. Don't
Advance, Night of Pyongyang is one of
these songs. This song will encourage the
soldiers of the Korean People's Army and our
people even in days of war. I still feel
strength welling up whenever I listen to the
song. A man must know how to appreciate the
songs. There cannot be life divorced from
song. In the days of war not only songs but
also broadcasting encourage the soldiers and
people. During the Second World War Yuri
Levitan, an announcer of the Soviet Union,
broadcast the reports of the Supreme
Headquarters, rousing the Soviet soldiers
and people to victory in the war. He became
famous for his broadcasting. Furious, Hitler
ordered that Levitan should be the first to
be killed after the occupation of Moscow.
Our announcers, too, do their job
efficiently. They will do their share as
they should in time of war.
These
days the sector of the art of music has
produced many songs of high ideological and
artistic qualities. Don't Advance, Night
of Pyongyang is an excellent song for
its high ideological and artistic qualities.
So is If Our Mother Party Wishes.
The text of the latter song is written well.
In
future the musical art sector must create
many songs which become a national treasure
with high ideological and artistic
qualities. Songs of this kind are not
something special. They are those the leader
and the people enjoy singing. Except for the
Pochonbo Electronic Ensemble, the artistic
organizations now fail to produce such songs
in a great number. These organizations must
produce many songs of national treasure with
material based on life. In order to create
these songs, one must make it a habit to
produce them to be pleasant with the
materials derived from life. One cannot
produce excellent songs if one proceeds from
a subjective desire to create songs of
national treasure. If songs describe life
and people enjoy singing them, they become
national treasures. To achieve this,
creative workers must absorb themselves in
the lives of people and get themselves fully
acquainted with the people's aspiration and
demands.
Songs
must be portrayed well. If a song is not
portrayed well, it cannot prove its worth no
matter how excellent it is.