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.