Independence is the lifeblood of the DPRK.
To maintain independence in the revolution and construction was the invariable principle President Kim Il Sung constantly held fast to from the very beginning of his revolutionary activities till the last moments of his life.
Banner of independence
Embarking on the road of struggle to liberate Korea from the military occupation by the Japanese imperialists, the President endeavored to seek the path of the Korean revolution and, in the course of this, discovered two truths.
One of them was that popular masses are the masters of the revolution and only when one believes in the strength of the people and mobilizes them, can the revolution emerge victorious. The other one was that one should be responsible for and carry out the revolution according to one’s faith and all the problems arising in the revolution should be solved with one’s own effort to meet the actual condition and interests of one’s country.
On the basis of these truths, he delivered a report titled The Path of the Korean Revolution in the historic Kalun meeting held in June 1930, in which he proclaimed the establishment of the Juche idea that one is the master of his destiny and he has the strength to carve out his own destiny.
Since then, the Korean revolution has advanced along the road of independence illuminated by the Juche idea.
Korean-style democracy
After the country’s liberation the Korean people were at a loss what to do and which way the liberated Korea should take, arguing against each other’s ideas and principles. At that time, the President set forth the way of progressive democracy that suited the specific conditions of Korea.
The progressive democracy delineated by him was a democracy aspiring to build an independent sovereign state in which the independence of the popular masses is respected and the sovereignty of the country and nation is ensured.
It also aspired after securing a powerful driving force for the building of a new democratic Korea by uniting broad segments of people and practically providing the people with equal democratic rights and freedom and equality in all fields of social life.
It made it possible for the country to oppose dependence on and subordination to other country in the new society building and advance nation-building absolutely in line with the demand and interests of the people. It also helped the Koreans, who were bereft of all freedom and rights and subjected to domination under the Japanese colonial rule in the past, to take part in all political affairs as masters of the country with genuine political freedom and rights.
The DPRK was founded in September 1948 as they followed neither liberal democracy of the US nor social democracy of the former Soviet Union, but the road of progressive democracy put forth by him in the new nation-building after Korea’s liberation.
Self-supporting economy
The DPRK has continued to pursue the line of building an independent national economy since its foundation.
Its independent economy has developed so far as to manufacture and put satellites into orbit by relying on domestic energy and technology 100 per cent.
It was not an easy way to build such a powerful economy.
After the past Korea War great power chauvinists forced the DPRK to join the Comecon (Council for Mutual Economic Aid), laying hurdles in the way of its economic development.
Rejecting their demand resolutely, the President called on all the Korean people including the working class to get through the difficulties in the spirit of self-reliance.
In hearty response to his appeal the Korean people developed the economy at a leaping pace, thus fulfilling the task of socialist industrialization in 14 years.
The solid self-supporting national economy provided a material guarantee for the country to ensure independence in politics and self-reliance in national defense.
Socialist Korea which has invariably adhered to the principle of independence remained steady when socialism collapsed in several countries one after another in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
The banner of independence President Kim Il Sungheld fast to for all his life continues to flutter along with the DPRK which is flexing its muscles as an invincible independent power.
