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.
