North Korea is a Juche land phenomenon. The Juche Idea is a Philosophical Ideology Focusing on the Human Being Russian Youth Society for the Study of the Juche Idea

Name of the official ideology of North Korea, first proposed in 1955 Kim Il Sung as opposed to Marxist ideas emanating from the USSR and China.

The essence of the Juche idea is to rely on the development of the Koreans' own forces.

Strictly speaking, the term "Juche" was known in medieval Korea.

“At the end of 1955, at the plenum of the Central Committee of the WPK Kim Il Sung delivered a speech "On the elimination of dogmatism and formalism - and the establishment of Juche in ideological work", directed against cringing in general and before the USSR in particular.

The leader of the Soviet faction Pak Chan Ok and his associates were subjected to harsh criticism. The speech was a complete political program that could be put into practice. It is especially interesting because it contained the formulation of the Juche idea, which will very soon become the official North Korean ideology.

The term itself "Juche" usually translated as “independence”, “originality”, “self-reliance” or “man is the master of everything”.

Kim spoke about forms of direct copying of Soviet reality alien to Koreans. In the Ministry of Defense, landscapes of Siberia hang on the walls, and not the beautiful mountains of Mehyang and Kymgan. In the red corners at the enterprises, photos of Soviet factories and their production indicators are placed, and not pictures of the restoration of the DPRK industry. And even in schools, instead of the classics of Korean literature, portraits hang Pushkin and Mayakovsky.

Why is Rodong Sinmun copying headlines from Pravda? he asked. “Why is even the table of contents printed in Western style at the end of books, and not at the beginning, as is customary in Korea?”

Balkansky A., Kim Il Sung, M., "Young Guard", 2011, p. 144.

“Juche prioritizes human consciousness and will to transform the world. The idea is in the first place in relation to the matter. Particular emphasis is placed on the education of the individual.

It is assumed that with the help of education and the right approach to a person, it is possible to radically change him, to create a new, improved breed of people.

From Confucianism in the Juche ideas, the principle of hierarchy was also adopted. At the top of the hierarchy is the leader, who makes the decisions, then the party, who communicates them to the masses, and then the people, who carry out the orders. At the same time, the nation is conceived as one big family, and the leader - as a loving father.

However, it would be wrong to perceive Juche as a complete philosophical and theoretical system. This is not a set of dogmas, but rather a certain worldview set forth in the texts Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il. It is practical in nature, helping to manage the state.

Putting forward the Juche idea was a very practical move. For a small country, which for many centuries depended on big powers and recently got rid of colonial oppression, the desire for independent development without regard to others was absolutely natural and enjoyed full support in society. The emergence of its own ideology emphasized the importance of the DPRK as one of the key countries of the socialist camp. And Kim himself, with such ideological baggage, could confidently call himself a world-class theorist.

One of the most important components of Juche is the thesis about the key role of the leader in the life of the state. Since the early 1970s, North Korean educational institutions the course of "leadership" is taught.

They explain to young Koreans that if they receive a physical body from their parents, then the leader gives socio-political life - Kim Il Sung(and after that - Kim Jong Il).

To exalt the leader, a special title was developed. Kim Il Sung was called "Great Leader", "Legendary Hero - Sun of the Nation", "Invincible Steel Commander", "Sun of Our People", "Marshal Father", " Greatest Hero XX century", "Outstanding leader of the international communist movement”, “Light of association”, “Politician of the world scale”, “Genius of theory and practice of leadership”.

Portraits of both Kims hang in every house and apartment. In the event of a fire or flood, it is first of all supposed to save them, and then all the rest of the property.

Balkansky A., Kim Il Sung, M., "Young Guard", 2011, p. 181-182.

In 1997 in North Korea a new "Juche chronology" was adopted, the beginning of which was laid in 1912 - it was then that the leader was born Kim Il Sung.

A concept similar in meaning "Jucheesong" used in his ideology park chung hee is the leader of South Korea.

August 07, 2014 Older tourists who imagine a trip to North Korea as a trip to our recent, by historical standards, socialist past, are mistaken...

There has never been a state with a socio-political system similar to that created in the northern part of the Korean Peninsula on the territory of the former USSR. There is, and never has been, anything like it in other countries.

It is wrong to assume that the dominant ideology in North Korea is communist. In the country's constitution and in the policy documents of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea (WPK), neither communism nor socialism is even mentioned. The official name of the country is the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. The Juche theory, rooted in ancient philosophy, is the doctrine of self-sufficiency and self-reliance as the official ideology.

Juche

The basic principle of the Juche doctrine can be summed up in the formula "man decides everything and is the master of everything." Further, from this principle follows the need to be independent, and since Korea is a country of independent people, it does not need anyone. The principle of "reliance on one's own strength" justifies the almost complete closeness of the country from the outside world. A typical example is that since 1997, the Juche calendar has been officially adopted in the DPRK. The new North Korean calendar begins in 1912, the date of birth of the country's first president, Kim Il Sung. He is also credited with the creation of the Juche theory itself.

In fact, the Juche theory is just an ideological entourage, a political cover. It allows the ruling WPK, headed by the Kim dynasty, which has not been replaced for more than sixty years, to completely subjugate the population of North Korea.

This is the main feature social order North Korea - complete absence any civil liberties, even formal ones, and the 100% priority of the collective over the individual. The Juche theory completely excludes personal material interest in labor. And at the same time, you will not hear the slightest hint of disagreement with the order in the country from a North Korean, even if he is a refugee and left the DPRK, fleeing hunger.

Cult

Worship of the leaders - Kim Il Sung and his son Kim Jong Il, who became the head of the country after the death of his father in 1994 and led it until own death in 2011, acquired a fantastic scale in the DPRK. This is a real religious cult, which even Christian Europe did not know during the Middle Ages. Portraits of the "two leaders" hang not only in every house, but also in every carriage of the Pyongyang subway. Sometimes they can be found in the most unexpected places, for example, next to a peasant field. The monuments erected all over the country must bow to the leaders, there are no exceptions for foreigners.

In every kindergarten North Korea has a separate room, in the center of it is a large model of Kim Il Sung's native village of Mangyondae, on the walls there are necessarily pictures from the childhood of the leader, his son and the official portrait of Kim Il Sung.

Before the start of classes, preschoolers and educators should bow to the portrait three times and at the same time repeat in a singsong voice: “Thank you, Marshal Father!”.

Many years of total and unquestioning adherence to the Juche ideas did not lead North Korea to economic prosperity. Isolation from the outside world and, as a result, a huge technological gap, monstrous military spending (since 2005, the DPRK has nuclear weapons), inefficient forced labor – these and many other manifestations totalitarian regime brought the country to the brink of economic collapse. One of the most terrible consequences of "following the Juche path" is the acute shortage of food in the DPRK.

No statistical data in the DPRK on the standard of living of the population is published. However, in 2000, the North Korean authorities officially admitted that between 1995 and 1999, "a large number of people" died of starvation in the country. European experts believe that up to three million people died of starvation in North Korea during these years. Now the situation has somewhat stabilized, last turn through international humanitarian aid. But according to some reports, the facts of mass starvation are still taking place, especially among the population of remote rural areas of the country.

In light of the events of 2017, after a serious aggravation of relations between North Korea and, more and more people began to be interested in what the mysterious word Juche means.

In general, the 20th century, when the Juche doctrine was born, is amazing global changes all world principles. It is unlikely that the outstanding minds of the 19th century could have imagined what awaits the world in the age of scientific and technological progress.

Juche- This is the state communist ideology (DPRK), developed by Kim Il Sung, who led the country for almost half a century: from 1948 to 1994.

Historians believe that Kim Il Sung needed to invent Juche in order to emphasize the independence and independence of his views from "imported Marxism." After all, by that time mankind already knew the communist system (Stalinism) and Mao Zedong (Maoism).

But Kim Il Sung decided to "capitalize" the worldview system of Karl Marx for himself. Juche substantiates not only many norms of life for North Koreans, but also the very legality of the sole power of Kim Il Sung, as well as his successors.

The meaning of the word Juche

An interesting fact is that the very word "Juche" means "master of nature", that is, of everything that exists. Literally, Juche is translated as follows: "Chu" - "master", and "che" - "body, nature." Although Korean-Russian dictionaries translate Juche as "the main part."

Considers the idea of ​​Juche as a natural development of the ideas of Marxism-Leninism.

Juche idea

North Koreans understand the essence of Juche as "self-reliance." And not only in all spheres of the state, but also of a single person in particular.

Interestingly, the idea of ​​Juche received official status at the legislative level only in 1970, becoming the main doctrine of the Workers' Party of Korea.

In another way, the Juche idea is called Kimirsenism (or Kimism), after the name of its founder.

North Koreans are sure that this is a completely new and unique system of revolutionary views on life, which considers self-reliance as its main dogma.

There are no written founding texts explaining Juche. Supporters of this ideological system perceive it as a combination of the works of Kim Il Sung and his son Kim Jong Il.

It must be said that the Juche idea has become widespread throughout the world. In 26 countries, committees have been set up for this doctrine, and thousands of circles are engaged in its study and dissemination. About 200 universities around the world give lectures on Juche.

In fairness, it must be said that many of the statements of this teaching are quite natural and understandable to any person. Who will oppose the improvement of nature in general and the life of every person in particular?

For completeness of understanding, here is a quote from the writings of Kim Jong Il about these ideas:

“Only under the faithful leadership of the party and the leader, the working class, the masses of the people are able to persevere in a serious and complex revolutionary struggle for the transformation of nature and society, achieve national and class liberation, successfully build a socialist and communist society and manage it.”

“... Our Party upholds a course aimed at supporting the national liberation movements in the colonial countries and the international labor movement, while fighting against imperialism, steadily advancing towards socialism and communism and, observing the principles of non-interference, mutual respect, equality and mutual benefit, strengthen the cohesion of the socialist countries and the international communist movement.”

But extremes, as is well known from the lessons of history, can turn the best intentions and views into something the opposite: destructive and annihilating.

By the way, amateurs should know that the word "Juche" is often used as an explanation for something dark and incomprehensible, perverted and unacceptable to the majority.

Juche monument

In 1982, in honor of the seventieth anniversary of the birth of Kim Il Sung, a monument was erected in Pyongyang. It is officially called the Juche Idea Monument.

It is a granite obelisk 170 meters high. At its base there are three figures depicting a peasant, a worker and a working intellectual.

Juche Idea Monument

Well, now you know about the views that are currently guided by, perhaps, one of the most closed and isolated countries from the world - the DPRK.

During the writing of this diary, a large number of questions were received with a request to talk about the ideology of Juche and Songun, their basic philosophical principles.
There are many reliable sources on the Internet on the Juche and Songun ideology.
But nevertheless, here, in this diary, we decided to tell about Juche in addition, meeting the persistent wishes of our esteemed readers who want to arm their minds even more ideologically.

Supervisor Kim Jong Il pointed out:

“The Juche philosophy puts forward the basic question of philosophy, placing the main emphasis on man. As a science, it develops a view of the world around us, an attitude and an approach to it, putting a person in the center of attention.

Put the person in the spotlight

The Juche idea, the Juche philosophy as a philosophical ideology, has significant features that are fundamentally different from all previous philosophical teachings. These features are that the Juche philosophy is a philosophy that focuses on the human being, develops and systematizes its provisions, putting the human being in the center of attention. What we have said means that it puts forward the main question of philosophy and develops a view of the world around us, an attitude and approach to it, putting a person in the center of attention.

The question of what place and what role a person plays in the world is an ideological question.

Fundamental difference from other philosophical schools

In view of the fact that the main question of philosophy has been put forward, the provisions have been developed and systematized, Juche philosophy is fundamentally different from all other philosophical currents.

Usually, the features of the doctrine are determined along with the main question of philosophy and what should be given the main attention in developing the content of the worldview.

There have been many philosophical currents in the history of human philosophy, but all of them were either idealistic theories, considering the main divine being, like “God” or spirit, or materialistic views of the world, putting matter in the center of attention.

Of course, in the old philosophical theories there were those that allegedly put man in the foreground. As for the "humanistic" philosophy, it appeared a long time ago, there were its various currents. But all these currents considered purely human problems as the object of their study. It was a kind of philosophical reflection of the approach to human life, which considered mainly the questions: what is a person, what is his life?

Relates to the surrounding world based on the interests of man

Juche philosophy gives A New Look on the essence of the world and the patterns of its change and development. The world is controlled and transformed by man, the world develops with the active influence and role of man, in the direction of serving man and in accordance with his development. And on the basis of the same view, she establishes a new attitude and approach to the world - one must treat the world based on the interests of a person and from the point of view of his activity.

Thus, the Juche philosophy gives people powerful weapon for the true understanding and transformation of the world and the successful decision of one's destiny. These are the main features, scientific character and revolutionary character, originality and advantage of the Juche idea as a revolutionary worldview of our time.

Speaking about the features of the Juche idea as a philosophical ideology, it is important to have a correct understanding that it is the most popular, revolutionary and political philosophy.

The Juche philosophy is first of all the most consistent revolutionary philosophy, which is developed, deepened and developed on the basis of the revolutionary practice of our time.

The creation of the Juche idea is the fruit of revolutionary practice

When developing philosophical questions, the President Kim Il Sung always proceeded from the requirements of the practice of revolution and in the course of searching for scientifically substantiated answers to topical ideological and theoretical questions put forward in the process of revolutionary practice, he created the Juche philosophy.

The Juche era is a new era when the masses of the people have become the rulers of the world and decide their own destiny independently and creatively.

The new era demanded a new worldview, which could raise the consciousness of the masses of the people as the ruler of the world and the master of their own destiny. Due to the features historical development Due to the complex and difficult nature of the Korean revolution in Korea, the task was set especially seriously for the masses of the people - to pave the way for the revolution independently and creatively.

During the bloody struggle to overthrow Japanese imperialism and revive Korea, the President Kim Il Sung In response to the demands of the era, he developed the Juche philosophy to give people the truth.

The Juche era has advanced far and the practice of the revolution has been deepened and developed to a new high stage.

The emergence, development and improvement of the Juche idea

In the course of wise leadership of socialist construction in Korea and the cause of turning the whole world into an independent and reflecting the requirements of practice, the leader Kim Jong Il in a complex form systematized the developed by the President Kim Il Sung Juche philosophy, deepened and developed it with new content.

This shows that the Juche philosophy originated, developed and perfected as a revolutionary philosophy from beginning to end.

A revolution is a struggle for the defense and realization of the independence of the masses of the people, and in this struggle the masses are the main figures. Consequently, only that philosophy which meets the aspirations of the popular masses for independence and their demands and serves their interests can become popular philosophy.

The Juche philosophy is a people's philosophy that reflects the aspirations and demands of the masses of the people, developed, deepened and developed by summarizing the experience of the struggle of the masses.

These features of philosophy serve as the main condition guaranteeing its popular character.

The Juche Idea is a Fail-Safe Weapon of the Masses in the Struggle for Independence

The philosophy of the reactionary exploiting class is subordinated to its interests. Therefore, it is anti-people. However, all the provisions and content of the Juche philosophy, without exception, contribute to the protection and implementation of the demands and aspirations of the masses of the people for independence. That is why this philosophy will become popular, which is easily comprehensible to any person and can be perceived by his own mind and become an unfailing weapon of struggle.

Juche philosophy is a political philosophy.

In order for philosophy to become revolutionary, illuminating the path to solving the fate of the masses of the people, it must be a philosophy that provides the fundamental basis for politics.

The fate of the masses is decided in the course of the development of society. Consequently, only that philosophy, which illuminates the fundamental basis of politics, can faithfully serve to decide the fate of the masses of the people.

The Juche philosophy elucidates the fundamental basis of a policy designed to guide the development of society in a straight line.

The main tenets of the Juche idea, which put man at the center of attention, and the tenets of the Juche philosophical worldview, deployed on the basis of the former, are worldview propositions and at the same time the fundamental basis of the policy that guides the development of society along straight path. These provisions also include provisions on socio-historical development, the main provisions of the revolution and the provisions of views on the revolution based on them.

Systematization and communications

Juche (Korean 주체, 主體) is a North Korean ideology proclaimed in 1955 by Kim Il Sung.
Etymology
The word "Juche" belongs to the category of Hanmun words. “Chu” means “master”, and “che” means “body, essence, substance, nature”. Thus, "Juche" means a situation where a person is the master of both himself and the entire world around him.
Korean-Russian dictionaries give this term the interpretation of "the main part" and "originality".
Story
Juche is a classical Far Eastern philosophical term used to mean "a thing from the point of view of the subject" and was used by Korean medieval thinkers. The concepts of "Juche" or even "Juche ideas" are also found in the political life of South Korea.
In North Korea, Juche as an official ideology is considered a harmonious transformation of the ideas of Marxism-Leninism based on ancient Korean philosophical thought. Впервые термин «чучхе» прозвучал в речи Ким Ир Сена «Об искоренении догматизма и формализма в идеологической работе и об установлении чучхе» (кор. 사상사업에서 교조주의와 형식주의를 퇴치하고 주체를 확립할 데 대하여), произнесенной 28 декабря 1955 года .
According to the 1972 Constitution, the DPRK is a sovereign socialist state, which in its activities is guided by the Juche ideas. In accordance with these ideas, all questions inner life must be resolved from the standpoint of independence, relying on one's own strengths.
According to the official point of view of historians of the DPRK, for a long time it was believed that the Juche idea was proclaimed by Kim Il Sung in 1930 in the city of Kalun (China), but it is now believed that the Juche idea began to take shape from the moment the Union for the Overthrow of Imperialism was formed (October 17 1926).
In the 1980s, Kim Il Sung published a number of articles on the Juche idea, which finally formed it as a philosophical system. However, there is no fundamental text that would expound the essence of the Juche doctrine. Although the term recurs in Kim Il Sung's writings, the work titled "On the Juche Idea" was written by Kim Jong Il and is more like a short course of basic postulates than a serious theoretical work.
On July 8, 1997, North Korea adopted the new Juche chronology, which begins in 1912, the year Kim Il Sung was born.
Basic provisions
The masses are the subject of the social movement
A nation with a high sense of national pride and revolutionary dignity is invincible.
Unlike the capitalist economy, which strives for profit, the main goal of the socialist independent economy is to satisfy the needs of the country and the population.
The people of each country are obliged to fight not only against aggression and enslavement, for the consistent defense of their independence, but also against imperialism and dominationism, which encroach on the independence of the peoples of other countries.
In order to establish a nationwide and nationwide defense system, it is necessary to arm the entire people and turn the entire country into a fortress.
Revolution is a struggle for the popular masses to realize their needs for independence.
Sitting idly by, waiting for all the necessary conditions to ripen, is tantamount to giving up the revolution.
In order to work out a correct view of the revolution, it is absolutely necessary to base education on a feeling of selfless devotion to the leader.
General philosophical views
Man is the master of the world and the master of his destiny;
Consciousness is the highest function of the human brain;
Nature is the object of human labor and the material source of human life;
A person infected with servility ceases to adequately perceive reality.
Criticism
Juche is compared to Stalinism because the goal is to build "self-reliant socialism" (cf. "socialism in one single country"). However, these ideas are brought to their logical end - that is, to the complete negation of the world revolution. The ideas of leaderism, militarism and consumer attitude to nature are also preached. Any "servile worship before big countries". Juche is an extreme version of autarky and isolationism. The subject of history is not a class, but a nation.
On the Juche Idea, 1982
Only under the faithful leadership of the party and the leader are the working class and the masses of the people able to persevere in a serious and complex revolutionary struggle for the transformation of nature and society, achieve national and class liberation, successfully build a socialist and communist society and manage it.
Scientific base
The Juche idea received international recognition. Lectures on Juche are delivered at 200 universities on five continents. Japan has an international Juche Institute. Juche committees were established in 26 countries, and a thousand Juche circles were active in 67 countries.
Juche. History of revolutionary ideology http://ir.spb.ru/krasnoe-dvizhenie/ideologii/chuchhe.html

The history of Juche itself reflects the evolution of communist ideology on Korean soil. Initially, the Korean communists, led by Kim Il Sung, used the variation of Marxism (Marxism-Leninism) that was common in the USSR. However, from about the beginning of the 60s, Kim Il Sung almost broke off relations with Soviet Union and begins to maneuver between him and China. Such a course towards independence (reminiscent of the course of Ceausescu) required an appropriate ideological formulation, especially since the wisdom of the Marxist doctrine was hardly understandable to the majority of Koreans, it's the same as if Russians were forced to study Zen Buddhism without exception. Although the term "Juche" was first used in Kim Il Sung's speech "On the Eradication of Dogmatism and Formalism in Ideological Work and the Establishment of Juche" back in 1955, and "Juche Idea" was enshrined as an official ideology in the constitution of 1972, this worldview system was finally formed in the 80s. It should be noted that the writings of Kim Il Sung, and then Kim Jong Il, on Juche are more summary theses, not pot-bellied volumes in the style of Hegel and Marx. In principle, this is typical for the Far Eastern civilization, the same "Lun Yu" by Confucius or "Tao Te Ching" is also very short in volume, and their content may seem primitive or even ridiculous to a Westerner. Juche, like the North Korean system in general, cannot be understood without knowing Confucianism.
At present, in the DPRK, Marxism in relation to the Juche is considered something of an outdated stage, approximately the same way the Marxists looked at the social utopians Fourier and Owen. Or even more: Juche is declared to be a completely original philosophy. As Kim Jong Il himself writes: “The Juche philosophy is an original philosophy, it is a complex of developed and systematized own, peculiar only to it, positions. Its historical contribution to the development of philosophical thought lies not in its development of Marxist dialectical materialism, but in the establishment of new philosophical principles. After the death of Kim Il Sung in 1994, Juche increasingly began to take on the features of a religious and mystical teaching. Thus, Kim Il Sung is declared the "eternal president", who, as it were, continues to govern the country invisibly (compare with Shiism, where the hidden Imam Madhi, being in a state of "gayba" (concealment), leads the community of believers).
What are the main tenets of the Juche philosophy? Man is declared to be its center, and in this it radically differs from Marxism. “Marxist philosophy, having put forward the question of the relationship of consciousness to matter, thinking to being, as the main question of philosophy, substantiated the primacy of matter, the primacy of being, and on this basis proceeded from the fact that the world is material (…). Juche philosophy puts the main question in a new way, formulating it as a question about the relationship of man to the world around him, about the place and role of man in the world, it puts forward the philosophical principle that man is the master of everything and he decides everything; on this basis, she drew the only true path to solving the fate of man. However, Juche philosophy has nothing to do with Western humanism and liberalism. In the tradition, as we remember, it is the archetype of a person (“light man”, Lichtmensch) that is important, and not a specific empirical individual of the species Homo sapiens. A Juche man is a jun zi or "noble man" of Confucianism. The true master is the great leader himself. His image is drawn in accordance with tradition. As prof. Lankov, according to one of the legends, in the 30s, Kim Il Sung somehow rode a horse in winter, saw a freezing old man and, giving him his fur coat, galloped on. A similar legend has existed for any great Korean politician since the 6th century. According to another legend, in 1945, Kim Il Sung passed by his native house in Mangyongdae three times, but did not enter it, because he was busy with important state affairs. We find something similar in Chinese mythology: the wise Emperor Yu passes by his home three times and does not enter it, because he is busy fighting the flood. In one of the sayings of Kim Il Sung, carved on a rock, as one of the commendable qualities of Kim Jong Il, his "filial piety" is mentioned - one of the highest virtues for a Confucian. And when the Great Leader died in 1994, the country celebrated him in mourning for three years, as it should be in Confucianism.
Of course, there are also demagogic statements in Juche about the "role of the masses" that do not play a practical role. The only practical significance is that a wise ruler dominates the country, relying in everything on his own strength, hence Juche takes the form of state nationalism, manifested in several aspects.
First, it is in his vision of history. North Korean historians claim that in Korea before other countries Far East the state was formed. In their opinion, the legendary ancestor of the Koreans and the founder of the Korean state of Tangun, whom they consider a real historical person, lived several centuries before the mythical Chinese emperor Yao and a couple of millennia before the first Japanese emperor Jimmu. Moreover, they exalt their nation for “purity of blood”, which is not at all typical for Marxist-Leninists: “... the Korean nation was pure in blood and was able to become a single nation much earlier than other nations of the world.” In addition, the inhabitants of the DPRK are convinced that it was Kim Il Sung who liberated the country from Japanese occupation, and not Soviet troops as it really was. And then the same Kim Il Sung (without the support of the USSR and China) defeated the Americans and their allies in the Great Patriotic Liberation War, as the Korean War of 1950-53 is called.
Secondly, in the economic sphere it is autarchy, which is quite logical, because a country dependent on international economic relations can easily be subjected to pressure from outside. However, in practice, autarky can be painless only for a great power whose subsoil is rich in minerals, and for the DPRK, with its meager resources, such a policy has led to significant difficulties.
So, having analyzed the cause of the emergence and the constituent elements of the ideology of the DPRK, we can recall that a similar thing happened in our country, when in the 1920s and 1930s the idea of ​​a “world revolution” was replaced by the construction of socialism in one, separately taken country, instead of the implementation of “ dreams of Vera Pavlovna” and Marxist utopias, a mighty power arose that embodied the archetypes of Russian statehood, and the party that once advocated “the defeat of its own country in the imperialist war” itself turned into a militant order of swordsmen. All this, which caused disappointment among the leftists, was fully approved and supported by the National Bolsheviks. A similar process of National-Bolshevik transformation in the DPRK has moved even further. Once a great Russian thinker and an ardent hater of gray-suited liberalism, Konstantin Leontiev wrote about the desirability of a synthesis of socialism and monarchy, now his dreams have come true on Korean soil. Marxism has successfully evaporated even in the form of a sham outer shell, leaving in the sediment exactly what is required: totalitarian statehood, thanks to which North Korea now presents a model that completely and antagonistically rejects Western liberal democracy. This explains the huge appeal of the North Korean model for many people who feel uncomfortable in the sweet capitalist paradise, despite all the negative information about this country. When in 2000 an exhibition of the DPRK was held in our city, I was surprised to find many favorable reviews in the visitor's book. Moreover, this attractiveness does not leave indifferent people who seem to be extremely far from the realities of the country of Juche. I had to read admiring reviews about North Korea even on Muslim sites, although, it would seem, what do Muslims have in common with people who worship statues of leaders and eat dog meat (both of which are haraam - strictly forbidden in Islam). However, a certain meta-ideology, a certain common spirit unites people over external differences.
Andrey Ignatiev