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Matter of Importance to the WPK (1)
In order to pioneer the untrodden path of socialism with credit, it is essential to have an idea which directs the course ahead of it, and a motive force capable of pushing ahead with it positively. The ideological work of the working-class party consists in the ideological and theoretical studies to develop the socialist ideology in depth as required by the time and the revolutionary practice, and in the ideological education to equip the popular masses, the motive force of socialism, with the socialist ideology. By promoting the ideological work as a matter of utmost importance and giving absolute priority to it, the Workers’ Party of Korea has led the Korean people dynamically along the path of socialism without any turns and twists for nearly 70 years since its foundation.
The primary attention
Ideology is the most powerful, and the only, weapon for the working-class party. The party itself is founded on the basis of the socialist ideology, and it awakens the masses and organizes them for the revolution and construction using the socialist ideology as weapon. The socialist society, too, is established and developed by the masses of the people equipped with the socialist ideology. The party of the working class should direct primary attention to the ideological and theoretical studies aimed at developing the socialist ideology to meet the needs of the era and the revolution.
In Korea the ideological and theoretical work programme was carried out by President Kim Il Sung and Chairman Kim Jong Il in every period and stage of the revolution as their primary concern. Soon after he embarked on the road of the revolution, the President originated the Juche idea—the unique socialist idea—in accordance with the trend of the times and the specific condition of the Korean revolution. Building on it, he founded the Workers’ Party of Korea in October 1945. Since then the Juche idea has invariably been the single guiding ideology of the WPK, and the policies of the WPK based on the Juche idea have been the main content of the ideological education. Besides, the President enriched the content of the ideological work by putting forward ideological theories, including education in the revolutionary traditions, class education, education in collectivism and education in socialist patriotism in each period and stage of the anti-imperialist national liberation struggle, the anti-feudal democratic revolution, and socialist revolution and construction.
Chairman Kim Jong Il newly formulated and comprehensively systematized the revolutionary idea, Juche idea, of the President as Kimilsungism, putting the ideological and theoretical work of the WPK on a higher stage. In particular, the Chairman developed the Juche idea and the Songun idea in keeping with the changed contemporary conditions in the 1990s, rendering great service to the development of the socialist ideology and theory. At that time some countries that had been pursuing socialism were going astray, deviating from its path of socialism due to the distortion and degeneration of the socialist ideology, and capitalism was reviving there. As a consequence, the renegades of socialism claimed that the ideal of socialism itself was invalid, mouthing the “end of socialism.”
At this juncture the Chairman presented his classic works including The Historical Lesson in Building Socialism and the General Line of Our Party, Socialism Is a Science and The Songun-based Revolutionary Line Is a Great Revolutionary Line of Our Era and an Ever-victorious Banner of Our Revolution. In the works he clarified the scientific accuracy of socialism and the inevitability of its triumph, and the way to victory of the cause of socialism, and proved the truth of socialism by administering Songun politics in all fields. The ideas and theories on the era of Songun elucidated by the Chairman served as the ideological and theoretical force which vigorously encouraged the Korean people to win the historic victory in defending socialism and the building of a thriving socialist nation.
The ideological and theoretical studies of the WPK are entering a higher stage thanks to supreme leader Kim Jong Un. He formulated the revolutionary ideas of the President and the Chairman as Kimilsungism-Kimjongilism, declared Kimilsungism-Kimjongilism as the guiding idea of the WPK and proclaimed the modelling the whole society on Kimilsungism-Kimjongilism as the supreme programme of the Party, thus providing the guideline for improvement of the ideological work. He also delineated ideological theories, such as the idea of Kim Jong Il’s patriotism and the idea of building a civilized socialist nation, making it possible to firmly consolidate the driving force of socialism and enhance its role in every way in confrontation with imperialists and in the building of a powerful socialist nation.
Kim Jong Un’s ideas and theories which indicate a clear way to achieve the final victory in the long-standing DPRK-US confrontation and the building of a thriving socialist nation by dint of ideology serve as a mighty ideological and theoretical weapon in the effort to make a radical turn in the Party’s ideological work. |