Songun idea and Songun politics
The Songun idea is the idea of giving importance to military affairs.
It is an original and revolutionary idea founded by President Kim Il Sung and systemized and developed by leader Kim Jong Il in an integrated manner.
1) Origin of the Songun idea
In the first period of embarking on the road of revolution President Kim Il Sung started Songun, reflecting the requirement of the era and revolution and has firmly and consistently maintained the idea of giving importance to military affairs in the process of his revolutionary leadership.
Origin of Songun
Leader Kim Jong Il said that President Kim Il Sung had consistently maintained the idea of giving importance to rifle, military affairs, in the whole period of leading the revolution and construction since he received two pistols from his father and formed the “DIU” (Down-with-Imperialism Union) and directed primary efforts to intensifying the military strength.
Songun started with two pistols President Kim Il Sung received from his father in his early years and with “DIU” as the banner.
The two pistols as well as the idea of Aim High, three preparedness and the idea of gaining comrades are revolutionary heritage acquired by the President from his father Kim Hyong Jik.
The two pistols reflect the lofty aspiration of Kim Hyong Jik who wanted to realize national sovereignty and build a new society of the people not by “petition” or “diplomacy” but by armed struggle.
When President Kim Il Sung received the pistols containing his father’s aspiration, he made his mind to restore the country and freedom and liberation of the people through armed struggle.
The “Down-with-Imperialism Union” (DIU) is a communist youth organization of a new type formed by President Kim Il Sung at Hwasonguisuk school on October 17, 1926.
The history of the Korean revolution considers the “DIU” as a historical root of the Workers’ Party of Korea and a starting point of the Korean revolution.
The banner of the “DIU” is a thorough anti-imperialist and independent banner.
The “DIU” proposed it as its program that the hostile contradiction between imperialists and the people in colonial countries cannot be solved by the method of “compromising” and accordingly it is necessary to fight against imperialists with thorough anti-imperialist stand and death-defying will in the colonial national liberation struggle and that it is an immediate task to defeat the Japanese imperialists, the sworn enemy of the Korean people and expel imperialism out of the globe.
The anti-imperialist struggle for independence can be made only by rifle.
From that time on, President Kim Il Sung had consistently held the idea of giving importance to the military affairs.
Proclamation of the Songun idea
The Songun idea was proclaimed when President Kim Il Sung made a historical report “The Path of the Korean Revolution” at the meeting of leading personnel of communist and anti-imperialist youth league held in Kalun on June 30, 1930.
The President set it as the basic line of the anti-Japanese national liberation struggle and the first and foremost task of the Korean revolutionaries to organize and conduct the armed struggle against Japanese imperialism and made public the formation of the Songun idea.
With the proclamation of the Songun idea by the President, the Korean revolution could dynamically advance along a new orbit under the banner of Songun.
2) Formation and Systemization of the Songun idea
The Songun idea founded by President Kim Il Sung was comprehensively formulated and systemized by leader Kim Jong Il who has extraordinary ideological and theoretical wisdom, in conformity with the requirement of the revolutionary development.
The Songun idea consists of the rifle philosophy, the principle of Songun and the guidelines of Songun revolutionary leadership.
Rifle Philosophy
Rifle philosophy is that we must counter the enemy’s rifles with our rifles and guarantee the revolution with rifles. It is a general law of revolution which clarified the interrelationship between the rifle and revolution with the former at the center.
Rifles vis-à-vis rifles
We can gain national sovereignty and build a new society only when we defeat imperialists and all kinds of counterrevolutionary forces that seriously suppress the revolutionary advance of the popular masses, depending on rifles instead of compromising with them or begging something from them.
Revolution should be guaranteed by rifles
Only rifle can safeguard the revolutionary achievements gained by blood and consummate the cause of socialism victoriously.
Revolutionary rifle is a powerful weapon to frustrate the imperialist military aggressive moves and firmly defend socialism and is a basic factor to complete the revolution victoriously by pressing ahead with the nature-harnessing and human-remolding and consolidating and developing the socialist system.
Rifle philosophy is a principle of revolution that combines rifle with revolution and it is a basic principle that goes through the whole contents of the Songun idea.
Principle of Songun idea
Army is immediately a party, state and people.
The principle clarifies the fundamental theory on the Songun revolution that army guarantees the destiny of party, government and people.
Army guarantees the destiny of party
Existence, development and might of a party, a political leadership party, are guaranteed by revolutionary army. It is impossible to mention about existence of a party and display of its might without army. In this respect we say that army is immediately a party.
Government is established and maintained by rifle.
Government is established by rifle.
Struggle for power is a confrontation between the popular masses and the reactionary forces. The latter suppress mercilessly the former’s struggle for government by resorting to all sorts of counterrevolutionary violence.
History shows that the first socialist government, to say nothing of the colonial national liberation struggle, was born by rifle.
Government is maintained by rifle. The enemies of revolution who are deprived of their regime make desperate moves to retake their old position and the imperialists and reactionaries run amuck to destroy socialist government. That is why, it is important to strengthen the revolutionary army by all means to defend socialist government.
If the army is weak, we will be deprived of the already-established government.
The popular masses can lead an independent and creative life only when they are defended by army.
Without the army, people cannot be free from subjugation and subordination, exploitation and oppression.
In particular, the first criterion of independent people is the powerful military strength under the present historical condition that the imperialists’ arbitrariness and tyranny get more and more naked.
Revolutionary rifle guarantees the safety and happiness of the people.
Revolutionary rifle is immediately independence of the popular masses and the destiny of revolutionary army is immediately that of independent people.
In this respect we say that army is immediately people.
Guidelines of Songun-based revolutionary leadership
They consist in the guideline of giving precedence to military affairs and the guideline of placing army before the working class.
Guideline of giving precedence to military affairs
Leader Kim Jong Il said that the era of Songun demands to solve all problems arising in the revolution and construction on the guideline of giving importance and precedence to military affairs.
Giving precedence to military affairs is the fundamental guideline to be maintained in the Songun-based revolutionary leadership.
Giving precedence to military affairs means maintaining the guideline of regarding it as the first among various works in revolution and construction to build and strengthen revolutionary armed forces and of solving it primarily in carrying out the various works.
It is to give precedence to military affairs ahead of all others.
Many works such as the building of a party, state and army arise in the revolutionary struggle for the people's independence.
However, rifle is the most primarily significant among the works.
Therefore, it is imperative to give precedence to military affairs before others in the Songun-based revolutionary leadership.
It is to solve problems successfully on the basis of giving precedence to military affairs.
Giving precedence to military affairs never means solving only the problems of military affairs. It is the principle of submitting all problems to military affairs and giving primary and big efforts to military affairs, and on this basis, solving the other problems successfully.
Giving precedence to military affairs is the fundamental principle of the Songun-based revolutionary leadership that enables to successfully solve all problems arising in the revolution and construction through the primary solution of problems in military affairs.
Guideline of placing army before the working class
Leader Kim Jong Il said that the WPK put forward the idea of placing army before the working class for the first time in history of the revolutionary movement on the basis of a deep analysis of the development of the time and changed social and class relationship and considered the People's Army as the hardcore unit and main agent of the revolution.
Placing army before the working class is to regard the People's Army as the hardcore and main agent in building the subject of the Songun revolution and enhance its role.
The issue on the main agent of revolution is one of the basic issues in developing the revolutionary movement by strengthening the subject of revolution and enhancing its role.
Leader Kim Jong Il considers the People's Army as the hardcore and main agent of the revolution in conformity with the changed situation and the requirement of the development of revolution.
The People's Army is a revolutionary rank which defends the lifeline of the Korean revolution. The People's Army is the most revolutionary, combatant and powerful revolutionary collective in the DPRK. The People's Army has been strengthened and developed into genuine and invincible revolutionary armed forces by the guidance of the great leader and the Party and carries out with credit the honorable mission and duty befitting the hardcore unit and main agent of the revolution.The principle of placing army before the working class is clarified on the basis of the scientific analysis of the position and role, revolutionary spirit and combat capacity of the People's Army.
It is the fundamental principle to be maintained consistently in the Songun-based revolutionary leadership.
2. Songun Politics
It is the revolutionary leadership and mode of politics of a new higher stage that leader Kim Jong Il inherited President Kim Il Sung’s Songun idea and Songun leadership exploits and deepened and developed them in conformity with the changed circumstance of the times and actual conditions.
1) Essence and basic requirement of Songun politics
Essence of Songun politics
Leader Kim Jong Il said the WPK’s Songun-based revolutionary leadership, the Songun politics is the revolutionary leadership and mode of socialist politics that regards the military affairs as the first and foremost state affairs and relies on the revolutionary spirit and combat capability of the People's Army to defend the country, revolution and socialism and press ahead with the overall socialist construction.
It is a mode of socialist politics of regarding the military affairs as the most important work proceeding from the viewpoint that the destiny of country and nation is decided by military affairs, obeying everything to its strengthening, and on its basis, pressing ahead with the overall work of the country.
It is a mode of socialist politics that enables us to consider the People's Army, as the most revolutionary and combatant collective, as the hardcore forces and main agent of the revolution and to rely on it to successfully solve all problems arising in the revolution and construction.
Basic requirements of Songun politics
It is to bring up the People's Army into an invincible army.
Power of Songun politics is immediately that of the People's Army, and it is a primary requirement of Songun politics to develop the People's Army into an invincible strong army.
It is to strengthen the subject of revolution with the People's Army as the hardcore and model.
The People's Army is a collective, most loyal to the Party and the leader and strongest in organizational character, discipline and unity among other collectives of society.
Therefore, it is important in Songun revolution to strengthen the subject of revolution with the People's Army as the hardcore and model.
It is to press ahead with the overall socialist construction with the People's Army as the pillar.
Considering the People's Army as the pillar is a firm guarantee to successfully overcome all difficulties and trials in all fields of socialist construction and create miracles and innovations.
Therefore, it is important to accelerate the socialist construction with the People's Army as the pillar.
2) Purpose of Songun politics and Songun leadership system
Purpose of Songun politics
It is to actively deal with aggressive moves of the US imperialists.
The first purpose of the Songun politics is to frustrate the US hostile policy towards the DPRK, thus bringing about a great victory in the anti-imperialist, anti-US struggle.
It is to build a great prosperous and powerful socialist nation.
The fundamental purpose of the Songun politics is to press ahead with the overall socialist construction to build a great prosperous and powerful socialist nation.
Songun-based leadership system
It is, in essence, the monolithic leadership system of leader Kim Jong Il.
Kim Jong Il’s monolithic leadership system is the system and order which enable the entire Party, whole army and all people to implement the revolutionary cause of Songun and move as one under his monolithic leadership.
His monolithic leadership system is realized through the Supreme Commander’s monolithic leadership system over the Army and through the state structure of giving importance to military affairs.
The system to realize Kim Jong Il’s monolithic leadership over the overall revolutionary armed forces, the Supreme Commander’s monolithic leadership system over the Army is to realize the monolithic leadership of Kim Jong Il who commands and controls not only the People's Army but also the whole armed forces including the militia. The state structure of giving importance to defence is the system and order to thoroughly realize Kim Jong Il’s monolithic leadership over the overall state affairs. The National Defence Commission is the core in this system and the Chairman of the National Defence Commission is the supreme leader of the country.That we hold Kim Jong Il in high esteem as the Chairman of the National Defence Commission is a decisive condition to properly realize the overall state management as required by Songun.
3) Vitality and invincibility of the Songun politics
Leader Kim Jong Il said that the WPK’s revolutionary line of Songun, the Songun politics fully displayed its validity and superiority, vitality and invincible might in the revolution and construction and in all fields of social life.
Great vitality of the Songun idea and Songun politics
With the might of Songun, the DPRK frustrated all sorts of challenges of history and brought about the victory and change which startle the world in all fields of politics, military, economy, culture and foreign relations, thus laying a firm foundation for the prosperity of the country and nation.
It turned the DPRK into a military power of the world.
The People's Army has been strengthened and developed into the Army of the Party and the leader and the invincible revolutionary armed forces. The officers and soldiers of the People's Army constitute the invincible armed forces that have strong idea and faith, acquired the Juche-oriented strategy and tactics and are furnished with modern military equipment. Defence industry of the country has been developed into the Juche-oriented modern one which can manufacture every kind of modern weapon, military equipment and means. The atmosphere of giving importance to military affairs was established in the society and as a result, arming the entire people and fortifying the whole country were put into practice on a higher stage.※ Thanks to the Songun politics, the DPRK can emerge on the international arena as a military power of the world and a full-fledged nuclear power.
It strengthened the political and ideological strength of the Korean revolution.
The People's Army, the hardcore unit of the Korean revolution, establishes the kinship relations from the Supreme Commander to soldiers on the basis of revolutionary comradeship and fully displays the officer-soldier unity, army-people unity and military and politics unity. Noble relations of comradely love and obligation, unity and cooperation are predominant over the society, and all members of the society form a big family to live and work harmoniously while helping and leading each other. The army men and people become genuine comrades who share bitters and sweets on the road of Songun and realize unity in ideology and fighting spirit. The army men defend lives and properties of the people and the people love the army men as their family members and assist them with sincerity.※ The single-minded unity of the Party, the Army and the people firmly rallied with the revolutionary leadership at the center on the basis of one idea and faith and revolutionary comradeship is the true image of the DPRK today and it is an impregnable fortress which cannot be destroyed by anything.
It brought about a big innovation in the economic and cultural construction.
The People's Army performed feats in the difficult and hard sectors of national economy and made breakthrough, responding to the calls of the Party and is now dynamically encouraging the working people to the revolutionary upsurge. The Army men and the people overcame the “Arduous march” and the forced march with the heroic struggle, paved an avenue for the building of a great prosperous and powerful socialist country and laid material and technical foundations for a new upsurge in the economic and cultural construction.Major factories and enterprises were reconstructed on a modern basis and many factories were built on the basis of advanced science and technology, and the large-scale, medium- and small-scale hydro-power stations were built to strengthen the power bases of the country.
Basic foundation was made for agricultural production by realigning the land and building the gravity-fed waterways.
Chicken farms and duck farms and many other modern husbandry and fishing bases were constructed.
Epochal turn was brought about in developing land and building cities and rural villages. As a result, the country was changed into a more beautiful land, important cities reconstructed on a modern basis, and rural villages turned into a socialist paradise.
Epochal phase was made in the national reunification.
Historical Pyongyang meeting was made and the June 15 North-South Joint Declaration and October 4 Declaration adopted and made public. North-south relations which had been frozen for over half a century by antagonism and confrontation were turned into that of reconciliation and cooperation, and the atmosphere for the anti-US independent reunification got stronger than ever before. The spirit to reunify the country independently became unprecedentedly ardent among all the Korean people in the north, south and abroad and the national reunification movement is now expanded and developed into a nation-wide one.The DPRK’s foreign relations were expanded and developed rapidly.
Many countries want to have good relations with the DPRK. Progressive organizations and people of the world are encouraged while looking up to socialist Korea advancing victoriously under the banner of Songun as a beacon of hope. The DPRK is now making active contribution to the international friendship and solidarity of the world people and the cause of the global independence by dint of the Songun politics and the independent and principled foreign policy.※ As the most powerful and vital mode of politics that conforms to the Korean revolution, the Songun politics is an ever-victorious banner ushering in a new great era of the Juche-oriented revolutionary cause and an almighty precious sword to transform all fields of social life in a revolutionary way.
Validity of the Songun politics
Leader Kim Jong Il said that the WPK’s Songun-based revolutionary line, the Songun politics was a new and peculiar revolutionary line and political mode of Korean style and a strategy and tactics for sure victory in the revolutionary cause of Juche.
The Songun politics is the most comprehensive and profound mode of politics and strategy and tactics that developed and enriched on a new phase the Juche-oriented idea and theory, the Juche-oriented method and art of leadership and applied and integrated in conformity with the requirement of the independent era, the era of Songun.
The Songun politics has the Juche idea as its root
The Juche idea is a guiding ideology of our era and the revolutionary philosophy clarifying comprehensively the principle and guideline and method of revolution.
The Juche idea is the starting point of the Songun politics. The Songun politics is consistent with the Juche-oriented theory, principle and method of revolution. The Songun politics is based on the historical exploits and precious experience of the Korean revolution that has advanced under the banner of the Juche idea. The Songun politics is based on a new explanation of the subject of revolution from the Juche-based stand.
Which class, stratum and collective of society is to be considered as a main agent of revolution is one of the main issues in strengthening the revolutionary forces and leading revolution to victory.
The preceding theory defined the working class as the main agent.The theory has been recognized for a long time as the universal truth and the established formulae.
Leader Kim Jong Il considered the People's Army rather than the working class as the main agent of revolution on the basis of the scientific analysis of the characteristics and role of the revolutionary army. The Songun politics is original and powerful because it regards the People's Army as the hardcore unit and main agent of the revolution.The Songun politics is based on the Juche-oriented theory on ideology.
It is the Juche-based theory on ideology that ideology decides everything and people can do anything if their ideology is mobilized.
Leader Kim Jong Il maintained the principle of taking rifle as well as ideology as the main and combining them to push ahead with the revolution and construction with its might. The basis of the Songun politics is the revolutionary soldier spirit of the People's Army. The revolutionary soldier spirit is a noble revolutionary spirit of the People's Army with the spirit of devotedly defending the leader, the spirit of implementing the Party’s policies thoroughly and the spirit of heroic sacrifice as the main and a death-defying fighting spirit of devoting youth and life for the Party and the revolution, the country and the people. The Songun politics demands to combine the political and ideological education properly with the morality education and cultural and aesthetic education. Thanks to the Songun politics, the soldier spirit and the soldier culture full of revolutionary optimism are dominant over the society.
The Songun politics is the most thoroughly independent politics.
A revolutionary party should regard it as the main to defend independence and dignity of a country and nation.
The Songun politics staunchly copes with anything without the slightest concession or compromise if it tramples upon the independence and dignity of the country and nation.The Songun politics
▪ rejects staunchly any kind of foreign intervention or pressure.
▪ solves all problems arising in the revolution and construction in conformity with the interests of the Korean revolution and actual condition in the DPRK.
▪ applies the principle of national independence along with the class principle in the revolution and construction.
▪ firmly holds independence in the foreign relations.
The Songun politics is closely combined with the benevolent politics.
The benevolent politics is the politics of love and trust that defends and ensures the independent demand and interests of the popular masses and the politics of comradely and revolutionary unity that rallies the masses behind the Party with one mind and will.
The Songun politics enables to love and trust the soldiers and people, thus displaying its vitality.
The Songun politics is consistent with love and trust towards the soldiers and safeguards and ensures the people's right to live and interests.
The Songun politics is consistent with the revolutionary principle.
The revolutionary principle is to give precedence to military affairs, to strengthen the revolutionary armed forces to the full and to fight against imperialism uncompromisingly.
The Songun politics combines the revolutionary principle properly with creativity and commanding capability.
The Songun politics copes with the rapidly changing situations actively and turns misfortune into blessing, the unfavorable into the favorable by means of outstanding strategy and tactics, kaleidoscopic practice and brave attacking operations, winning victory.
The Songun politics is done by revolutionary faith, will and pluck.
Revolutionary faith, will and pluck are a powerful guarantee to braving through difficulties and trials in revolutionary struggle.
The DPRK has the firm faith in validity and victory in its cause, the indomitable will to consummate the cause of revolution even in adversities and the brave pluck that it has nothing to fear and carry out in the road of revolution. The DPRK’s faith, will and pluck are that of President Kim Il Sung.It got stronger in the several decade-long arduous revolutionary struggle and it was based on its guiding ideology, its revolutionary forces and invincible political and military strength.
※ ※ ※
The Songun idea and the Songun politics are the great revolutionary idea and mode of politics whose scientific accuracy and truthfulness, superiority and might are proved in practice.
Far and arduous as the revolutionary road of the Korean people is, the DPRK will always display its grandeur to the full and win victory after victory.
