The year of 2006 is the 12th year since Kim Jong-il succeeded the power. During this period, North Korea has suffered various internal and external crises, but has surmounted them appropriately by developing new ruling ideologies to strength their con...
The year of 2006 is the 12th year since Kim Jong-il succeeded the power. During this period, North Korea has suffered various internal and external crises, but has surmounted them appropriately by developing new ruling ideologies to strength their control of not only party, politics and the military but also their people.In order to chronologically enumerate the ruling ideologies since Kim Jong-il's grasping of power, the post-Kim Il-sung period may be divided into three sub-periods; the first period (1995 ~ 1997) or the period for consolidation of their regime immediately after Kim Il-sung's death was dominated by 'Red Banner Idea', the second period (1998 ~ 2002) or the period for establishment of Kim Jong-il regime was prevailed by 'Power Country Idea', and the third period (2003 ~ present) or the period for safeguarding of the regime and pursuit of real interests has been dictated by a complicated survival strategy and 'Military First Idea'.'Red Banner Idea' was less effective in breaking through the crisis because it only urged the North Korean leadership to make propaganda for supremacy of 'Our Own Style Socialism' despite Kim Il-sung's death and the following economic hardship. Thus, the resultant sense of crisis pervading the North Korean leadership led to a need for emphasis on 'a group will for endurance and perseverance instead of confidence for the people, and after all, a new idea or a varied Juche Idea different from the 'Our Own Socialism' emerged. All in all, 'Red Banner Idea' may well have been a varied Juche Idea for the transient period until Kim Jong-il's official succession of power to overcome internal and external crises and defend their regime by forcing the people to be endurable enough to keep their belief in socialism, while mobilizing them for economic constructions.'Power Country Idea' championed a strong nation-building in political, ideological, military and economic fields. It emerged with Kim Jong-il's regime inaugurated after his ascension to Party Secretary General on October 8, 1997 in an effort to deliver a hopeful message to the people. Namely, 'Power Country Idea' suggested a clearer national goal of powerful country, which was reinstated from a rather vague national goal of Juche Idea. However, 'Power Country Idea' would not deviate from the framework of Juche Idea; it was merely another version of Juche Idea varied to meet the conditions given and the historical needs.'Military First Idea' was designed to authorize the Labor Party to use the military as vanguard of revolution and construction to manage the pending crises and build a powerful country. In short, it may well be 'a key word' symbolizing the 12-year-long Kim Jong-il's regime. The idea was a crisis management system for Kim Jong-il's regime internally, and at the same time, it served to safeguard their regime threatened by the US pressure involving such issues as nuclear weapons, while being a core idea used for the regime as a negotiation tool to harvest proper real interests.This 'Military First Idea', unlike the two preceding ruling ideologies, conflicted with the areas of 'Juche Idea'. Namely, while 'Juche Idea' regarded people as 'main force of revolution', 'Military First Idea' replaced the people as main force of revolution with the people's army. Moreover, this idea changed the core elements of 'Juche Idea' by putting forwards a 'military first solidarity of party, army and people' centered about Chairman Kim Jong-il as subjects of revolution instead of 'the socio-political organism of party and people centered about President Kim Il-sung. Currently, North Korea not only has pronounced that 'Military First Idea' as national leadership guideline' but also shows signs of replacing 'Juche Idea' with it by replacing the special slogans representing Kim Il-sung with such slogans relevant to Kim Jong-il as 'Kim Jong-il's Military First Chosun'.In conclusion, it is clear that the weight centroid of North Korea's ruling ideology has shifted from 'Juche' Idea to 'Military First Idea', given various conditions inside North Korea, and it is expected that for the time being, Kim Jong-il will rule North Korea with 'Military First Idea' unless its backgrounds, namely safeguarding of their regime and the crisis of war between North Korea and the United States, should be removed as a whole.