View source for Juche

{{Short description|State ideology of North Korea}}
{{for|the date system|Juche calendar{{!}}''Juche'' calendar}}
{{Italic title}}
{{Use Oxford spelling|date=November 2023}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2021}}
{{Use shortened footnotes|date=June 2022}}
{{Infobox Korean name/auto
| title          = ''Juche''
| image          = Juche Tower torch.jpg
| caption        = Torch symbolizing ''Juche'' at the top of the [[Juche Tower|''Juche'' Tower]] in [[Pyongyang]]
| hangul         = ^주체_사상
| hanja          = 主體思想
| lk             = [[Subject (philosophy)|Subject]] idea
}}
{{Politics of North Korea|expanded=Constitution}}
'''''Juche''''',{{efn|{{IPAc-en|ˈ|dʒ|uː|tʃ|eɪ|audio=En-ca-Juche.mp3}} {{respell|JOO|chay}}; {{Korean/auto|hangul=^주체|rr=yes|mr=yes}}, {{IPA|ko|tɕutɕʰe|pron|주체 발음.mp3}}}} officially the '''''Juche'' idea''',{{efn|{{Korean/auto|hangul=^주체_사상|rr=yes|mr=yes}}}} is a component of [[Ideology of the Workers' Party of Korea#Kimilsungism–Kimjongilism|Kimilsungism–Kimjongilism]], the state [[ideology]] of North Korea and the official ideology of the [[Workers' Party of Korea]]. North Korean sources attribute its conceptualization to [[Kim Il Sung]], the country's founder and first leader. ''Juche'' was originally regarded as a variant of [[Marxism–Leninism]] until [[Kim Jong Il]], Kim Il Sung's son and successor, declared it a distinct ideology in the 1970s. Kim Jong Il further developed ''Juche'' in the 1980s and 1990s by making ideological breaks from Marxism–Leninism and increasing the importance of his father's ideas.
''Juche'' incorporates the [[historical materialist]] ideas of Marxism–Leninism but also strongly emphasizes the [[individual]], the [[nation state]], and national [[sovereignty]]. ''Juche'' posits that a country will prosper once it has become self-reliant by achieving political, economic, and military independence. As Kim Jong Il emerged as Kim Il Sung's likely successor in the 1970s, loyalty to the leader was increasingly emphasized as an essential part of ''Juche'', as expressed in the [[Ten Principles for the Establishment of a Monolithic Ideological System]].

''Juche'' has been variously described by critics as a [[quasi-religion]], a [[nationalist]] or [[fascistic]] ideology, and a deviation from Marxism–Leninism.<ref name="Armstrong 2012, p. 4"/><ref name="Kelly 2015"/><ref name="Fisher 2016"/>{{sfn|Suh|1988|p=309}}

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== Etymology ==
''Juche'' comes from the [[Sino-Japanese vocabulary|Sino-Japanese word]] {{Nihongo2|主體}} ([[shinjitai]]: {{Nihongo2|主体}}), whose [[Japanese language|Japanese]] reading is ''shutai''. The word was coined in 1887 to translate the concept of ''{{lang|de|Subjekt}}'' in [[German philosophy]] ([[Subject (philosophy)|subject]], meaning "the entity perceiving or acting upon an object or environment") into Japanese. The word migrated to the [[Korean language]] at around the turn of the century and retained this meaning.{{sfn|Myers|2015|p=11}} ''Shutai'' went on to appear in Japanese translations of [[Karl Marx]]'s writings.{{sfn|Myers|2015|p=12}} North Korean editions of Marx used the word ''Juche'' even before the word was attributed to Kim Il Sung in its supposedly novel meaning in 1955.{{sfn|Myers|2015|p=13}}

In contemporary political discourse on North Korea, ''Juche'' has a connotation of "self-reliance", "autonomy", and "independence".{{sfn|Cumings|1997|pp=207, 403–04}}{{sfn|Abt|2014|pp=73–74}}{{sfn|Robinson|2007|p=159}} It is often defined in opposition to the Korean concept of ''[[Sadae]]'', or reliance on the great powers.{{sfn|Lone|McCormack|1993|p=180}} South Koreans use the word without reference to the North Korean ideology.{{sfn|Myers|2015|pp=13–14}}

The ideology is officially known as ''Juche sasang'' ({{lang|ko-Hang-KP|주체사상}}) in Korean and the ''Juche'' idea in English. ''Juche sasang'' literally means "[[Subject (philosophy)|subject]] idea"{{sfn|Myers|2015|p=14}} and has also been translated less commonly as '''''Juche'' thought'''{{sfn|Myers|2008|p=161}} or '''Jucheism'''.{{sfn|Jung|2013}} Adherents of ''Juche'' are sometimes referred to as "Jucheists".{{sfn|Lankov|2014|pp=30–31}}

== Development ==
Official statements by the North Korean government attribute the origin of ''Juche'' to Kim Il Sung's experiences in the [[Down-with-Imperialism Union]] during Korea's liberation struggle against Japan.{{sfn|Foreign Languages Publishing House|2014|p=1}}{{sfn|Kim|Kim|Kim|2005|p=10}} However, the first documented reference to ''Juche'' as an ideology dates to 1955, when Kim Il Sung delivered a speech titled "[[On Eliminating Dogmatism and Formalism and Establishing Juche in Ideological Work]]." The speech promoted a political purge similar to the [[Yan'an Rectification Movement]] in China.{{sfn|Asiatic Research Institute, Korea University|1970|p=63}} It became known as the "''Juche'' speech"{{sfn|Myers|2015|p=68}} and is considered one of Kim Il Sung's most important works.{{sfn|Suh|1981|p=109}}

Western scholars generally agree that [[Hwang Jang-yop]], Kim Il Sung's top adviser on philosophy, was responsible for the conceptualization and early development of ''Juche''.{{sfn|Becker|2005|p=65}} Hwang rediscovered the ''Juche'' speech sometime in the late 1950s, when Kim Il Sung, having established a [[Kim Il Sung's cult of personality|cult of personality]],{{sfn|Lee|Ch'oe|de Bary|2001|p=419}} sought to develop his own version of [[Marxism–Leninism]] and solidify his position in the [[Workers' Party of Korea]] (WPK).{{sfn|Becker|2005|pp=[https://archive.org/details/rogueregimekimjo00beck/page/65 65–66]}}{{sfn|French|2007|p=[https://archive.org/details/northkoreaparano00fren/page/n48 30]}} Hwang expanded upon the meaning of ''Juche'' and rewrote Korean communist history to make it appear as though Kim Il Sung had been the WPK's leader since its inception.{{sfn|Becker|2005|pp=[https://archive.org/details/rogueregimekimjo00beck/page/65 65–66]}} [[Andrei Lankov]], a Russian scholar of Korean studies, argues that the first reference to ''Juche'' as an ideology was on 14 April 1965, when Kim Il Sung gave a speech in Indonesia titled "On Socialist Construction in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and the South Korean Revolution" ({{lang|ko-Hang-KP|조선민주주의인민공화국에서의사회주의건설과남조선혁명에대하여}}). Lankov posits that the 1955 speech "used the word in a different meaning" and that ''Juche'' was adopted as the "basic ideological principle of North Korean politics" only after the 1965 speech.{{sfn|Lankov|2007}}

''[[On the Juche Idea]]'', the principal work on ''Juche'', was published under [[Kim Jong Il]]'s name in 1982.{{sfn|Kwak|Joo|2016|p=19}} In North Korea it serves as "the authoritative and comprehensive explanation of ''Juche.''"{{sfn|Kwak|Joo|2016|p=19}} According to the treatise, the WPK is responsible for educating the masses in the ways of ''Juche'' thinking.{{sfn|Kwak|Joo|2016|p=19}} ''Juche'' is inexorably linked with Kim Il Sung and "represents the guiding idea of the Korean revolution".{{sfn|Kwak|Joo|2016|p=19}} Although ''Juche'' is rooted in Marxism–Leninism, it is not merely a creative application of the ideas of Marx and Lenin to Korean conditions.{{sfn|Kim|1982|p=7}} Rather, it is a "new phase of revolutionary theory"{{sfn|Kim|1982|p=7}} and represents "a new era in the development of human history".{{sfn|Kwak|Joo|2016|p=19}} Kim Jong Il also criticized the Korean communists and nationalists of the 1920s for their "elitist posture", saying they were "divorced from the masses".{{sfn|Kwak|Joo|2016|p=20}}

The North Korean government issued a decree on 8 July 1997, the third anniversary of the [[Death and state funeral of Kim Il Sung|death of Kim Il Sung]], declaring the adoption of the [[Juche calendar|''Juche'' calendar]].{{sfn|Lee|2001|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=6Rx8Q_cxqvkC&pg=PA220 220]}} The [[Central People's Committee]] promulgated regulations regarding its use in August,{{sfn|KCNA|1997}} and the calendar entered public usage on 9 September, the [[Day of the Foundation of the Republic (North Korea)|Day of the Foundation of the Republic]].{{sfn|Lee|2001|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=6Rx8Q_cxqvkC&pg=PA220 220]}} [[Gregorian calendar]] dates are used for years before 1912 while years after 1912 (the year of [[Day of the Sun|Kim Il Sung's birth]]) are called "''Juche'' years". The Gregorian year {{CURRENTYEAR}}, for example, is "''Juche'' {{#expr:{{CURRENTYEAR}} − 1911}}" as {{CURRENTYEAR}} − 1911 = {{#expr:{{CURRENTYEAR}} − 1911}}. When used, "''Juche'' years" are often accompanied by the Gregorian equivalent, i.e. "''Juche'' {{#expr:{{CURRENTYEAR}} − 1911}}, {{CURRENTYEAR}}" or "''Juche'' {{#expr:{{CURRENTYEAR}} − 1911}} ({{CURRENTYEAR}})".{{sfn|KCNA|1997}}

== Core principles{{anchor|Guiding principles}} ==
The goal of ''Juche'' is to establish a self-reliant state that independently determines its political, economic, and military affairs. Kim Il Sung summarized the application of this objective to North Korea in a 1967 speech to the [[Supreme People's Assembly]] titled "Let Us Embody the Revolutionary Spirit of Independence, Self-sustenance and Self-defence More Thoroughly in All Fields of State Activity":{{sfn|Lee|2003|p=105}}

{{blockquote|First, the government of the republic will implement with all consistency the line of independence, self-sufficiency, and self-defence to consolidate the political independence of the country, build up more solidly the foundations of an independent national economy capable of insuring the complete unification, independence, and prosperity of our nation and increasing the country's defence capabilities, so as to safeguard the security of the fatherland reliably by our own force, by splendidly embodying our party's idea of ''Juche'' in all fields.{{sfn|Kim|2021|p=12}}}}

Political independence ({{Korean/auto|hangul=자주|mr=yes|labels=no}}) is a core principle of ''Juche''. ''Juche'' stresses equality and mutual respect among nations, and argues that every state has the right to [[self-determination]].{{sfn|Lee|2003|p=106}} Yielding to foreign pressure or intervention would violate the principle of political independence and threaten a country's ability to defend its sovereignty.{{sfn|Lee|2003|p=106}} This is in contrast to ''[[sadaejuui]]'' ({{lang|ko-Hang-KP|사대주의}}), which advocates reliance on a [[great power]].{{sfn|Jeong|2020}} However, ''Juche'' does not advocate [[Hermit kingdom|total isolation]] and encourages cooperation between socialist states.{{sfn|Lee|2003|p=106}} As Kim Jong Il writes in ''On the Juche Idea'': "Independence is not in conflict with internationalism but is the basis of its strengthening".{{sfn|Kim|1982|p=42}} Kim Il Sung acknowledged that it was important for North Korea to learn from other socialist states, in particular the Soviet Union and China, but did not want to follow their examples dogmatically.{{sfn|Lee|2003|p=106}} He said the WPK must "resolutely repudiate the tendency to swallow things of others undigested or imitate them mechanically", attributing North Korea's early success to the WPK's independence in policymaking.{{sfn|Lee|2003|p=106}}

# Economic self-sufficiency ({{Korean/auto|hangul=자립|mr=yes|labels=no}}) is required to achieve political independence, according to adherents of ''Juche''.{{sfn|Lee|2003|p=106}} Kim Il Sung believed that excessive foreign aid threatened a country's ability to develop socialism, which only a state with a strong, independent economy could build.{{sfn|Lee|2003|p=106}} In ''On the Juche Idea'', Kim Jong Il argues that a state can achieve economic self-sufficiency only when it has created an "independent national economy" based on [[heavy industry]],{{sfn|Kim|1982|p=45}} as this sector will drive the rest of the economy. He also emphasizes the importance of technological independence{{sfn|Kim|1982|p=46}} and self-sufficiency in resources.,{{sfn|Kim|1982|p=47}} but says that this does not rule out "economic cooperation" between socialist states.{{sfn|Kim|1982|p=47}}

Military self-reliance ({{Korean/auto|hangul=자위|mr=yes|labels=no}}) is also crucial for a state to maintain its political independence.{{sfn|Lee|2003|p=107}} To accomplish military self-reliance, states must develop a domestic defence industry to avoid dependence on foreign arms suppliers.{{sfn|Kim|1982|p=52}} Kim Jong Il argued that it was acceptable for socialist states to receive military aid from their allies but that such aid would be effective only if the state was militarily strong in its own right.{{sfn|Kim|1982|pp=49–50}}

== ''Juche'' in practice ==
{{Marxism–Leninism sidebar|variants}}
=== Diplomacy ===
North Korea maintained close relations with the Soviet Union and China during the Cold War, having emerged from [[Soviet Civil Administration|Soviet occupation]] and a war it fought alongside Chinese communists. However, North Korea also opposed what it viewed as Soviet and Chinese attempts to interfere in its postwar affairs.{{sfn|Kim|Zagoria|1975|p=1018}} For example, a [[August Faction Incident|failed challenge to Kim Il Sung's leadership in 1956]] led to a purge of pro-Soviet and pro-Chinese elements from the WPK.{{sfn|Chung|1978|p=45}} North Korea rejected the [[de-Stalinization]] efforts of Soviet premier [[Nikita Khrushchev]] but avoided taking sides during the [[Sino-Soviet split]].{{sfn|Armstrong|2010}}

North Korea was admitted to the [[Non-Aligned Movement]] in 1975 and has since presented itself as a leader of the [[Third World]], promoting ''Juche'' as a model for developing countries to follow.{{sfn|Armstrong|2009|pp=10–13}}{{sfn|Wertz|Oh|Kim|2015|p=1}}

National survival has been seen as a guiding principle of North Korea's diplomatic strategy.{{sfn|Jager|2013|p=434}} As countries in the [[Eastern Bloc]] collapsed and introduced market reforms, North Korea increasingly emphasized ''Juche'' in both theory and practice.{{sfn|Lynn|2007|pp=105–107}}{{sfn|Robinson|2007|pp=159–160}}{{sfn|Buzo|2002|p=95}} Even amid economic and political crises, North Korea continues to emphasize its independence on the world stage.{{sfn|Jager|2013|pp=471–472}}

=== Economics ===
{{further|Economy of North Korea}}

After the devastation of the Korean War, North Korea began to rebuild its economy with a base in heavy industry, with the aim to become as self-sufficient as possible.{{sfn|Bluth|2008|pp=32–33}} As a result, it developed what has been called the "most [[Autarky|autarkic]] industrial economy in the world".{{sfn|Cumings|1997|p=419}}{{sfn|Robinson|2007|p=160}} North Korea received economic aid and technical assistance from the Soviet Union and China, but it did not join [[Comecon]], the communist common market.{{sfn|Cumings|1997|p=420}}{{sfn|Bluth|2008|p=33}} In the 1990s, it had one of [[List of countries by oil consumption|the world's lowest rates for dependence on petroleum]], using hydroelectric power and coal instead of imported oil.{{sfn|Cumings|1997|p=426}} Its textile industry uses [[vinylon]], known as the "''Juche'' fiber", which was invented by a Korean and is made from locally available coal and limestone.{{sfn|Abt|2014|p=39}}{{sfn|Lynn|2007|pp=134–135}} The history of vinylon often features in propaganda that preaches the virtues of technological self-reliance.{{sfn|Robinson|2007|p=160}} North Korea had 10,000 [[CNC]] machines in 2010.{{sfn|Hee|2010}} The first domestic homemade CNC machine was introduced in 1995, and in 2017 it had around 15,000 machines.{{sfn|Shin|2017}}

Commentators have often pointed out the discrepancy between the principle of self-sufficiency and North Korea's dependence on foreign aid, especially during its economic crisis in the 1990s.{{sfn|Lynn|2007|p=138}} The pursuit of economic [[autarky]] has been blamed for contributing to the crisis.{{sfn|Buzo|2002|pp=147–152}} On this view, attempts at self-sufficiency led to inefficiency and to the neglect of export opportunities in industries where there was a [[comparative advantage]].{{sfn|Jager|2013|p=367}}

=== Defence ===
The [[Korean People's Army]] is one of the largest on earth and has developed its own nuclear missiles.{{sfn|Quinones|2008|p=5}}{{sfn|Beauchamp-Mustafaga|2014}} It produces [[Unsymmetrical dimethylhydrazine|UDMH]] fuel for liquid-fueled missiles{{sfn|Lewis|2017}} and [[Tumansky RD-9]] [[Turbojet]] engines, which power the [[Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-19]] and [[Shenyang J-6]].{{sfn|Bermudez|2017}} CNC machines produce missiles and centrifuges.{{sfn|Shin|2017}} North Korea's propaganda since the Korean War has contrasted its military autonomy with the presence of U.S. forces in the South.{{sfn|Robinson|2007|p=160}}

== International outreach ==
[[File:Juche Tower tribute plaques.png|thumb|Tribute plaques to ''Juche'' from foreign delegates, contained in the interior entrance of the [[Juche Tower|''Juche'' Tower]]]]

Kim Il Sung believed that ''Juche''{{'s}} principles could be applied outside of Korea.{{sfn|Cumings|1997|p=404}} He promoted ''Juche'' to the [[Third World]] as an [[Anti-imperialism|anti-imperialist]] ideology and, in particular, the antithesis to [[U.S. imperialism]].{{sfn|Armstrong|2009|p=5}} Albanian communist leader [[Enver Hoxha]], who was critical of other communist leaders he regarded as having abandoned Marxism–Leninism, described Kim Il Sung's attempts to spread ''Juche'' in the Third World as "pretensions" done in collaboration with [[Titoism|Titoists]], [[U.S. imperialism|U.S. imperialists]], and Soviet and Chinese [[Social imperialism|social imperialists]].{{sfn|Hoxha|1979|p=520}}

North Korea began organizing international seminars on ''Juche'' in 1976. The inaugural International Scientific Seminar on the ''Juche'' Idea took place in [[Antananarivo]], Madagascar, from 28 to 30 September 1976 under the sponsorship of the [[Democratic Republic of Madagascar]]. Many prominent party and government officials, public figures, representatives of revolutionary and progressive organizations, scientists and journalists from more than 50 countries attended. [[List of Presidents of Madagascar|Malagasy president]] [[Didier Ratsiraka]] expressed sympathy and support for North Korea while giving the seminar's opening speech.{{sfn|Foreign Languages Publishing House|1977|p=11}} In 1978, the North Korean government established the International Institute of the ''Juche'' Idea (initially the International ''Juche'' Research Centre) in [[Tokyo]] to supervise international ''Juche'' study groups' activities.{{sfn|Lynn|2007|pp=107–108}} Tribute plaques from these groups are contained in the [[Juche Tower]] in [[Pyongyang]].{{sfn|Abt|2014|pp=73–74}}

A faction within the [[Student movements in Korea|South Korean student movements]] of the 1980s embraced ''Juche'' as an alternative to the country's political system. It came to be known as the [[Juche faction|''Juche'' faction]] or ''Jusapa'' ({{lang|ko|주사파}}) for short.{{sfn|The Korea Herald|2012}}

''Juche'' has been adopted or studied by a number of far-left and far-right organisations outside of Korea. The [[Black Panther Party]] of the United States studied ''Juche'' during the 1960s and 1970s.{{sfn|Branigan|2014}} In 2014, the secretary-general of the Nigerian–DPRK Friendship Association Alhassan Mamman Muhammed claimed there were thousands of ''Juche'' adherents in Nigeria.{{sfn|Byrne|2014}} The [[Nepal Workers' and Peasants' Party]] declared ''Juche'' to be its guiding idea in 2016.{{sfn|Lee|2016}} The Rural People's Party, an affiliate of the [[neo-Nazi]] [[Satanist]] group [[Order of Nine Angles]], reportedly adheres to ''Juche'' and has connections with North Korean officials.{{sfn|Thayer|2013}} The neo-Nazi terrorist organisation [[Atomwaffen Division]] also promotes ''Juche''.{{sfn|Young|2023}}

== Related concepts ==
{{transcluded section|Ideology of the Workers' Party of Korea}}

=== ''Songun'' ===
{{trim|{{#section-h:Ideology of the Workers' Party of Korea|''Songun''}}}}

=== ''Suryong'' ===
{{trim|{{#section-h:Ideology of the Workers' Party of Korea|''Suryong''}}}}

=== Kimilsungism–Kimjongilism ===
{{trim|{{#section-h:Ideology of the Workers' Party of Korea|Kimilsungism–Kimjongilism}}}}

=== Socialism of Our Style ===
{{trim|{{#section-h:Ideology of the Workers' Party of Korea|Socialism of Our Style}}}}

== Analysis ==

=== Criticisms ===
Critics have called ''Juche'' a [[nationalist]] ideology and a departure from Marxist–Leninist principles.{{sfn|Seth|2019|p=159}} American [[Korean studies|Koreanist]] [[Brian Reynolds Myers]] argues that ''Juche'' has more in common with [[Statism in Shōwa Japan|Japanese fascism]] and [[ultranationalism]] than Marxism–Leninism.<ref name="Kelly 2015">{{harvnb|Kelly|2015}}: "[[Brian Reynolds Myers|Brian Myers]] has led this school, which argues that North Korea is a misunderstood racist state based on Japanese and German fascist forms from the early twentieth century. It rallies its citizens through aggressive race-based nationalism (the defence of ''minjok''), defends the racial 'cleanliness' of Korea in a big intrusive world, insists that ethnic Koreans of other nationalities are still Koreans, and routinely uses racist language in its diplomacy. On top of this, it is one of the most highly militarised states in the world. Racism plus hypermilitarism looks a lot more like fascism than communism."</ref><ref name="Fisher 2016">{{harvnb|Fisher|2016}}: "[The Soviets] had a problem: There wasn't really a leftist intelligentsia or officialdom to draw upon. So the Soviets ended up recycling in many of the Koreans who'd been a part of the Japanese fascist project in Korea.{{nbsp}}... 'Almost all intellectuals who moved to Pyongyang after liberation had collaborated with the Japanese so some degree,' the historian B.R. Myers writes in his book ''The Cleanest Race: How North Koreans See Themselves and Why It Matters''."</ref> Korean political scientist [[Suh Dae-sook]] argues that Kim Il Sung did not explain the difference between [[socialist patriotism]], which he said he supported, and nationalism, which he said he opposed. Suh also criticized Kim Il Sung's initial conceptualization of ''Juche'', saying that he had failed to explain how Marxism–Leninism had been applied to Korean conditions.{{sfn|Suh|1988|p=309}} American historian Derek R. Ford, by contrast, emphasizes the continuity between Marxism–Leninism and ''Juche'',{{sfn|Ford|2018}} and credits ''Juche'' as the guiding principle that allowed North Korea to survive the [[Revolutions of 1989|collapse of the Eastern Bloc]].{{sfn|IIJI|2020}}

American historian [[Charles K. Armstrong]] argues that North Korea may appear "Stalinist in form" but is "nationalist in content".{{sfn|Shin|2006|p=94}} Shin Gi-wook similarly argues that "there is no trace of Marxism–Leninism or the Stalinist notion of nationhood" in North Korea, and its government instead stresses the importance of the Korean people's blood, soul, and national traits, echoing earlier Korean nationalists such as [[Sin Chaeho]], Yi Kwangsu, and [[Choe Namson]].{{sfn|Shin|2006|p=93}} Shin believes that the key difference between Marxism–Leninism and ''Juche'' is that the latter places ideology above materialism; the vocabulary of family lineage and nationalism is retained and given primacy over [[Class conflict|class struggle]], while social distinction and hierarchy are supported instead of a [[classless society]] and [[egalitarianism]].{{sfn|Shin|2006|p=94}}

A few critics have dismissed the idea that ''Juche'' is an ideology altogether. Myers argues that ''Juche'' cannot be described as a true political ideology because it does not have an underlying [[belief system]],{{sfn|Young|2016}} while Alzo David-West calls it "meaningless on logical and naturalistic grounds".{{sfn|David-West|2011|p=104}} American political analyst [[Robert Kelly (political analyst)|Robert E. Kelly]] argues that ''Juche'' exists solely to protect the [[Kim family (North Korea)|Kim family]]'s monopoly over political power in North Korea.{{sfn|Kelly|2015}} However, Myers dismisses the idea that ''Juche'' is North Korea's leading ideology, regarding its public exaltation as designed to deceive foreigners. He argues that it exists to be praised and not actually read.{{sfn|Rank|2012}} Based on his experience living in North Korea, Swiss businessman [[Felix Abt]] calls Myers's arguments "shaky" and "questionable". Having seen the extent to which North Korean university students actually believe in ''Juche'', Abt says it is "rather absurd" to call it "window-dressing" for foreigners.{{sfn|Abt|2014|pp=62–63}} American historian [[Bruce Cumings]] and Professor of International Relations [[Christoph Hartmut Bluth]] similarly argue that ''Juche'' is not mere rhetoric, but rather an ideal of self-reliance that North Korea has attempted to implement.{{sfn|Cumings|1997|p=419}}{{sfn|Bluth|2008|p=33}}

=== Comparisons to other ideologies ===
''Juche'' has been compared to [[Ba'athism]], an [[Arab nationalism|Arab nationalist]] ideology that advocates the establishment of a unified Arab state based on socialism and national self-reliance.{{sfn|Bar|2006|p=365}} South Korean political commentator Park Sang-seek argues that Syrian Ba'athism in particular has rhetorical similarities to ''Juche'', but the latter has a stronger ideological basis.{{sfn|Park|2017}}

American economist Benjamin Zycher, writing for the conservative thinktank [[American Enterprise Institute]], opined that the [[Trumpism|political ideology]] of [[Donald Trump]] shares similarities with ''Juche''. In particular, he noted that both Trump and ''Juche'' advocate a policy of isolationism and autarky.{{sfn|Zycher|2025}}

=== Comparisons to religion ===
A number of scholars have compared facets of ''Juche'' to those of preexisting [[Religion in Korea|Korean religions]]. Jung Tae-il argues that certain elements of [[Christianity in Korea|Christianity]], [[Cheondoism]], and Confucianism were appropriated by and incorporated into ''Juche''.{{sfn|Jung|2013|p=95}} Korean cultural anthropologists Byung Ho Chung and Heonik Kwon liken the commemorations of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il to [[Jesa|Confucian ancestor worship]].{{sfn|Jung|2013|p=95}} Ju Jun-hui similarly contends that [[Korean shamanism]] influenced ''Juche'', comparing the ecstatic state experienced in a [[Gut (ritual)|shamanic ritual (''gut'')]] to the enthusiasm and fervor North Koreans display for their supreme leader.{{sfn|Jung|2013|p=95}} Armstrong accordingly calls ''Juche'' a [[quasi-religion]].<ref name="Armstrong 2012, p. 4">{{harvnb|Armstrong|2012|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=mwoD97Y8XPMC&q=quasi-religion 4]}}: "Among observers outside of North Korea, opinions about the 'ruling ideology' of ''juche'' range from the view that ''juche'' is a complete sham, merely disguising the Kim family despotism, to those who see it as a quasi-religion more or less believed by a majority of the population."</ref>

==== Presence of a sacred leader ====
The ideology teaches that the role of a Great Leader is essential for the popular masses to succeed in their revolutionary movement because without leadership they cannot survive.{{sfn|Helgesen|1991|p=205}} This is the foundation of [[Kim Il Sung's cult of personality]]. The personality cult explains how the ''Juche'' ideology has endured, even during the North Korean government's undeniable dependence on foreign assistance during [[North Korean famine|its famine]] in the 1990s.{{sfn|Hoare|2012|p=192}} The concept of a "sacred leader" in ''Juche'' as well as the cult around the [[Kim family (North Korea)|Kim family]] has been compared to the [[State Shinto]] ideology of [[Empire of Japan|Imperial Japan]], in which the [[Emperor of Japan|Emperor]] was seen as a [[Imperial cult|divine being]].{{sfn|Halpin|2015}}

Through the fundamental belief in the essential role of the Great Leader, Kim Il Sung has become the "supreme deity for the people" and the ''Juche'' doctrine is reinforced in North Korea's constitution as the country's guiding principle.{{sfn|Cumings|2003|p=[https://archive.org/details/northkoreaanothe00cumi/page/158 158]}} The parallel relationship structure between Kim Il Sung and his people and religious founders or leaders and their followers has led many scholars to consider ''Juche'' a religious movement as much as a political ideology.{{sfn|Jung|2013|p=95}} However, those familiar with cults posit that ''Juche'' bypasses the tenets of religion completely and instead meets the criteria of a totalitarian cult.{{sfn|Hassan|2017}}

''Juche''{{'s}} emphasis on the political and sacred role of the leader and the ensuing worship by the popular masses has been critiqued by various Western Marxists,{{sfn|Helgesen|1991|p=205}} who argue that the North Korean proletariat has been stripped of its honor, and call the cult of personality non-Marxist and undemocratic.{{sfn|Helgesen|1991|p=206}}

==== Rituals ====
The religious behavior of ''Juche'' can also be seen in the perspectives of the North Korean people through refugee interviews from former participants in North Korea's ritual occasions. One pertinent example is the [[Arirang Festival]], a gymnastic and artistic festival held in the [[Rungrado 1st of May Stadium]] in Pyongyang. All components of the festival, from the selection of performers, mobilization of resources, recruitment of the audience, and publicity for the show have been compared to facets of a national religious event.{{sfn|Jung|2013|p=101}}

The Arirang Festival has been said to show the power of the North Korean government to arrange a form of religious gathering. It has done so by "appropriating a mass of bodies for calisthenic and performative arts representing the leader as the father and his faithful followers".{{sfn|Jung|2013|p=96}} The festival's effectiveness in transforming its participants into loyal disciples of ''Juche'' seems to originate from the [[Collectivism and individualism|collectivist principle]] of "one for all and all for one" and the ensuing emotional bond and loyalty to the leader.{{sfn|Jung|2013|p=96}} According to accounts of refugees who were recruited to mass gymnastics, the collectivist principle is nurtured by physical punishment such as beatings and more importantly the organization of recruits into small units, whose performances were held accountable by larger units.{{sfn|Jung|2013|p=111}} The festival's ritual components of collectivism serve to reinforce a "certain structure of sociality and affect", establishing Kim Il Sung as the "father" in both the body and psyche of the performers.{{sfn|Jung|2013|p=96}}

==== Familism ====
American historian [[Charles K. Armstrong]] argues that familism has transformed itself into a kind of [[political religion]] in the form of ''Juche''. With the emergence of ''Juche'' as North Korea's guiding political principle since the 1960s, the familial relationship within the micro-family unit has been translated into a national, macro-unit, with Kim Il Sung representing the father and the North Korean people his children. ''Juche'' is thus based on the language of family relationships with its East Asian or neo-Confucian "resonances of filial piety and maternal love".{{sfn|Armstrong|2005|p=383}}

Armstrong also argues that North Korea has transferred the "filial piety of nationalism in the family of the leader himself" by positioning Kim Il Sung as the universal patriarch.{{sfn|Armstrong|2005|p=389}} He argues that while the official pursuit of the ''Juche'' ideology in the 1960s signalled North Korea's desire to separate from the "fraternity of international socialism", the ideology also replaced Stalin as the father figure with Kim Il Sung.{{sfn|Armstrong|2005|p=390}} In effect, North Korea's familial nationalism has supplanted the "rather abstract, class-oriented language of socialism with a more easily understandable and identifiable language of familial connections, love and obligations".{{sfn|Armstrong|2005|p=384}}

After attaining significant positions in the WPK and military in the early 1980s, Kim Jong Il transformed the personality cult surrounding Kim Il Sung into a family cult and became the heir apparent.{{sfn|South China Morning Post|1982}} Armstrong calls this a "family romance", a term [[Sigmund Freud]] used to describe "the neurotic replacement of a child's real parents with fantasy substitutes".{{sfn|Armstrong|2005|p=385}} Kim Il Sung's consecration as the "Great Father" has been strengthened by the development of the North Korean family romance with the language, symbols, and rituals associated with familism.{{sfn|Jung|2013|p=95}}

== See also ==
{{Portal|Communism|North Korea|Politics|Socialism}}
{{cols|colwidth=30em}}
* [[Ilminism]], political ideology of South Korea's first president, Syngman Rhee
* [[Juche faction|''Juche'' faction]], a political faction within South Korea's student movements
* [[Kim Il Sung bibliography]]
* [[Kim Jong Il bibliography]]
* [[Kim Jong Un bibliography]]
* [[National communism]]
* [[Revisionism (Marxism)]]
{{colend}}

== Notes ==
{{Notelist}}

== References ==

=== Citations ===
{{Reflist}}

=== Sources ===

==== Books ====
{{refbegin|30em}}
* {{cite book |last = Abt |first = Felix |title = A Capitalist in North Korea: My Seven Years in the Hermit Kingdom |publisher = Tuttle Publishing |year = 2014 |isbn = 9780804844390 }}
* {{cite book |last1=Alton |first1= David |last2 = Chidley|first2= Rob |title= Building Bridges: Is There Hope for North Korea? |publisher=[[Lion Books]] |year=2013 |isbn = 9780745955988 }}
* {{cite book |last=Armstrong |first=Charles K. |chapter=The Role and Influence of Ideology |editor-last1=Park |editor-first1=Kyung-Ae |editor-last2=Snyder |editor-first2=Scott |title=North Korea in Transition: Politics, Economy, and Society |date=2012 |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield Publishers |isbn=978-1-4422-1813-0 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mwoD97Y8XPMC |language=en}}
* {{cite book|last=Becker|first=Jasper|author-link=Jasper Becker|title=Rogue Regime: Kim Jong Il and the Looming Threat of North Korea|year=2005|publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]|location=[[New York City]]|isbn=978-0-19-517044-3|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/rogueregimekimjo00beck}}
* {{cite book|last=Belke|first=Thomas Julian|title=Juche: A Christian Study of North Korea's State Religion|year=1999|publisher=Living Sacrifice Book Company|location=Bartlesville|isbn=978-0-88264-329-8}}
* {{cite book|last=Bluth|first=Christoph|title=Korea|year=2008|publisher=Polity Press|location=Cambridge|isbn=978-07456-3357-2}}
* {{cite book | last = Buzo | first = Adrian| title = The Making of Modern Korea | url = https://archive.org/details/makingmodernkore00buzo | url-access = limited | year = 2002| publisher = Routledge| location = London | isbn = 978-0-415-23749-9}}
* {{cite book |last1=Chung |first1=Chin O. |title=Pyongyang Between Peking and Moscow: North Korea's Involvement in the Sino-Soviet Dispute, 1958–1975 |date=1978 |publisher=University of Alabama Press |location=Tuscaloosa, Alabama|isbn=9780817347284|oclc=2508036}}
* {{cite book |last = Cumings |first= Bruce |title = Korea's Place in the Sun: A Modern History |url = https://archive.org/details/koreasplaceinsun00bruc |url-access = registration |publisher = W W Norton and Company |year = 1997 |isbn = 978-0393040111 |edition=1st}}
* {{cite book|last=Cumings |first=Bruce |author-mask=3 |title=Korea's Place in the Sun: A Modern History|location=New York |publisher=W.W. Norton and Company |year=2005 |edition=2nd|isbn=9780393327021|oclc=62042862}}
* {{cite book|last1=Cumings|first1=Bruce|author-mask=3|title=North Korea: Another Country|url=https://archive.org/details/northkoreaanothe00cumi|url-access=registration|date=2003|publisher=The New Press|location=New York|isbn=9781565848733}}
* {{cite book |last = Dimitrov |first= Martin |title = Why Communism Did Not Collapse: Understanding Authoritarian Regime Resilience in Asia and Europe |publisher = [[Cambridge University Press]] |year = 2013 |isbn = 978-1107035539 }}
* {{cite book|last=French|first=Paul|title=North Korea: State of Paranoia|date=2014|publisher=Zed Books|isbn=978-1-78032-947-5}}
* {{cite book|last=French|first=Paul|author-mask=3|title=North Korea: The Paranoid Peninsula – A Modern History|url=https://archive.org/details/northkoreaparano00fren|url-access=limited|edition=2nd|location=New York|publisher=Zed Books|date=2007}}
* {{cite book|last1=Hoare|first1=James|title=Historical Dictionary of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZI-6NARaLusC|date=2012|publisher=Scarecrow Press|location=Lanham, Maryland|isbn=9780810861510 }}
* {{cite book |last=Hoxha |first=Enver |author-link=Enver Hoxha |title=Reflections on China |date=1979 |url=https://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/hoxha/works/ebooks/reflections_on_china_volume_2.pdf |access-date=22 February 2025}}
* {{cite book | last = Jager | first = Sheila Miyoshi |author-link= Sheila Miyoshi Jager | title = Brothers at War – The Unending Conflict in Korea | year = 2013 | publisher = Profile Books | location = London | isbn = 978-1-84668-067-0}}
* {{cite book|title=Juche Idea: Answers to Hundred Questions|date=2014|publisher=[[Foreign Languages Publishing House (North Korea)|Foreign Languages Publishing House]]|location=Pyongyang|ref={{harvid|Foreign Languages Publishing House|2014}}}}
* {{cite book |title= Juche, the Banner of Independence |year= 1977 |publisher=[[Foreign Languages Publishing House (North Korea)|Foreign Languages Publishing House]] |location= Pyongyang |oclc= 4048345 |ref={{harvid|Foreign Languages Publishing House|1977}}}}
* {{cite book |last1 = Kihl | first1 = Young |last2 = Kim | first2 = Hong Nack |title = North Korea: The Politics of Regime Survival |publisher = [[M.E. Sharpe]] |year = 2006 |isbn = 9780765616388 }}
* {{cite book |last1=Kim |first1=Hyung-chan |last2=Kim |first2=Dong-khu |last3=Kim |first3=Tong-gyu |title=Human Remolding in North Korea: A Social History of Education |date=2005 |publisher=University Press of America |isbn=978-0-7618-3172-3 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PMudAAAAMAAJ |language=en}}
* {{cite book |last=Kim |first=Il-sung |title=Let Us Embody the Revolutionary Spirit of Independence, Self-sustenance and Self-defense More Thoroughly in All Fields of State Activity |date=2021 |orig-year=1967 |publisher=[[Foreign Languages Publishing House (North Korea)|Foreign Languages Publishing House]] |location=Pyongyang |url=https://kkfonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Let-Us-Embody-The-Revolutionary-Spirit-Of-Independence-Self-Sustenance-And-Self-Defence-More-Thoroughly-In-All-Branches-Of-State-Activity.pdf |language=en}}
* {{cite book|last=Kim|first=Il-sung|author-mask=3|title=Kim Il Sung: Works|volume=19|year=1984|orig-year=1965|location=Pyongyang|publisher=[[Foreign Languages Publishing House (North Korea)|Foreign Languages Publishing House]]|oclc=827642144|chapter=On Socialist Construction in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and the South Korean Revolution: Lecture at the 'Ali Archam' Academy of Social Sciences of Indonesia|chapter-url=http://www.korean-books.com.kp/KBMbooks/en/work/leader1/00000549.pdf#page=244|pages=236–284}}
* {{cite book |last=Kim |first=Jong-il |title=On the Juche Idea |date=1982 |publisher=[[Foreign Languages Publishing House (North Korea)|Foreign Languages Publishing House]] |location=Pyongyang |url=https://archive.org/details/jucheidea|language=en|oclc=9475822}}
* {{cite book |last=Kim |first=Jong-un |title=Let Us Brilliantly Accomplish the Revolutionary Cause of Juche, Holding Kim Jong-il in High Esteem as the Eternal General Secretary of Our Party |date= 2012 |publisher=[[Foreign Languages Publishing House (North Korea)|Foreign Languages Publishing House]] |location=Pyongyang |url=https://www.gamadilavoce.it/kimJongUn181008.pdf}}
* {{cite book |editor-last1=Kwak |editor-first1=Tae-hwan |editor-last2=Joo |editor-first2=Seung-ho |title=North Korea's Foreign Policy under Kim Jong Il: New Perspectives |date=2016 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-351-91432-1 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=R7CoDQAAQBAJ |language=en}}
* {{cite book |last1=Lankov |first1=Andrei |title=[[The Real North Korea: Life and Politics in the Failed Stalinist Utopia]] |date=2014 |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=Oxford |isbn=9780199390038}}
* {{cite book |last1=Lee |first1=Hy-Sang |title=North Korea: A Strange Socialist Fortress |date=2001 |publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group |location=[[Westport, Connecticut]] |isbn=978-0-275-96917-2 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6Rx8Q_cxqvkC |language=en}}
* {{cite book |last1=Lee |first1=Kyo Duk |title=The successor theory of North Korea |publisher=Korean Institute for National Reunification |year=2004 |isbn=978-8984792258 |pages=1–52 |chapter='Peaceful Utilization of the DMZ' as a National Strategy |chapter-url=https://repo.kinu.or.kr/handle/2015.oak/744}}
* {{cite book |last1=Lee |first1=Peter H. |last2=Ch'oe |first2=Yongho |last3=de Bary |first3=William Theodore |title=Sources of Korean Tradition, Volume 2: from the Sixteenth to the Twentieth Centuries |date= 2001 |publisher=Columbia University Press |isbn=978-0-231-51800-0 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=A9LoA9L1ABcC |language=en}}
* {{cite book|first=Yongchun|last=Li|year=2015|chapter=North Korea's Guiding Ideology and Its Impact|editor-last=Freeman|editor-first=Carla P.|title=China and North Korea: Strategic and Policy Perspectives from a Changing China|pages=225–240 |publisher=Palgrave Macmillan|location=New York|doi=10.1057/9781137455666_14|isbn=978-1-137-45566-6}}
* {{cite book|last1=Lone|first1=Stewart|last2=McCormack|first2=Gavan|author-link2=Gavan McCormack|title=Korea since 1850|publisher=Longman Cheshire|location=Melbourne|year=1993|isbn=0312096852}}
* {{cite book |last1=Lynn |first1=Hyung-Gu |title=Bipolar Orders: The Two Koreas Since 1989 |date=2007 |publisher=Fernwood Pub. |location=Halifax |isbn=978-1842777435}}
* {{cite book |last1 = Malici | first1= Akan |title = When Leaders Learn and When They Don't: Mikhail Gorbachev and Kim Il Sung at the End of the Cold War |publisher = [[SUNY Press]] |year = 2009 |isbn = 978-0791473047 }}
* {{cite book |last= McCann |first=David |title = Korea Briefing: Toward Reunification |publisher = [[M. E. Sharpe]] |year = 1997 |isbn = 978-1563248863 }}
* {{cite book|last=Myers|first=Brian Reynolds|title=North Korea's Juche Myth|year=2015|location=Busan|publisher=Sthele Press|isbn=978-1-5087-9993-1}}
* {{cite book|last=Myers|first=Brian Reynolds|author-mask=3|title=The Cleanest Race: How North Koreans See Themselves and Why It Matters|url=https://archive.org/details/cleanestracehown00myer|url-access=registration|year=2011|publisher=Melville House|location=New York|isbn=978-1-935554-97-4}}
* {{cite book|last=Robinson|first=Michael E|title=Korea's Twentieth-Century Odyssey|year=2007|publisher=University of Hawaii Press|location=Honolulu|isbn=978-0-8248-3174-5}}
* {{cite book |last1 = Rüdiger |first1 = Frank |year=2013 |title=North Korea in 2012: Domestic Politics, the Economy and Social Issues |pages=41–72 |publisher=[[Brill Publishers]] |isbn = 9789004262973 |url = https://www.academia.edu/4478846 |url-status=dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151017111605/http://www.academia.edu/4478846/Framing_the_Globalisation_Debate_in_Korean_Higher_Education |archive-date = 17 October 2015 }}
* {{cite book |last1=Seth |first1=Michael J. |title=A Concise History of Modern Korea: From the Late Nineteenth Century to the Present |date=2019 |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |isbn=9781538129050}}
* {{cite book |last = Shin |first=Gi-wook |title = Ethnic Nationalism in Korea: Genealogy, Politics, and Legacy |publisher=[[Stanford University Press]] |year=2006 |isbn= 9780804754088 }}
* {{cite book |last1=Suh |first1=Dae-sook |title=Kim Il Sung: The North Korean Leader |date=1988 |publisher=Columbia University Press |location=New York |isbn=9780231065733}}
* {{cite book|last=Suh|first=Dae-Sook|author-mask=3|title=Korean Communism, 1945–1980: A Reference Guide to the Political System|year=1981|location=Honolulu|publisher=The University Press of Hawaii|isbn=978-0-8248-0740-5}}
* {{cite book|editor-last=Suh|editor-first=Jae-Jung|title=Origins of North Korea's Juche: Colonialism, War, and Development|year=2012|publisher=Lexington Books|location=Lanham|isbn=978-0-7391-7659-7}}
{{refend}}

==== Journal articles ====
{{refbegin|30em}}
* {{cite journal |last=Armstrong |first=Charles K. |title=Familism, Socialism and Political Religion in North Korea |journal=Totalitarian Movements and Political Religions |date=2005 |volume=6 |issue=3 |pages= 383–394|doi=10.1080/14690760500317743 |s2cid=145497407 }}
* {{cite journal |last=Armstrong |first=Charles K. |author-mask=3 |title=Juche and North Korea's Global Aspirations |journal=NKIDP Working Paper |date=April 2009 |issue=1 |url=http://www.wilsoncenter.org/sites/default/files/NKIDP_Working_Paper_1_Juche_and_North_Koreas_Global_Aspirations_web.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160307074422/https://www.wilsoncenter.org/sites/default/files/NKIDP_Working_Paper_1_Juche_and_North_Koreas_Global_Aspirations_web.pdf |archive-date=7 March 2016 }}
* {{cite journal|last=Armstrong|first=Charles K.|author-mask=3|url=https://apjjf.org/-Charles-K--Armstrong/3460/article.pdf|title=The Destruction and Reconstruction of North Korea, 1950–1960|journal=The Asia-Pacific Journal|volume=8|issue=51|page=9|date=20 December 2010|access-date=10 July 2022|archive-date=16 January 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220116204532/https://apjjf.org/-Charles-K--Armstrong/3460/article.pdf|url-status=dead}}
* {{Cite journal|last=David-West|first=Alzo|date=2011|title=Between Confucianism and Marxism-Leninism: Juche and the Case of Chŏng Tasan|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/23719456|journal=[[Korean Studies (journal)|Korean Studies]]|volume=35|pages=93–121|jstor=23719456|issn=0145-840X}}
* {{cite journal|last1=David-West|first1=Alzo|title='Man is the Master of Everything and Decides Everything': De-constructing the North Korean ''Juche'' Axiom|journal=Essays in the Philosophy of Humanism|volume=17|issue=2|year=2013|pages=67–84|issn=1522-7340|doi=10.1558/eph.v17i2.67}}
* {{cite journal |last1=Helgesen |first1=Geir |title = Political Revolution in a Cultural Continuum: Preliminary Observations on the North Korean "Juche" Ideology with its Intrinsic Cult of Personality|doi=10.1353/apr.1991.a921267|s2cid=268591038 |journal=Asian Perspectives |date=1991 |volume=15 |issue=1 |pages=187–213 }}
* {{cite journal|title=none|journal=Journal of Asiatic Studies|volume=13|publisher=Asiatic Research Institute, Korea University|year=1970|issue=3–4 |ref={{harvid|Asiatic Research Institute, Korea University|1970}}}}
* {{cite journal |last1=Jung |first1=Hyang Jin |title = Jucheism as an Apotheosis of the Family: The Case of the Arirang Festival |journal = Journal of Korean Religions |date=2013 |volume=4 |issue=2|pages=93–122 |doi=10.1353/JKR.2013.0014|s2cid=145176921 }}
* {{cite journal|last1=Kim|first1=Young Kun|last2=Zagoria|first2=Donald S.|title=North Korea and the Major Powers|journal=Asian Survey|volume=15|issue=12|date=December 1975|pages=1017–1035|jstor=2643582|doi=10.2307/2643582}}
* {{cite journal |last1=Lee |first1=Grace |year=2003 |title=The Political Philosophy of Juche |journal=Stanford Journal of East Asian Affairs |volume=3 |issue=1 |pages=105–111 |url=http://www.stanford.edu/group/sjeaa/journal3/korea1.pdf }}
* {{cite journal |last1=Lim |first1=Jae-cheon |date= May–June 2012 |title= North Korea's Hereditary Succession Comparing Two Key Transitions in the DPRK |journal=[[Asian Survey]] |volume=52 |issue=3 |pages = 550–570 |doi = 10.1525/as.2012.52.3.550 |jstor = 10.1525/as.2012.52.3.550 |doi-access= free }}
* {{cite journal |last1=Myers |first1=Brian Reynolds |title=Ideology as Smokescreen: North Korea's Juche Thought |journal=[[Acta Koreana]] |date=2008 |volume=11 |issue=3 |pages=161–182 |doi=10.18399/acta.2008.11.3.007 |issn=2733-5348 |doi-access=free }}
* {{cite journal |last1=Myers |first1=Brian Reynolds |author-mask=3 |title=Western Academia and the Word ''Juche'' |journal=Pacific Affairs |date=1 December 2014 |volume=87 |issue=4 |pages=779–789 |doi=10.5509/2014874779 |url=https://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/paaf/paaf/2014/00000087/00000004/art00006 |language=en |url-access=subscription }}
* {{cite journal |last=Quinones |first=C. Kenneth |title=Juche's Role in North Korea's Foreign Policy |journal=International Symposium on Communism in Asia |date=7 June 2008 |url=http://www.ckquinones.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/Maison-Franco-Japonaise-Juche-Paper.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304135957/http://www.ckquinones.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/Maison-Franco-Japonaise-Juche-Paper.pdf |archive-date=4 March 2016 }}
{{refend}}

==== News and magazine articles ====
{{refbegin|30em}}
* {{cite news |last=Beauchamp-Mustafaga |first=Nathan |title=Assessing North Korea's Nuclear Gambit: A View from Beijing |url=http://sinonk.com/2014/12/03/zhang-liangui-on-north-korea-nuclear/ |work=Global Times |via=Sino-NK |date=3 December 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160202130053/http://sinonk.com/2014/12/03/zhang-liangui-on-north-korea-nuclear/ |archive-date=2 February 2016 }}
* {{cite news |last1=Branigan |first1=Tania |title=How Black Panthers turned to North Korea in fight against US imperialism |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jun/19/black-panthers-north-korea-us-imperialism |work=The Guardian |date=19 June 2014 |language=en}}
* {{Cite news|last=Byrne|first=Leo|date=17 June 2014|title=Interview: Thousands of North Korea Juche supporters exist in Nigeria|url=https://www.nknews.org/2014/06/interview-thousands-of-north-korea-juche-supporters-exist-in-nigeria/|work=[[NK News]]|access-date=14 September 2025}}
* {{cite web |last=Fisher |first=Max |title=The single most important fact for understanding North Korea |url=https://www.vox.com/2016/1/6/10724334/north-korea-history |website=Vox |access-date=10 April 2020 |date=6 January 2016}}
* {{cite news|last=Halpin|first=Dennis|url=https://www.nknews.org/2015/02/north-koreas-kim-family-cult-roots-in-state-shinto/|title=North Korea's Kim family cult: Roots in Japanese state Shinto?|work=[[NK News]]|date=19 February 2015|access-date=3 November 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171107014231/https://www.nknews.org/2015/02/north-koreas-kim-family-cult-roots-in-state-shinto/|archive-date=7 November 2017|url-status=live}}
* {{cite news|last=Hee|first=Min Cho|title=Vinylon and CNC? What are they good for?|date=18 March 2010|url=http://www.dailynk.com/english/m/read.php?cataId=nk01300&num=6136|access-date=16 October 2017|via=[[Daily NK]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171017093724/http://www.dailynk.com/english/m/read.php?cataId=nk01300&num=6136|archive-date=17 October 2017|url-status=live}}
* {{cite news |last1=Jeong |first1=Dae-il |script-title=ko:주체사상은 누가, 언제, 어떤 배경에서 창시하였나요? |url=https://www.tongiltimes.com/news/articleView.html?idxno=22 |work=Tongil Times |date=29 October 2020 |language=ko}}
* {{cite news |title=Jusapa: Painful legacy of modern history |url=https://www.koreaherald.com/article/10364917 |access-date=21 February 2025 |work=[[The Korea Herald]] |date=11 June 2012 |language=en |ref={{harvid|The Korea Herald|2012}}}}
* {{cite news|last=Kelly|first=Robert E.|title=If North Korea isn't communist, then what is it? |date=19 November 2015 |url=https://www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpreter/if-north-korea-isn-t-communist-then-what-it |access-date=29 November 2022 |work=The Lowy Institute |language=en}}
* {{cite news|title=Kim's Son 'Only One' to Take Over|work=[[South China Morning Post]]|issue=12|date=20 April 1982|ref={{harvid|South China Morning Post|1982}}}}
* {{cite news|last=Lankov |first=Andrei|title=Juche: Idea for All Times |series=Another Korea |number=246 |work=[[The Korea Times]] |date=27 November 2007 |access-date=24 October 2020 |url= https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/nation/2020/07/166_14442.html }}
* {{cite news |last=Lee |first=Seulki |title= City of devotees devotes itself to development |publisher= Nepali Times |date= 25 April 2016 |url= https://nepalitimes.com/article/nation/City-of-devotees-devotes-itself-to-development,3009 |url-status= live |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20170209183136/http://nepalitimes.com/article/nation/City-of-devotees-devotes-itself-to-development%2C3009 |archive-date= 9 February 2017}}
* {{cite news |last=Park |first=Sang-seek |date=23 June 2017 |title=North Korea and Syria: Two evil states |work=The Statesman |url=https://www.thestatesman.com/opinion/north-korea-and-syria-two-evil-states-1498254754.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230401070232/https://www.thestatesman.com/opinion/north-korea-and-syria-two-evil-states-1498254754.html |archive-date=1 April 2023}}
* {{cite news |title=Rules on use of Juche Era adopted |work=[[Korean Central News Agency]] |url=http://www.kcna.co.jp/item/1997/9708/news8/25.htm#4 |date=25 August 1997 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100313071908/http://www.kcna.co.jp/item/1997/9708/news8/25.htm |archivedate=13 March 2010 |language=en |ref={{harvid|KCNA|1997}}}}
* {{cite news|last1=Shin|first1=James Pearson|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-northkorea-missiles-technology/how-a-homemade-tool-helped-north-koreas-missile-program-idUSKBN1CH1I4|title=How a homemade tool helped North Korea's missile program|date=13 October 2017|access-date=15 October 2017|newspaper=Reuters|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171014160831/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-northkorea-missiles-technology/how-a-homemade-tool-helped-north-koreas-missile-program-idUSKBN1CH1I4|archive-date=14 October 2017|url-status=live}}
* {{cite news |last=Thayer |first=Nate |author-link=Nate Thayer |date=6 May 2013 |title=White Power and apocalyptic cults: Pro-DPRK Americans revealed |url=https://www.nknews.org/2013/05/white-power-and-apocalyptic-cults-pro-dprk-americans-revealed/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231020154902/https://www.nknews.org/2013/05/white-power-and-apocalyptic-cults-pro-dprk-americans-revealed/ |archive-date=20 October 2023 |access-date=5 November 2023 |work=[[NK News]]}}
* {{cite news |last=Young |first=Benjamin R. |title=White Juche: How North Korea captured the imagination of the global far right|url=https://www.nknews.org/2023/11/white-juche-how-north-korea-captured-the-imagination-of-the-global-far-right/|work=[[NK News]]|date=13 November 2023}}
* {{cite news |script-title=ko:우리 당의 선군정치는 필승불패이다 |trans-title=Our Party's Military-First Politics Will Inevitably Achieve Victory and Will Never Be Defeated |url=http://www.kcna.co.jp/munkon/m-1999-06-16.htm |work=[[Rodong Sinmun]] |date=16 June 1999 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20021124132659/http://www.kcna.co.jp/munkon/m-1999-06-16.htm |archive-date=24 November 2002 |language=ko |ref={{harvid|Rodong Sinmun|1999}}}}
{{refend}}

==== Websites ====
{{refbegin|30em}}
* {{cite web|last=Bermudez|first=Joseph S. Jr.|url=http://bemil.chosun.com/nbrd/bbs/view.html?b_bbs_id=10162&num=9|script-title=ko:유용원군사세계|date=3 March 2017|website=bemil.Chosun.com|access-date=15 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170922050934/http://bemil.chosun.com/nbrd/bbs/view.html?b_bbs_id=10162&num=9|archive-date=22 September 2017|url-status=live|language=ko}}
* {{cite web|last=Hassan|first=Steven|url=https://freedomofmind.com/north-korea-hopefully-not-a-potential-global-waco/|title=North Korea: Hopefully Not a Potential Global Waco?|work=Freedom of Mind Resource Center|date=20 April 2017|access-date=4 January 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180104134035/https://freedomofmind.com/north-korea-hopefully-not-a-potential-global-waco/|archive-date=4 January 2018|url-status=live}}
* {{cite web|last=Lewis|first=Jeffrey|url=http://www.armscontrolwonk.com/archive/1204170/domestic-udmh-production-in-the-dprk/|title=Domestic UDMH Production in the DPRK|date=27 September 2017|website=www.ArmsControlWonk.com|access-date=15 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171015063336/http://www.armscontrolwonk.com/archive/1204170/domestic-udmh-production-in-the-dprk/|archive-date=15 October 2017|url-status=live}}
* {{cite web |last=Zycher |first=Benjamin |title=Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un Sitting in a Juche Tree{{nbsp}}... |url=https://www.aei.org/domestic-policy/energy-policy/donald-trump-and-kim-jong-un-sitting-in-a-juche-tree/ |publisher=[[American Enterprise Institute]] |date=4 February 2025 |access-date=10 March 2025}}
* {{cite web |script-title=ko:북한 노동당 규약 주요 개정 내용 |url=https://www.yna.co.kr/view/AKR20210601170100504 |work=[[Yonhap News Agency]] |access-date=13 June 2021 |language=ko |date=1 June 2021 |ref={{harvid|Yonhap News Agency|2021}}}}
{{refend}}

==== Other ====
{{refbegin|30em}}
* {{cite report|title=Activities Conducted in Japan Signal Beginning of 2020: To Celebrate Birth Anniversary of Chairman Kim Jong Un New Year Seminar, Celebration Party and Art Performances Held in Okinawa |url=http://juche.v.wol.ne.jp/l_english/news/20200215/article1.html |access-date=14 June 2021 |publisher=International Institute of the Juche Idea |ref={{harvid|IIJI|2020}}}}
* {{cite web |last=Bar |first=Shmuel |title=Bashar's Syria: The Regime and its Strategic Worldview |publisher=[[Herzliya Conference]] |url=http://www.herzliyaconference.org/_Uploads/2590Bashars.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110723214138/http://www.herzliyaconference.org/_Uploads/2590Bashars.pdf |date=2006 |archive-date=23 July 2011}}
* {{cite podcast |last=Ford |first=Derek |date=28 February 2018 |title=The Democratic People's Republic of Korea Beyond Propaganda |url=https://groundings.simplecast.com/episodes/the-democratic-peoples-republic-of-korea-3e897ea3 |url-status=live |access-date=30 April 2021 |website=Groundings Podcast |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210430215825/https://groundings.simplecast.com/episodes/the-democratic-peoples-republic-of-korea-3e897ea3 |archive-date=30 April 2021 }}
* {{cite web |last=Rank |first=Michael |url=http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Korea/LD10Dg02.html |title=Lifting the cloak on North Korean secrecy: ''The Cleanest Race, How North Koreans See Themselves'' by B. R. Myers |date=10 April 2012 |access-date=13 December 2012 |publisher=Asia Times (Book review)|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130112092300/http://atimes.com/atimes/Korea/LD10Dg02.html |archive-date=12 January 2013 |url-status=unfit}}
* {{cite report|last1=Wertz |first1=Daniel |last2=Oh |first2=JJ |last3=Kim |first3=Insung |title=The DPRK Diplomatic Relations |year=2015 |publisher=National Committee on North Korea |url=http://www.ncnk.org/resources/publications/NCNK_Issue_Brief_DPRK_Diplomatic_Relations.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304085503/http://www.ncnk.org/resources/publications/NCNK_Issue_Brief_DPRK_Diplomatic_Relations.pdf |archive-date=4 March 2016}}
* {{cite web|last=Young|first=Benjamin R.|date=7 March 2016 |title=North Korea's Juche: Myth or meaningful?|url=https://www.nknews.org/2016/03/north-koreas-juche-myth-or-meaningful/ |access-date=7 December 2021 |publisher=[[NK News]] (Book review) |language=en-US}}
{{refend}}

==Further reading==
{{Wiktionary|Juche}}
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite journal|title=Turning Marx on His Head? North Korean Juche as Developmental Nationalism|last1=Gray|first1=Kevin|journal=Critical Asian Studies|year=2023|volume=55 |issue=2 |pages=261–281 |url=https://doi.org/10.1080/14672715.2023.2174892|publisher=Taylor & Francis Group |doi=10.1080/14672715.2023.2174892 }}
{{refend}}

{{Workers' Party of Korea}}
{{Korea topics|Politics}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Juche| ]]
[[Category:Communism in North Korea]]
[[Category:Economic ideologies]]
[[Category:Economy of North Korea]]
[[Category:Far-left politics in Asia]]
[[Category:Government of North Korea]]
[[Category:Ideology of the Workers' Party of Korea]]
[[Category:Isolationism]]
[[Category:Kim Il Sung]]
[[Category:Kim Jong Il]]
[[Category:Korean nationalism]]
[[Category:Korean philosophy]]
[[Category:Marxism–Leninism]]
[[Category:National communism]]
[[Category:Nationalism in Korea]]
[[Category:Culture of North Korea]]
[[Category:Political theories]]
[[Category:Politics of North Korea]]
[[Category:Political terminology of North Korea]]
[[Category:Propaganda in North Korea]]
[[Category:State ideologies]]
[[Category:Totalitarian ideologies]]
[[Category:Types of socialism]]