By Harold Hakwon Sunoo, A Leader Of Reunification Movement and A Scholar

The literal meaning of Chajusong refers to being independent and free from external domination. However, the word Chajusong used in our discussion has deeper philosophical implications.

<##IMAGE##> As we remember, there has been tremendous political pressure and even military threats placed by the United States and South Korea upon North Korea on the pretext of nuclear inspections. In such an environment, President Kim Il Sung responded in the following manner: 밯e do not have nuclear arms, nor do we produce them. So we do not object to nuclear inspections? If they are to be conducted, they must be conducted simultaneously in South Korea, where nuclear weapons do exist, instead of being conducted only here, where there are no nuclear arms.?(Answers to the Questions Raised by the President of the Kyodo News Services of Japan, June 1, 1991) This is a clear case where President Kim rejected external intimidation in the spirit of Chajusong.

Secretary Kim Jong Il said: “Chajusong is an attribute of social man who desires living and developing in an independent way as master of the world and of his own destiny.” (Study of the Juche Idea, Vol. V, No.4, p. 6) This statement clearly indicates the significance of the relationship between Chajusong and social man. Man as a social man was already an accepted concept in early Greek philosophy. Aristotle said, “He who is unable to live in society must be either a beast or a god.” What he meant was that basically man is a social and political being.

The Juche idea contributes in clarifying the nature of social man by stating that the essential nature of social human beings closely relates with the value of freedom and equality. These are the elements of Chajusong.

Chajusong of man is to remove all restrictions either natural or social, and create conditions conducive to the development of freedom and equality. Freedom means that man is freed from the restraint of motion and action by external domination. Equality means the social relation of exchange of equivalence.

President Kim Il Sung said, “Chajusong is what keeps man alive. If he loses Chajusong in society, he cannot be called a man; he differs little from an animal. We might say that social- political life is more valuable to a man than physical life. He is a social being. If he is forsaken by society and deprived of political Chajusong, although he seems alive, he is virtually dead as a social human being." (Answers to Questions Raised by Foreign Journalists, p. 290) So we know that a Chajusong person is a social being who differs from one without Chajusong. The essences of Chajusong are clearly indicated by President Kim in the following ways.

First, man instinctively seeks freedom from any kind of restraint and domination. Unlike an animal, man demands to lead a free life without any constraint. Second, man not only wants to be free from all domination, but also insists on controlling the force of nature and surroundings so as to make them serve himself as well as to make social relations favorable for him. Chajusong is indeed the soul of man. Man has a highly developed brain and other organs, with the functions of thinking, talking, communicating and working that other living beings cannot do. Indeed, Chajusong makes that man master of the world.

When, then, can man have Chajusong?

The philosophical principle of the Juche idea teaches that man is the master of everything and decides everything. If man is to become the master of everything, he must be a man of Chajusong. Why is that? Because man without Chajusong simply cannot be able to decide everything around him. A man of Chajusong is a social being, and only social man can be able to control his destiny. Social man is socially conscious of Chajusong. How, then, does he become a social man? And when can he identify himself as social man, man of Chajusong?

President Kim II Sung said, “Education involves training people to be social beings who are fully prepared mentally, morally and physically. In order to become social beings, they must first have sound social consciousness. Only when people have the ideological and cultural background which they should possess as social beings, can they participate as masters in all aspects of social life.” (Some problems involved in the Idea of Juche, September 17, 1972)

Chajusong is developed gradually through education and exercise in the course of social life. As he becomes conscious of his Chajusong, consciousness guarantees the formation and function of Chajusong. Consciousness can reflect, regulate and control man"s destiny.

How does Chajusong function? Man (Person) of Chajusong cannot be idle, but must act for the society. How and what are some of the things man of Chajusong ought to be doing? Expounding the man-centered world outlook, President Kim stated, “If it is to give a correct answer to the question of man"s destiny, a philosophy must not only give a general view on the existence and movement of the world, but make it clear what man is and what his relation to the world." (Answer to the Questions Raised by Foreign Journalists, Vol. III, p. 358)

The viewpoint and attitude of President Kim are Juche-oriented ones which approach the world from the point of human interests and deal with the change and development of the world mainly based on human activity.

What are some of the contributions toward man’s life from the position of the Juche idea? What does a man of Chajusong contribute to this society? There are many elements we can discuss to answer these questions, but let us concentrate only on three points at this time.

First, what are the most serious problems arising in the world today? What is a pressing question facing our planet today? Without question, it is the problem of war and peace. What is Chajusong"s answer to this pressing issue?

President Kim II Sung said, “It is the unanimous desire of the people to live peacefully in for world free from aggression and war, and subjugation and oppression.” (Study of Juche Idea, Vol. VI, No.3, p. 2)

How, then, can we have world peace which is our desire? War is the action of some class or group to realize their demand and interests by the means of violence having destructive power, armed force. Without exception, war creates terrible sacrifices and calamities to people. Today only the United States remains as a superpower with hopes of dominating the world after the collapse of the Soviet Union. The Washington authorities should learn a lesson from the experience of the Soviet Union that an astronomical arms budget for national defense caused the collapse of the empire. Today"s U.S. armament and preparation for nuclear war seriously threatens world peace.

In order to secure the common future of mankind, there is need of a conscientious effort to build a new international order of the Third World outlook, not a new world order of President George Bush at this historical moment.

Secretary Kim Jong II said, “International unity is unity among the peoples aspiring to Chajusong; it aims at eliminating all forms of domination and subjugation and realizing Chajusong. Unless it is based on Chajusong, genuine and lasting unity will be impossible, and national and international duties will not be carried out faithfully." (Study Vol., VI, No.2, pp. 22-23)

Chajusong is an idea of international character which reflects the fundamental spirit of our time. The idea shows clearly the basic objective of international relations of our time. Today everyone wants to end the exploitation of man by man, the oppression of class by class, domination of nation-state by another nation. The people want to abolish the old international relations of domination and subjugation, and wish to establish a new international relationship in which the sovereignty of all countries and nations is securely ensured.

President Kim II Sung said, “Trying today to impose her will upon others by means of power politics is an anachronistic way of thinking. As I said in my speech at the 85th Inter- Parliamentary Conference, there can be no major or minor countries although there are large and small countries; nor can there be nations which are destined to rule or to be ruled, though there are developed and less developed nations.” (Answers to the Questions Raised by the Presicient of the Kyodo News Services of Japan, Study of the Juche Idea, No. 55, p. 6, June 1, 1991)

The fundamental issue in building a peaceful society is to free people from the old system, old way of thinking, and teach them how to acquire the new system of Chajusong and the Juche way of thinking. It will then lead them to live independently and be masters of their own destiny in building a peaceful world. Chajusong is, therefore, an essential ingredient to build a peaceful world.

Second, another function of Chajusong is that of creating a society of love among the people. Many people, even among the progressive ones, confuse the difference between the Juche idea and Marxism. Marx held the view that an ideal society is a society in which productivity has achieved a level where waterfalls of goods pour from the production lines and in which each person works according to his ability and receives according to his needs. In this way, complete equality would be realized among the people in terms of their material welfare. As a result, the distinction between physical and mental labors would be abolished and labors would be perceived not as a burden but as a primary requirement of life. Consequently people will enjoy a free life.

Marx considered an ideal society of mankind to be a society in which man is free from material want. He completely neglected the need for man"s spiritual life which is an essential element of human nature. Is there any wonder for the sudden collapse of the Soviet Union after seven decades of practicing “Marxism.”

President Kim II Sung said, “Our ideal is to is to build a society where everyone is well-fed, well-clothed and lives a long life, a society where there is no laggard nor idler and where everybody is progressive and works devotedly, a society where all people live united in harmony as one big family.” (Kim II Sung, Works, Vol. 15, p. 281)

President Kim characterized the ideal society as a society where all class distinction is eliminated, a society where unity and cooperative relations between people are highly developed, so that the whole of society is closely knit like a family.

When man lives a life suited to his nature he experiences joy. Otherwise he experiences anguish. Ordinary man experiences cooperation and love of human relationship more with the members of the family than outsiders. In other words, the most solid social combination of people is the social combination of people who share a common purpose. Sharing a common purpose means that those who comprise the group share both life and death. The concept of comradeship is another example. Classic experience of love of comradeship had been demonstrated during the struggle against Japanese imperialism under the leadership of President Kim II Sung in the early "30s.

Marx, too, advocated the importance of comradeship when he called, “Workers of the world unite!” This appealed to the class ties among workers, but it failed to be implemented in practice. Marx"s classless society was to replace Christ"s idea of getting mankind to love one another as brothers. As a matter of fact, all religions laid great stress on the theory of love. The concept of Buddhism"s mercy is much similar to the concept of Christ"s love. But they are all abstract concepts and unrealistic.

The Juche idea has raised the need for the love of comradeship to be put into practice as the Korean guerrilla fighters experienced during the "30s and "40s against the Japanese aggressors. Their unique experience of comradeship of love has become the base of the Juche idea. Marxism lacked such human compassion. We are witnessing today what is happening in socialistic societies where human compassion is lacking. The leaders of the Communist Party of these countries in East Europe and the Soviet Union neglected the need of a spiritual outlook on life.

The love of comradeship is based on the collective outlook on life where the principle of equality is based on the social outlook on life. However, the bourgeois individualistic outlook on life values the life of the individuals who seek the greatest pleasure and happiness in achieving the freedom and equality of individuals. In contrast, the Juche society has concerns for the value of human life.

In 1974, a trade ship, “Hyokshin” of the DPRK had an accident while sailing the Indian Ocean. Two men of its crew lost consciousness. The ship’s doctor gave them treatment, but in vain. They needed immediate surgery, but it was not possible under the circumstances. The captain radioed the accident to Pyongyang. Secretary Kim Jong Il received the urgent report, inquired about the nearest port. Madras of India was the nearest, but I was not the ship’s destination; Colombo of Sri Lanka was their destination. Secretary Kim sent a message: change course at once and go to Madras at full speed. Simultaneously, he instructed the DPRK Embassy in India to prepare to take care of the crew on their arrival. Korean officials waited at the port of Madras when the “Hyokshin” arrived. After the operations of two crewmen, the patients were returned home by air.

The patients were regular seamen—not officials on the ship; however, Secretary Kim arranged to save their lives without hesitation or concern about the ship’s schedule. This is just one example of the human compassion of the Juche society. The Juche society values every human’s life as an essential component of the total community.

The Juche idea requires the appreciation of the principle of comradeship and the concept of love in a unified way. It is obvious that love cannot be formed between the exploiting and oppressing, and the exploited and oppressed. The reality of Juche society, the DPRK, is a model of such society, shows that the principle of comradeship is being allied with credit and as a result the whole of society is being firmly united as a social collective body. Indeed, the Juche idea is a powerful and activated idea which unites the masses and guarantees the happiness of the people on the basis of love and cooperation of the people for the people, by the people in the DPRK.

Third, and the last element of Chajusong, is the immortality of Chajusong. Secretary Kim Jong II said, “Man has a physical life and also social and political integrity. The physical life is what integrity is what keeps man alive as biological organism; social ad political integrity is what keeps him alive as a social being. (Study of the Juche Idea, Vol. V, No. 4, p. 6)

Why did Secretary Kim point out the distinct difference of biological and social entity of man? Because he wishes to explain the basic difference of two elements of human nature.

As we all know, Marxist philosophy considered man from the aspect of evolution, that is, from inorganic materials to living materials, from the living materials to human beings. Animals are biological and have individual existence just as man, but animals are not social beings like human beings. Man"s physical functions are not much different from animals. They are based an evolution just as Marx has explained. But what makes man a man is not physical development, but his social development which is not an evolutionary development like biological development. More specifically, man"s Chajusong is not a result of the development of physical functions but the attributes given to man by the society. President Kim II Sung said, “We might say that socio-political life is more valuable to man than physical life. He is a social being.”

Man is a social being who is united by social relations and forms a social group. Social group is the conscious unity of the people and every man is a member of it. Such a group possesses social and political integrity, a new social attribute, and he can live as te master of the world. In order to become the master of his life, and lead human life qualitatively different from animals, he should possess the social and political life.

The social group which is formed by the masses of the people is able to transform the nature and society with Chajusong, creativity, and consciousness favorable to its own like and can live forever. That is why social group formed by the masses of people is an important group. Everyone who is a member of this group possesses immortal life. The Juche idea made scientifically clear that man can possess eternal life by maintaining close association of kinship like a member of his family with the popular masses and combining the eternal life of a social group. This is an important element of Chajusong in which the Juche idea makes a great contribution to the outlook on human life, and the world outlook. Indeed, it is an inspiring message to those who are engaged in the struggle for a better life.

In conclusion, a quotation from President Kim Il Sung’s famous words on Chajusong: “Chajusong is what keeps man alive…deprived of political Chajusong…he is virtually dead.” Armed with Chajusong, let us build a peaceful, cooperative, friendly world where we can share human compassion and brotherly love as the Juche idea teaches us.

*The author is a distinguished professor Emeritus
Central Methodist College, Fayette, MD. He has published 20 books in English, French, Japanese and Korean.