The issue of nation is a very important socio-political one that decides the destiny and future of a country, a nation and humankind. Without the issue of nation being solved properly, the independent development and prosperity of a country and nation is unthinkable and bright future of the humankind can not be expected. The development of humankind and the world can't be achieved without the development of a country and nation as countries and nations constitute the world. For these reasons, ceaseless studies and discussions on the issue of nation were made in the past.
As far as the past theories of nation are concerned, they regarded the issue of nation as an issue of liberating one nation from the oppression by other nation in one country in many capitalist and multi-national states of Europe and gave an answer to it.
In the period of imperialism, the issue of national development included those of eliminating political inequality in some civilized European nations and of liberating colonized nations. And it was subordinated to the issue of socialist revolution in a suzerain state. And they advocated the development of all nations into "socialist nations" and predicted the gradual integration of "socialist nations" afterward and the loss of national identities themselves in the end.
This shows that the preceding theories of nation failed to give complete and scientific explanation to the issue of national development.
The reason is partly attributable to the fact that they based their explanation of the law of development of human history on materialistic conception, but mostly to the fact that a scientific understanding was not achieved on what is the most fundamental and essential quality that regulates the existence and development of a nation and of what is the life and soul of a nation.
The immortal Juche idea gave a completely unique explanation to this issue for the first time on the basis of a scientific analysis of life and soul of a nation.
Leader
"Independence is the life and soul for every country and people, and no relations of domination and submission, order and obedience could be permitted between them."("ON THE JUCHE PHILOSOPHY", pp101~102)
What is important in the explanation on the issue of the development of nation given by Juche idea is the issue of the essence of national development and its lawful process.
Explaining the essence of national development and its lawful process correctly is an essential requirement to achieve an ever-lasting prosperity of a nation by providing a clear direction and objective and formulating correct development strategies for national prosperity.
The Juche idea, for the first time, gave a scientific formulation that independence is the life and soul of a country and nation.
Independence of a nation is an attribute of the nation to live and develop independently as the master of its destiny free from any kinds of domination, subordination and restraint by other nations.
It is an attribute of every nation whereby they maintain and develop themselves as an independent living unit and as an independent social group, and also a quality whereby every nation chooses and decides the line for its survival and development on the basis of its own faith and implement it by its own effort.
Independence of a nation is the right to sovereignty, an attribute to defend the national independence and to exercise the inviolable right of the nation to self-determination.
This finds its expression in defending the right to sovereignty desirous of living and developing as an independent nation, not allowing any intervention, pressure, domination and subordination by external forces.
Independence of a nation is also an attribute expressed in the attitude of fulfilling their responsibility as an independent social group in solving all problems in carving out its destiny.
This independence, which is the life and soul of a nation, is a fundamental and essential quality of a nation that regulates the existence and development of a national group and a national community, a fundamental quality that makes a nation a nation, and a fundamental quality that enables them to lead their life independently by maintaining and developing their national identity.
For this reason, the issue of development of a nation in its nature becomes an issue concerning realization and development of independence.
Development of a nation means growth of independence of the nation and that growth means that the nation's desire to resolutely repel domination and intervention by the outside forces and firmly defend the national dignity and to defend and realize their rights as the master of their own destiny gets further strengthened. And also it means that the nation's desire to completely reject dependency on foreign forces and to fulfill their responsibility as the master of their own destiny gets more strengthened and is displayed on a high level.
As explained so far, the Juche idea established a new Juche-oriented view and stand that a nation is an advanced nation when it exerts its right as the master of its own destiny in a way that is favorable for the development of the country and prosperity of the nation according to their independent idea and faith.
Such Juche-oriented stand and view correctly defines the direction of development of a nation so as to completely realize its independence, its life and soul, and helps to correctly work out strategies of struggle and principles of activities for realization of independence.
The Juche idea has given a new explanation on lawful process of development of a nation as well.
The explanation of the lawful process of a nation's development is an especially important and urgent requirement in terms of frustrating the vicious and cunning policy of the US to obliterate other nations in modern times.
Today the imperialists are maneuvering to westernize the ideology, system, politics, economy and culture of other countries saying that globalization is a tendency, with integration of global economy because the commonness increases in the lives of nations as the multi-national enterprises develop and the contacts and links between nations become closer.
It is true that the commonness increases in the lives of nations as society develops and the contacts and exchanges between nations become closer. However, it presupposes the independent development of each nation and it can be achieved only on this basis.
What is called the tendency towards "integration" of the world, as fabricated by the imperialists, is aimed at making the entire world a "free world" of western style and obliterating other nations by subordinating and assimilating them.
Furthermore, by advertizing the "positive role" of capitalism and colonialism in the development of nations, the imperialists and advocates of capitalists are coming out with the theory of "civilization by colonization".
For example, they say that the colonial rule of the Japanese imperialists brought the modern civilization to Korea and made the Korean people enjoy a civilized life from backward life and they try to justify the colonial policies of UK, France and the US as it was for the happiness and development of colonized nations.
However, it's none other than sophistry designed to cover up and hide the fact that capitalism and imperialism, the most cunning and severe way of exploitation, transplant capitalism into colonized nations for more profit and more exploitation and obliterate the colonized nations through assimilation.
Capitalism checks the genuine and independent development of a nation. Based on egoism, it only generates class confrontation, oppression and national inequality.
In capitalist society, national unity can't be achieved and the members of society can not have the attitude as the master towards the development of the country and nation and social wealth can't be properly used for the development of the nation.
It is socialism that provides genuine and independent development of nations.
Socialism, from its nature, guarantees free development of nations and opposes and eliminates class exploitation and all kinds of national inequality.
Socialism and a nation are linked in one destiny, and prosperity of a nation is achieved with the victorious advance of socialism.
The Juche idea newly proved that the inevitable course of a nation's development in carrying out the socialist cause does not involve a course in which a nation is either destroyed or declines through assimilation or annexation by the other, but it is a process in which each nation exists independently and develops into a more civilized and powerful one.
The process of independent development of a nation is a process in which each nation develops itself into a more civilized and powerful one, in other words, the one with a high socio-cultural standard and strong state power.
It is also a process in which a nation develops into a more civilized and prospering one to meet the independent demand and desire of the nation, relying on its own power.
A nation's development is achieved by its own strength in conformity with the independent demand of the nation itself.
Every nation creates intellectual and material wealth necessary for its existence and development on its own and chooses and creates the ideology and system necessary to carve out its own destiny.
Nations transform their natural and geographical environment in order to get material wealth they need.
The process of independent development of a nation is also a process in which it freely creates its own life and history.
The process of development of nations is not one in which they create the world heritage or values for all mankind but one in which a nation strengthens its independent existence, characteristics and appearance as a nation, creating things that are unique to the nation.
The process of development of nations is not one in which they create the "universal value of humanity" or "global culture" but one in which a nation strengthens its independent existence, characteristics and appearance as a nation, creating things that are unique to the nation.
The process of independent development of nations is also a process in which they expand and develop contacts and cooperation with other nations on the principle of complete equity and on the voluntary basis. It's true that the relations between nations get closer and expanded along with the development of the international relations, but it doesn't mean that it weakens independence and self-reliance of the nations.
The process of development of a nation is achieved in a way that contacts and relations between nations are strengthened on the basis of independence in all respects.
As I explained so far, the immortal Juche idea gave, for the first time in human history, a scientific explanation that the process of the development of a nation is not one of downfall or elimination but one in which each nation exists independently and develops into a more independent, more civilized and powerful nation.
In fact, the reactionary nature of the imperialists who maneuvered to obliterate the other nations by checking their independent development under the signboard of "globalization" was clearly revealed by the comprehensive explanation of Juche idea about the lawfulness of the development of a nation. And all nations now have the great guidelines that help them to vigorously advance along the true path of their development and the road of independent and unique development.
All nations will develop into more thriving and prospering ones when they hold up the Juche idea and its theory as the only great guiding ideology of national development.
