111th Birth Anniversary of President Kim Il Sung
& 45th Founding Anniversary of the IIJI
Grandly Commemorated
－ Seminar on Juche Idea Held in Japan－

April 9, 2023 marks the 45th founding anniversary of the International Institute of the Juche Idea (IIJI), a turn of significance.

A Seminar on the Juche Idea to Commemorate the 111th Birth Anniversary of President Kim Il Sung & the 45th Founding Anniversary of the IIJI was held in Tokyo under the auspices of the IIJI and the Japanese Liaison Council for the Study of Kimilsung-Kimjongilism.

Prof. Ramon Jimenes Lopez, director general of the IIJI Board joined it online and the following other personages visited Japan all the ways from their respective countries to join the seminar: Prof. Matteo Carbonelli, secretary general of the European Regional Society for the Study of the Juche Idea; Prof. Eleazar Rubio Aldaran, secretary general of the Latin American Institute of the Juche Idea; and Prof. Mashbat Otgonbayar, director, Board of Directors, Asian Regional Institute of the Juche Idea; and other delegates: Dr. Maria Antonietta Vitti, former notary for Rome division; Assistant Prof. Nayeli Erandi Jimenez Juarez at National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) and Dr. Urangoo Khash-Erdene, member of the Mongolian Association for the Study of the Juche Idea.

The seminar was presided over by Dr. Ogami Ken-ichi, secretary general of the IIJI.

It was attended by some 150 including scholars, working people and foreign residents in Japan from Hokkaido to Okinawa.

IIJI Secretary General Ogami Ken-ichi declared the opening of the seminar with his deep appreciation for the foreign delegates for their participation after their long journeys and domestic Juche idea researchers all over Japan.

On behalf of the sponsorship, in his address Prof. Emeritus Ie Masaji at Kobe City University of Foreign Studies, who is a director, Board of Directors, Asian Regional Institute of the Juche Idea and also representative coordinator of the Japanese Liaison Council for the Study of Kimilsung-Kimjongilism said as follows:

“Ours is the era of independence, and despite its seemingly dazzling appearance, it is nothing but the last resistance of the waning undemocratic imperialist powers. We believe that this seminar is of importance in realizing global independence, global democratization, and the establishment of a just order in the world. We would like to take this opportunity to further our study of the Juche idea.”

In his guest address, Pak Ku Ho, first vice-chairman of the Central Standing Committee of the General Association of Korean Residents in Japan (Chongryon) said as follows:

“As far as I know, the International Institute of the Juche Idea was founded based on the decision to establish an international organization to study and disseminate the Juche idea made at the ‘International Seminar on the Juche Idea’ held in Pyongyang in September 1977, with the participation of 89 parties and governments’ delegations from 73 countries and four international organizations. The declaration to establish an international organization to study and disseminate the Juche idea was made at an international congress held in Tokyo on April 9, 1978, the following year, with the participation of about 800 people from ten countries.

“Today, global independence is clearly advancing in the form of the collapse of US unipolar domination and the accompanying multipolarization, and it is a trend that cannot be reversed.

“It is the time for the Juche idea that puts forward the era of independence to come into its own, and I believe that the existence and role of the International Institute of the Juche Idea has become increasingly important.”

The seminar received congratulatory messages from Juche idea researchers in individual countries of the world, including Prof. Edmond Jouve, director general, Board of Directors, European Regional Society for the Study of the Juche Idea; Prof. Harish Chander Gupta, director general, Board of Directors, Asian Regional Institute of the Juche Idea (ARIJI); Juha Kieksi, deputy director-general, Board of Directors, European Regional Society for the Study of the Juche Idea; Prof. Lohekele Kalonda Andre, secretary general, African Regional Committee for the Study of the Juche Idea; Javid Ansari, director of the ARIJI Board; and Dr. Dermot Hudson, chairman, British Group for the Study of the Juche Idea.

At the beginning of his lecture online, Prof. Ramon Jimenez Lopez, director general of the IIJI Board said as follows:

“In September 1977, in his talk with the Japanese delegation President Kim Il Sung said: the people of the world are demanding the Juche idea, and it is therefore necessary to establish an international organization for this purpose. The importance of this organization lies in providing each country with experimental data that will enable it to solve its internal problems with its own strength. The revolution cannot be exported. Consequently, the organization in question must be scientific without fail, and it should not be a political organization: because to make a political organization means exporting the revolution.

“This teaching makes me think that the most important thing is to adopt a firm position and attitude that the master of the Korean revolution is the Korean people themselves, who must carry it out, in all cases with their own strength and in accordance with the situation in the country.

“Now, humanity is in a period of importance for the current and future generations in terms of the period of transition. Neoliberalism that was regarded as solid and certain is now in the dustbin of history. In this new stage of human flourishing, the Juche idea becomes a powerful guide to orient the people’s struggle for a better world.

“The US has lost its military and economic hegemony and got bogged in a financial crisis. Each day, there are more and more countries whose popular masses take the path of independence, world peace, welfare for all, the happiness of all peoples, solidarity and fraternity of all people.

“For the last 45 years up to now, the IIJI has fulfilled its noble mission and the task of promoting the cause of independence of each country and world peace. The role of the IIJI has become increasingly important.

“I call on all those present there to make Kimilsung-Kimjongilism be studied and disseminated among the younger generation with energy and enthusiasm, and contribute to guiding the struggle for global independence.”

Prof. Matteo Carbonelli gave his lecture as follows:

“I remember that this year marks the 45th anniversary of the International Institute of the Juche Idea, that during all these years an intense and fruitful activity for studying, deepening and disseminating the Juche idea was conducted under the guidance of Dr. Ogami Ken-ichi together with the Board of Directors and through its regional branches, like the Asian Regional Society, the Latin-American Regional Society, the African Regional Society and the European Regional Society.

“President Kim Il Sung in fact was an outstanding leader who devoted his entire life and activity to independence and socialism, undoubtedly impressing an important mark in not only of his country but also the history of mankind.

“The Juche idea teaches that in order for human freedom and independence to be defended, the independence of the people as a whole, to which each individual belongs, must be defended, and that one state and the other state must mutually defend the independence of the people of both.

“The US forced its own rule to other nations in the name of disseminating the US-oriented democracy, freedom and human rights. Some six billion people around the world, including many populous countries, have come to oppose US hegemony. More and more people are demanding the end of the hegemony by the unipolar world, and the end of dominationism by the hegemony country and other countries that follow it.

“The cornerstone of the new international order is respect for independence. The Juche idea, whose cornerstone is, precisely, independence, can be a powerful tool for fulfilling this aspiration of peoples in the contemporary era.

“Nowadays, the Juche idea is receiving ever greater interest; and it is increasingly studied and deepened by the people on the various continents who wish to realize a world without domination and oppression, construct genuinely independent countries, while implementing social justice in a society where people can freely exercise their creative abilities and peacefully live a dignified life.”

Then in his lecture Prof. Eleazer Rubio Aldaran said as follows:

“The Korean people are a people guided by the Juche idea founded by President Kim Il Sung in his anti-Japanese revolutionary struggle. President Kim Il Sung led the Korean people to victory of their struggle against Japanese and U.S. imperialist aggression. President Kim Il Sung also founded the Workers' Party of Korea and built socialism based on the Juche idea.

“President Kim Il Sung was a great leader, and at the same time, the best thinker in the 20th century who founded the Juche idea. The DPRK has defended and developed itself against attacks by the imperialist powers through Songun politics. The DPRK possesses nuclear forces. As long as US imperialism exists, the DPRK will never let go of its nuclear forces.

“In Latin America, the Latin American Institute of the Juche Idea was founded in the 1970s, and then afterwards, studying and disseminating the Juche idea has become more promoted not only in Latin America, but throughout the world.

“In our country, Mexico, we have been spreading the teachings of Korean leaders: President Kim Il Sung, General Secretary Kim Jong Il and General Secretary Kim Jong Un for more than 20 years. In order to learn from the Juche idea along with the Korean people, we have distributed documents concerned and held conferences and seminars.

“Whereas all the peoples of the world yearn for the construction of socialism, we, the Latin American people are studying the Juche idea to work out the direction of constructing organizations and that of heightening the ideological consciousness of the people and getting them organized.”

Prof. Mashbat Otgonbayar gave a lecture entitled “Mongolian Foreign Policy: Survival in Uncertainty” as follows:

“I will briefly talk about geostrategic location and our foreign and security imperatives, how this complicated specially after the Ukraine war, and how Mongolia wages struggles to keep things balanced.

“Mongolian survival has always existed on nimble balances. Ulaanbaatar will host a Female Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in coming June. This is just an example of Mongolia’s effort to make every country engage in negotiation because we believe this is the only way to prevent conflicts and war from occurring.

“In a nutshell, Mongolia is a small country. But Mongolia works closely with Russia and China, in such a way to abstain the UN vote. Mongolia is doing everything to survive. So, in Mongolia, balancing and maintaining neutrality can be the key policy. But it does not mean that we are passive and have an attitude of waiting. Mongolia is trying to be pro-active in inviting every country to negotiation.”

Prof. Emeritus Kamakura Takao at Saitama University, who is also director of the IIJI Board gave a lecture entitled “Anti-imperialism and Establishment of Independence Lead to Peace”.

“Firstly, we should make a proper understanding about the situation in Ukraine. In other words, we should grasp the US imperialist measures with Ukraine. About US imperialism’s intention to reestablish its hegemony against Russia and China, why does the US try to showdown with Russia in Ukraine? US imperialism is trying to have hegemony over the whole world, but it has any strength for that any longer. So, it has been making other subjugated countries, including Japan, cooperate with it.

“Secondly, US imperialism has an intention to beat the DPRK and control it, strengthening its machinations to disintegrate the DPRK. Nevertheless, the DPRK has been taking its solicit stand with it.

“I should say that the DPRK has clearly stated that its nuclear forces are not for interference into other countries, nor destroying other countries. Its existence is to protect the people from imperialist pressure, defend its people and safeguard world peace, and that they would never attack the people who aspire after peace nor become a threat to them. The DPRK reaffirmes a “law” in relation to the use of nuclear forces that cannot be seen anywhere in the world.”

He concluded his lecture by saying: Establishing anti-imperialist and independence is the way to peace. This is based on the Juche idea. In the DPRK, to put primary precedence to independence, create the relations based on independence and seek after the path to peace has become a common idea of the whole state and the whole people. In this sense, we should learn from the DPRK and the Juche idea.

Rector Han Tong Song of Korea University in Japan, who is also a director, Board of Directors of the IIJI gave a lecture entitled “Guidelines for Study of Social Sciences Based on Juche Idea.”

In his lecture Rector Han Tong Song referred to a letter sent by General Secretary Kim Jong Un on December 1, 2012 entitled “Our Social Sciences Should Render an Active Contribution to Accomplishing the Cause of Modelling the Whole Society on Kimilsung-Kimjongilism,” gave an explanation to it, and mentioned the direction of studying the Juche idea as follows:

“For Juche idea researchers in the world the study of the Juche idea can be the Juche-oriented study of social sciences in terms of studying the thoughts and achievements of the founder of this idea and those of his successors and giving solutions to the problems arising in their practices. In this context, this work would be a guideline to Juche idea researchers of the world in their study of this idea.

“I have commented on the application of the Juche-oriented methodology, the combination of theory and practice, and the maintaining of the principle of remaining faithful to historical truth. As you see, they are based on the Juche idea’s understanding of social sciences. In other words, social sciences are, in the essence, a systematic cognition of society and its movements in shaping the destiny of human beings, and then the master of cognition as such is human beings, the popular masses.

“In summary, it can be said that the application of the Juche-oriented methodology is based on an understanding of the master of social sciences, the combination of theory and practice is based on an understanding of the purpose and mission of social sciences, and maintaining the principle of remaining faithful to historical truth is based on an understanding of the characteristics of the subject of the study of social sciences.

“Then, it can be said that those understandings concerning the principled demand for ensuring success in the study of social sciences would be a guideline that shows us, world Juche idea researchers, the direction of our study and thus guarantees the success in our study.

“Finally, I would like to conclude my lecture with a renewed determination to further deepen the study of the Juche idea regarding the works of General Secretary Kim Jong Un as a guideline, to provide answers to the questions raised in our practices, and to actively promote exchanges with other Juche idea researchers in the world, thereby contributing to the acceleration of global independence.”

Finally, in the seminar, a letter addressed to General Secretary Kim Jong Un was adopted with the unanimous applause, and thus the seminar was closed in a successful way.

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After the seminar, a celebration party for the 111th birth anniversary of President Kim Il Sung and the 45th founding anniversary of the IIJI has been held.

In the celebration party, art performances were conducted by the following artists: three Mongolian artists: Demebel Sondoy, Bardantselen Naranboror, and Buurimaa who performed Mongolian music and dances: Toyama Yoko, singer, who is vice-chairperson of the Japan-DPRK Association for the Exchanges of Music and Arts and also coordinator of the Tokai Liaison Council for the Study of Kimilsung-Kimjongilism, and Ri Yun Sho, head of the Tokyo-based Korean Song and Dance Troupe.

All Mongolian artists, all dressed in their traditional costumes played the matouqin, hoomii, and other Mongolian music, which was met with applause from the participants.

Toyama Yoko sang "Ishiwarizakura (Cherry in full bloom comes out of the rocks)" and other songs, and her lighthearted talk kept the participants in stitches.

Finally, Ri Yun Sho sang "My People are the Best" and other songs. While a medley of Korean folk songs and famous songs were performed, some participants came forward to dance together, and thus the celebration party was held in a friendly atmosphere from start to finish.

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The Seminar on the Juche Idea, which welcomed scholars of the Juche idea from Italy, Mexico, and Mongolia, provided those participants an opportunity to further deepen their understanding of the Juche idea founded by President Kim Il Sung and to share their desire to continue to advance along the path of Juche vigorously together with them all.

Congratulatory Messages from the World