To Realize Global Independence by Learning
from Kim Jong Un’s Revolutionary Ideology
―Regular Study Meeting Held by the IIJI―

In response to the world's growing demand for independence, researchers of the Juche idea around the world gathered together and held an International Seminar on the Juche Idea in Pyongyang in April this year.

Since then, those Juche idea researchers around the world have been holding various gatherings, including national seminars in various countries in an effort to further promote the study and dissemination of the Juche idea respectively.

In Tokyo, a Regular Study Meeting was held on August 18, 2024, hosted by the International Institute of the Juche Idea (IIJI).

More than 80 people participated in the gathering, including Juche idea researchers, Japan-DPRK friendship activists and democratic activists, not only from the neighboring prefectures in the Kanto region but also from as far away as Hokkaido, Kyushu, Shikoku, and Okinawa. There were some various foreign residents in Japan who also joined there.

The Regular Study Meeting was presided over by Dr. Ogami Ken-ichi, secretary general of the IIJI. At the very beginning of the gathering, he introduced the latest activity of Kim Jong Un, who was the first to visit the flood-damaged areas in the DPRK in July this year and has been leading the recovery efforts at the vanguard.

Dr. Ogami also referred to the fact that a Palestinian PhD living in Japan who also had joined the gathering would make a special presentation there, saying that he feels closer to the struggle of the Palestinian people.

In his opening address, Prof. Han Tong Song, rector of Korea University in Japan, who is also director of the IIJI Board, noted the following fact:

“Kim Jong Un, the DPRK Supreme Leader, himself, while riding in a lifeboat, was the first to visit the flood-stricken areas to inspect the situation, and later sent senior officials to the affected areas to directly assess the situation before holding a meeting to discuss restoration measures. Then the leader later arranged that the Party and the State should take the responsibility for the children and other disaster victims to come to Pyongyang to live and study until the restoration work has been completed.”

Feeling that there is the people-first principle carried out in the leadership of General Secretary Kim Jong Un, Rector Han Tong Song said that he also would like to devote himself to the promotion of the study and dissemination of the Juche idea with this in mind.

Another address was made at the beginning by Mr. Suzuki Toshikazu, representative coordinator of the Tokai Liaison Council for the Study of Kimilsung-Kimjongilism, who was going to visit the DPRK this coming October heading the delegation from Japan.

Expressing his joy to be able to have an opportunity to visit the DPRK once again after the end of the COVID-19 pandemic, he said he is determined to learn more from the Juche idea shown in the practice of the DPRK, while pointing out that the DPRK had stabilized the people's life despite the economic sanctions and natural disasters.

In her special presentation entitled “300 Days of Massacre,” Dr. Tasneem Quaqorh, a Palestinian living in Japan, said as follows:

“I intended to let you know about how the Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank of the Jordan River had been being attacked by Israeli with vivid pictures from the spot through some of my friends there. However, there seems impossible now to be able to get in touch with them at all. What was happening in Palestine there for the last 300 days is indeed a genocide committed by the US and Israel.”

She concluded strongly: no matter what happens, we will continue to fight to the end to free Palestine.

Three lectures were given at the Regular Study Meeting: a lecture on line entitled “On the Revolutionary thoughts in the Contemporary World” by Prof. Emeritus Kamakura Takao at Saitama University, who is director of the IIJI Board; a lecture in person entitled “On the Current Situation in the DPRK and the Japan-DPRK relationship” by Prof. Fukuhara Yuji at Shimane Prefectural University; and a lecture in person entitled “On the Characteristics of Kim Jong Un’s Revolutionary Ideology” by Prof. Ri Tae Il at Korea University in Japan.

Prof. Kamakura elaborated on how he views contemporary capitalism and capitalist development.

Referring to the role of ideological consciousness in the development of human society, he stated:

“I believe that the line of independence in Politics, self-sufficiency in the economy and self-reliance in the defense the DPRK has been pursuing up to today will be a basic direction of development in socialist countries, which will make it possible to establish global independence and global peace. Therefore, I believe that socialism to be established would be in that direction.

“Furthermore, in order for us to advance toward socialism, we must change our own consciousness to be that of socialist consciousness. In other words, we need to recognize the importance of humanly thoughts supported by ideological consciousness, its decisive role once again and to make it our own ideology.

“I believe that the Juche idea, a human-centered ideology, must be and can be established as the global ideology as the basis of socialism. It is also needed independence and solidarity based on the Juche idea that could be the basis for advancing the construction of socialism around the world. So, let us make our possible effort to make the Juche idea our own belief, with regard to it as an idea that leads to establishing independence and peace in the world.”

Preceding his lecture, Prof. Fukuhara introduced some of his practical activities, saying that in Japan, people’s interest in the normalization of diplomatic relations between Japan and the DPRK is weakening, and that in order to overcome this situation, he attached importance to exchanges among students between his university and Korean University in Japan and made his possible effort to realize them.

Being a scholar of international relations, he outlined the characteristics of Kim Jong Un's leadership. He also explained the objective political, economic, and military situation surrounding the DPRK with figures and data. After outlining DPRK-China and DPRK-Russia relations, he mentioned the perspectives of improving Japan-DPRK relations and stated that he would continue to make efforts to deepen exchanges with the Korean people.

At the beginning of his lecture, Prof. Ri Tae Il stated that a new philosophy is required at the turning point of the times, and that we can live better in the present by learning from a new philosophy appropriate to the turning point of the times, and he continued:

“We should recognize that a new era has arrived and a new ideology or philosophy is required. Kim Jong Un's revolutionary ideology is the ideology or philosophy for transformation.”

Further, he explained that Kim Jong Un's revolutionary ideology is consistent with the people-first principle in content and is a system of idea, theory, and method in structure.

As theoretical issues raised in understanding the characteristics of Kim Jong Un's revolutionary ideology, he explained Kim Jong Il's patriotism, our nation-first principle, and the five major lines of party building in the new era.

The professor emphasized that Kim Jong Un's clear-cut view of the people is backed by his strong determination to push the popular masses to become the substantial masters of the revolution and construction and to let them fulfill their role in an honorable manner. He said that as a university teacher himself, he strongly believes in his students and is determined to do his utmost to educate them as the next generation of leaders.

After the Regular Study Meeting, art performances followed in a different venue.

They were composed of a Russian dance, Korean songs and dances, and songs by Toyama Yoko, female singer, who is also one of the coordinators of the Tokai Liaison Council for the Study of Kimilsung-Kimjongilism.

Preceding those performances, there was an opening with a toast proposed by Mr. Sumiya Keizo, one of the representative coordinators for the Japanese National Liaison Council for the Study of Kimilsung-Kimjongilism, who also talked about the anti-nuclear movement in his hometown of Fukushima, and said that it is important to continue all the activities they have learned from the Juche idea like independence, their own initiative, and steadily expanding the network of comradeship on their own feet. He concluded his speech, saying he was determined to continue to work hard onwards in the future. Some other speeches followed.

The art performances started with a Russian folk dance “Kalinka Malinka,” whose melody familiar in Japan was welcomed by the audience clapping their hands in unison.

Next, the Tokyo, Korean Song and Dance Troupe performed its program, including a dance “Shining My Way” and a song “Our Nation Is the Best”.

Adding a new original song of her own about the ruins of a castle in her hometown, Toyama Yoko sang a medley of Japanese and then Korean songs in a respective manner.

Toyama's lighthearted talk created a warm atmosphere with laughter, leading the audience to clapping in unison to the rhythmic tunes.

The audience was filled with determination to learn more from Kim Jong Un’s revolutionary ideology in an effort to speed up the flow of independence.