Asian Regional Seminar Held in Mongolia
―On “Challenges of 21st Century and Juche Idea”―
The Asian Regional Institute of the Juche Idea (ARIJI) held an Asian Regional Seminar on “Challenges of 21st Century and Juche Idea” in Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia on August 23, 2025 on the occasion of the 45th founding anniversary of the ARIJI.
Participants in the seminar were delegates of the Juche idea study groups from India, Pakistan, Nepal, Japan and the DPRK, along with prominent figures from various walks of life in Mongolia.
The seminar was presided over by Dr. Mukesh Sharma, director general of the ARIJI Board, and Dr, Dorjisuren Nanjin, executive chairman of the Mongolian Association for the Study of the Juche Idea.
In the seminar, Mr. Thae Hyong Chol, first vice-president of the Korean Association of Social Scientists (KASS), delivered a congratulatory address. expressed gratitude to the participants and said as follows:
“At present, the international community faces numerous challenges.
“I believe that is why this seminar has been organized partly with the theme of “Challenges of the 21st Century.”
“I am confident to say that the only way to overcome the challenges of the 21st century lies in deeply studying the principles of the Juche idea, particularly those of independence, self-reliance, and self-defense.
“We, the Korean people, are creating numerous miracles in revolution and construction under the wise leadership of Comrade Kim Jong Un.
“We, the Korean people, have achieved significant accomplishments not only in the political sphere but also in national defense, despite facing challenges and severe economic blockades and sanctions. Our country has now become a leading military power.
“All the achievements made by us, the Korean people, are thanks to the wise leadership of Comrade Kim Jong Un and the people's successful implementation of the principles of the Juche idea in life.
“Nowadays, the Juche idea is being developed and enriched by Comrade Kim Jong Un as a guiding principle that illuminates the bright future of humanity.
“We believe it is extremely beneficial for us to deeply study and disseminate such an idea as the Juche idea, discovering it as a means to overcome all the challenges of the 21st century.”
In his opening address, Prof. Mashbat Otgonbayar, secretary general of the ARIJI. He said:
“We stand at the crossroads of history, facing unprecedented global challenges that demand our collective wisdom and concerted efforts.
“The Juche idea, which emphasizes self-reliance, independence and the dignity of the human spirit, offers a unique perspective. The Juche idea advocates for the empowerment of the individual and nations to chart their own courses, free from external domination and interference.
“Throughout this seminar, we will examine how the principles of the Juche idea can apply to contemporary issues, fostering a spirit of tirelessness and self-determination.
In the seminar, a manuscript submitted by Prof. Harish Gupta, director-general emeritus of the ARIJI Board, was read aloud. He presented his views on the subject of the seminar: “The Challenges of the 21st Century and the Juche Idea.
“The ongoing, long and unending wars between Israel, Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, Iran on the one hand and between Russia and Ukraine on the other hand, which are being backed by US-led imperialism, have threatened the independence and sovereignty of these countries and have posed serious dangers to world peace.
“It is high time for the peace-loving people of the world not to remain silent spectators but to unite against these brutalities, atrocities and genocide.
“In such a turbulent era, the Juche idea propounded by eternal President Kim Il Sung and further scientifically developed by eternal General Secretary Kim Jong Il stands as a revolutionary guiding ideology that empowers nations to carve out their own paths.
“Let that truth clarified by the Juche idea guide us as we confront the challenges of the 21st century,” (Click for the details!)
At the seminar, an article contributed by Dr. Ogami Ken-ichi, secretary general of the IIJI entitled “Independence and Unity to Smash Imperialist Tyranny and Build New World,” was read aloud. It read:
“To make individual countries independent is the most important condition for realizing true peace and national dignity.
“A world in which each country is equal and respects each other's systems and values-this is the path to a world order of peace and justice humanity has long aspired after.
“The Juche idea is an idea that is centered on the concept that countries, nations, and people carve out their own destinies with their own efforts.
“The true subject of global independence is the people of individual countries. They are the masters of the destiny of the countries of their own and the driving force to advance along the road to independence. When they are politically awakened, united and act to protect their fundamental interests, their national independence will also become a reality.
“In this context, improving the ideological and organizational capabilities of the people of individual countries is essential for their national independence. In particular, the study and dissemination of the Juche idea in those countries can be the ideo-theoretical pillar for them to build a society where they themselves are the masters.
“So, Juche idea researchers in individual countries have a mission to make a deep study of the Juche idea in conformity with the reality of their own and convey it to the broader masses of the people with a simple explanation to let them understand it.”(Click for the details!)
In his keynote speech, Dr. Mukesh Sharma said: “What may finally lead humanity to the path of peace, progress and prosperity is the Juche idea. This is the time for action. Let us fight imperialism with independence.” (Click for the details!)
At the seminar, Subhash Kaji Shrestha, director of the ARIJI Board, who was also president of the Nepal Forum of Self-reliance Studies, delivered a speech on Juche Idea providing answers to the challenges of the 21st century.
Javed Ansari, director of the ARIJI board, who was also president of the Pakistani Society of Self-Reliance, delivered a speech on peace and war, retaliatory tariff battles, and the contemporary significance of the Juche idea.
A number of congratulatory messages from Juche idea researchers around the world were sent to the seminar.
Following the seminar, a reception was held where congratulatory greetings were exchanged, and songs and dances from Korea and Mongolia were performed.
ARIJI 18th Board Meeting Held
On the same day, prior to the seminar, the 18th Board meeting of the ARIJI was held.
Participating there were the ARIJI Board members, along with Mr. Thae Hyong Chol, first vice president of the KASS, as an observer.
The Board meeting was presided over by Dr. Mukesh Sharma. The report on the work of the ARIJI after the last Board meeting in 2019 was delivered by Mr. Subhash Kaji Shrestha.
The report highlighted that Juche tidea researchers from various countries continued to travel and exchange ideas even amid the global COVID-19 pandemic, that an Asian regional internet seminar was held, and that Asian Juche idea researchers visited Pyongyang to participate in an International Seminar on the Juche Idea in 2024.
The report was supplemented by the directors from India, Nepal, Pakistan, and Mongolia with their respective work done in the period of review.
The Board meeting confirmed the new board composition.
Dr. Mukesh Sharma was elected as the new director general, Prof. Mashbat Otgonbayar as the new Secretary General, and Prof. Harish Gupta, director-general emeritus.
European Regional Seminar on Juche Idea for “Independence,
Peace and Social Development” Held in Finland
To commemorate the 40th founding anniversary of the European Regional Society for the Study of the Juche Idea, a European Regional Seminar on the Juche Idea for “Self-reliance, Peace, and Social Development” was held in Helsinki, the capital of Finland on November 2, 2025.
The seminar was participated by Prof. Matteo Carbonelli, president of the ERSSJI; Mr. Juha Kieksi, secretary general; Mr. Dermot Hudson, president of the British Juche Idea Study Group; a counsellor of the DPRK Embassy to Sweden, delegates from Japan and Finnish figures from various walks of life.
In addition, some European directors such as Lyudmil Kostadinov, Thomas Loesch, and Alexander Vorontsov, as well as Juche idea researchers from Czech, Germany, and Denmark participated online.
At the seminar, Prof. Matteo Carbonelli delivered keynote speech. He said:
“The Juche idea, which has provided, as an original theory, the key to understanding and inspiring also the path of other peoples towards independence and socialism, and has therefore been the basis for interest in these ideas in many parts of the world,
“For these reasons, there has been a growing need over time to create an association in Europe, as in other regions of the world, to promote the study and dissemination of these ideas at a regional level.
“The European Regional Society for the Study of the Juche Idea was founded at a meeting held in Paris on 20 October 1985, with the participation of numerous delegates, scholars and journalists from various European countries, in the first Board, Edmond Jouve (professor at the University of Paris I) was elected Director-General, Many seminars, together with Board meetings, were subsequently organised by the ERSSJI,
“The Juche idea’s principles can provide guidance for people to reach their independence and their social development, cooperating between them without exploitation and supremacy for the peace in the world.
“The ERSSJI will continue to operate, as it has done all these years, to promote the study and dissemination of the Juche idea, strengthen the relations between its researchers,” (Click for the details!)
In the seminar, a congratulatory message from the KASS was introduced.
A message from the IIJI Secretary General Dr. Ogami Ken-ichi was read aloud. It read:
“People wish to live in a peaceful environment, respecting and cooperating with one another. They also wish to share the same desire to cherish nature in plenty and achieve sustainable development on their beautiful planet.
“In spite of the desire as such, hundreds of thousands of military drones have been deployed worldwide in combat operations. Many of them are autonomously controlled by AI, treating human lives as if they were mere inanimate objects.
“This situation is nothing but the result of the very essence of the U.S.-led world order, where domination and vested rights have been prioritized over humanity’s ethics and the dignity of human life.
“What the world now urgently needs is the principle of “independence.”
“The Nordic countries have long pursued their own path as welfare states. However, due to U.S. influence and interference, many of them are being drawn into the same military trajectory as Western European nations. Even the peace-oriented Nordic region is now complicit in U.S.-driven wars, gradually losing its former identity.
“Now more than ever, it is required that we should stand on our own path to independence and strive to build a peaceful and just world.” (Click for the details!)
Mr. Juha Kieksi, secretary general of the ERSSJI made a speech as follows:
“There were other reasons for the collapse of socialism in Eastern Europe, but I personally regard it as one of the most significant things neglecting ideological struggle. Ideological struggle continues long after the establishment of a socialist system,
“The situation in Western countries is deteriorating. There prevails an extreme ideology of individualism, where people are forced to compete against one another, and those who have amassed great wealth at the expense of others are admired. The capitalist system is based on exploitation, and the imperialist blocs—the EU and the USA—must constantly seek new markets and natural resources to maintain their dominance. This has led to extreme militarization in Western Europe. The funds for armaments are taken from ordinary people, whose living conditions worsen: healthcare deteriorates and becomes privatized, housing and food grow more expensive, and education weakens.
“Let us study the theory of the Juche idea and its application in the DPRK—for there lies the path to democracy, well-being, and a more just world.” (Click for the details!)
Mr. Lyudmil Kostadinov, director of the ERSSJI Board, made a speech on line.
“The DPRK model of development has demonstrated unprecedented vitality, despite extremely heavy and prolonged economic sanctions, the country's small size and limited resources.
“On the other hand, the forces of imperialism and hegemony are leading the world to irreversible depletion of natural resources, global economic crises, environmental catastrophe and wars. The example of independent development of socialism in the DPRK and on the basis of the Juche idea shows the way to avoid all this.”
Mr. Thomas Loesch, president of the Kimilsungism-Kimjongilism Study Group of Austria made a speech online. He said:
“Nowadays the DPRK is the only sovereign and independent country in the world, which is not supressed by the USA or other imperialist courtiers.
“During the Ukrainian war, all the EU-Countries are forced by the USA to send weapons to Ukraine and make economic and political sanctions against Russia. The EU is forced to cut off the import of cheap oil and gasoline from Russia. Instead of that, the EU must import very expensive liquid gas from the USA.
“For this reason, the DPRK is a real light tower for the progressive people not only in Europe, who are fighting against domination by the USA.
“The reality of life in the DPRK gives all the progressive an outlook of a bright future in their fatherlands when the foreign domination is overcome.”
Prof. Alexander Vorontsov, director of the ERSSJI Board made a speech online as follows:
“Now, the process of forming a new, more just world order, which is also called a multipolar world, is actively developing. This process is objective and global, but its implementation takes place in a tense, often fierce struggle against the forces of the old unipolar world based on the hegemony of the collective West, led by the United States.
“This allows progressive nations to successfully move towards building the foundations of a new world order, despite numerous difficulties and challenges. Of course, there are many factors, but the main one is the reliance on the ideas of sovereignty and independence.”
Other speeches were delivered by representatives from the United Kingdom, Czech, Germany, Denmark, Poland, Switzerland, Slovakia, and other countries.
At the seminar, a letter addressed to General Secretary Kim Jong Un was adopted.
Following the seminar, a social gathering was held, allowing participants from various countries to deepen their exchanges.