"Mostly Propaganda in Nature:" Kim Il Sung, the Juche Ideology, and ...

"Mostly Propaganda in Nature:" Kim Il Sung, the Juche Ideology, and the Second Korean War
NKIDP Working Paper #3
as some have alleged but that does not mean that he, like the rest of the nation, was not also
genuinely committed to its precepts. Repeatedly, Kim spoke in language echoing Juche
principles in his quiet meetings with foreign leaders, even when there was no political benefit at
home in doing so. "We are for self-reliance," Kim told a visiting East German delegation, as part
of long, rambling statement about his nation. "It is not directed against the unity of the socialist
camp and it doesn’t mean any interference in the internal matters of other countries. We are in
favor of it because it is necessary for the Korean revolution, for the unification of our country,
and for the education of our people." 157 DPRK successes, echoed the North Korean Ambassador
to Moscow in a meeting with Kosygin, "are the result of wise leadership of the party and
consistent implementation of the spirit of independence and self-reliance." 158
Moreover, Kim's actions also seemed to reflect his genuine commitment, particularly
demonstrated by the frequent criticisms he directed at his allies, especially at the very moment
that he was accepting their assistance. At a time when one might reasonably expect Kim to be at
his most servile, he often instead seemed to go out of his way to stress his continued devotion to
his policymaking independence, even if it provoked a backlash at the worst possible time. During
his first meeting with Kosygin in 1965, for example, Kim asked the Soviet leader to provide his
country with economic and military assistance, but admitted that he could not pay for it; once
Kosygin agreed to provide missiles, Kim proceeded to criticize Soviet interference in the internal
affairs of the Japanese Communist Party. 159 In a similar meeting with Brezhnev in December
1966, Kim submitted a long list of aid requests, but continued to proclaim his commitment to
independence; the KWP, he told
Brezhnev, would "neither participate with you, nor with the
157
"Memorandum on the visit of the Party and Government Delegation of the GDR…" April 23, 1968, in Schaefer,
North Korean ‘Adventurism’ and China’s Long Shadow, 1966-1972, p. 65.
158
"Record of conversation between the Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the USSR A.N. Kosygin with the
ambassador of the DPRK in Moscow Ten Du Hwan," May 6, 1968, AVPRF, fond 102, opis 28, papka 25, delo 2, p.
1
159
Memo from the Hungarian Embassy in Pyongyang, February 19, 1965.
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