Scotland / North Korea: Artwork for the Edinburgh record label 'New Juche', in neo Socialist Realist North Korean style, c. 2006 (Juche year 102)

The Juche Idea, sometimes spelled Chuch'e (Korean pronunciation: [tɕutɕʰe]) is a political thesis of Kim Il-sung, the founder of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, which says that the Korean masses are the masters of the country's development.

From the 1950s to the 1970s, Kim elaborated the Juche Idea into a set of principles that the government uses to justify its policy decisions. Among these are a strong military posture and reliance on Korean national resources. The name comes from juche, meaning 'main body' or 'mainstream', and is sometimes translated in North Korean sources as 'independent stand' or 'spirit of self-reliance'.

It has also been interpreted as 'always putting Korean things first'. According to Kim Il-sung, the Juche Idea is based on the belief that 'man is the master of everything and decides everything'. Or, perhaps: 'So nebulous and sacred it is truly beyond having meaning'.

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Pictures From History