Online seminar 2021

A European Regional Online Seminar on the subject of “Legacy of General Secretary Kim Jong Il” based on Rome, Italy was held on December 18, 2021 under the auspices of the European Regional Society for the Study of the Juche Idea (ERSSJI) .

 

Seminar was attended by the members of the ERSSJI Board, including its director general Prof. Edmond Jouve, its deputy directors-general Mr. Keith Bennett and Mr. Juha Kieksi, its secretary general Prof. Matteo Carbonelli, and Juche idea researchers from Europe along with Dr. Ogami Ken-ichi, secretary general of the IIJI from Japan.

 

 

At the beginning, in his keynote speech, Secretary General Matteo Carbonelli said that it is a great pleasure to have this opportunity to meet you all, although in a video conference on the Internet and not in presence because of the Covid pandemic. And he highlighted the conspicuous issues in the achievements made by General Secretary Kim Jong Il as follows:

 

The important role General Secretary Kim Jong Il played lies in deepening several central issues in theoretical elaboration of socialism by publishing many works. Not only analyzing the causes of the collapse of socialism in the former USSR and East European countries but also he clarified the superiority and necessity of socialism.

 

Similarly, when the DPRK had to face enormous difficulties arising from the imperialist sanctions and blockades and from repeated famine and other natural disasters affecting also agricultural and food production, General Secretary Kim Jong Il declared to build a thriving socialist state under the banner of the Juche idea. To achieve this objectives he emphasized ideological formation, and united all the Korean people on the basis of the Juche idea as a powerful means for achieving human emancipation and social development.

 

The DPRK’s farsighted policies to which General Secretary Kim Jong Il dedicated with his outstanding capabilities throughout all his activities have been still carried forward and realized by the successor General Secretary Kim Jong Un.

 

So, the legacy of General Secretary Kim Jong Il will stay alive in the memory of the Korean people and the world progressive peoples.

 

His speech was followed by a congratulatory address by Secretary General Ogami Ken-ichi, who had contributed to the seminar his article entitled “Historical Significance of Line of Three Revolutions Defined by General Secretary Kim Jong Il.” He said as follows:

 

The fact that General Secretary Kim Jong Il defined the Juche idea as the universal revolutionary idea of the present era is of immortal significance in the history of the mankind’s struggle.

 

In order to develop the present era and realize the independent demands of the people, it is important that the people themselves become conscious of the correct ideas that can develop the present era, and let them united to fight for the realization as such.

 

Now that the contradictions of capitalism have been intensifying, a movement guided by the Juche idea is desperately needed.

 

The reason for the victory of the Korean revolution and the steady progress of its socialist construction ever since lies above all in the correctness of its human-centered guiding idea.

 

It is indispensable to have a theory for building socialism in a constant manner after the establishment of the socialist system. The theoretical and practical tasks for strengthening and developing socialism were fully elucidated by President Kim Il Sung and General Secretary Kim Jong Il.

 

President Kim Il Sung set forth the general line of socialist and communist construction, which was to strengthen the people's government, constantly enhance its functions and roles, and thoroughly carry out the three revolutions of ideology, technology and culture.

 

In the DPRK today, the people are united in their struggle around General Secretary Kim Jong Un with a view to the complete victory of socialism and with a clear vision of a communist society, which is the century-old aspiration of mankind. I should say that it is of great significance to study in depth the ideological theory of General Secretary Kim Jong Un, who, in the present world, is solely and correctly leading the construction of socialism and communism.

 

Let the researchers of the Juche idea in Europe and other regions and individual countries push forward the study and dissemination of this idea more vigorously with the awareness of their proud duty and role.

In his speech, Mr. Juha Kieksi said as follows:

 

General Secretary Kim Jong Il was the most important statesman, who led the 20th and the early 21st century. The importance of the life of Comrade Kim Jong Il to the Korean people and the working class cannot be overemphasized.

 

Now at the strength of Korean socialism I would like to highlight three key issues.

 

First, the basis of the Juche idea is its interest in the popular masses. Socialist Korea reflects just perfect the needs and aspiration of the Korean people.

 

Second, the Korean revolution has put large effort to ideological work, one of the major causes of the collapse of socialism in the former Soviet Union and some East European countries was that those countries did not put precedence to the ideological work with the ordinary people.

 

Third, the theory of the revolution has been developed all the time, taking into account changes in the working class throughout the world.

 

Neoliberalism occurs income differences and poverty in all capitalist countries. To cope with the situation, the people should know the advanced common ideology.

 

Despite the pressure of the imperialists against the Korean people, the Korean revolution has an access to success. The single-minded unity of the Korean people is unique in the world.

 

Capitalism has made a success by chasing tactics of staying power and securing privileges of the capitalists. However, the situation is changing. For example, climate is changing and increasing the COVID-19 pandemic cannot be solved in the capitalist system. We must carefully learn about the experience of the DPRK.

 

We must study and disseminate the Juche idea actively also in Europe. General Secretary Kim Jong Il is still alive in life. Fully relying on the scientific view of the world, we can lead the broad masses of the people from capitalism to socialism.

 

In his speech, Mr. Keith Bennett said as follows:

 

Comrade Kim Jong Il was the great leader of the Korean people, and outstanding as the highly respected leader of the international communist movement and the international working class, and national liberation movement and all oppressed nations and the peoples, all those who engage in building a new society and anti-imperialist independence and progressive forces throughout the world.

 

He led the Korean people during the most challenging period of arduous march and created the unique and original mode of Songun politics to cope with the situation at that time.

 

At the time when the cause of socialism faced the grave challenges and setbacks due to the cowards, traitors and rotten revisionists, and when imperialism was running rampant, calling about the supposed end of socialism, and even the end of communist history, the great leader Comrade Kim Jong Il rallied and led the world revolutionary forces in an unprecedented way to show his confidence in victory.

 

His immortal classic works such as “Socialism Is a Science,” “Abuses of Socialism Are Intolerable,” “Respecting for the Forerunners of Revolution Is a Noble Moral Obligation of Revolutionaries,” “On the Fundamentals of Revolutionary Party Building,” and others. These works not only affirmed the necessity and inevitability of socialism, but also developed the socialist idea in depth in profound creative and original ways.

 

Comrade Kim Jong Il’s untimely demise was therefore the greatest misfortune not only for the Korean people, but for all revolutionary progressive people in the world.

 

So, today despite indescribably difficult and challenging external environment including of course global pandemic as well as the sanctions and military occupations and threat of the United States, despite of all of this and more, the DPRK continues to advance from strength to strength as a modern socialist country based on self-reliance and centered on the popular masses.