A Juche propaganda poster
Juche is the political ideology of North Korea set forth by Kim Il-sung. It states that "man is the master of everything and decides everything, man is the master of the world and his own destiny, and is the transformer of the world and the shaper of his destiny." It can be described as communism and atheism, but it also has elements of nationalism and personality cults.
History[]
Juche literally means "self-reliance" in Korean, and its meaning embodies its rejection of religion and its beliefs in people working hard to achieve great things. The ideology was created by Kim Il-sung, the founder of North Korea, and it became the official ideology of North Korea. Juche said that man was the master of his destiny, and it was influenced by atheism and communism. However, it was also Korean ethnic nationalism against the "imperialist invaders" such as the United States and Japan, and it preached for the people of North Korea to follow the Supreme Leader of North Korea.
In North Korea, people did not have to pay taxes, education, medical assistance, clothing, food, or other basic needs, fitting in with the ideology. However, the belief of Juche was driven by propaganda and brainwashing. The people of North Korea suffered from famine, with even a two meals-per-day policy enacted by Kim Il-sung failing due to the shortage of available food. In addition, the "education" given to children was instead teaching the regime's ideology, and students that did not agree with Juche were punished.
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