OUR SOCIAL SCIENCES SHOULD RENDER AN ACTIVE CONTRIBUTION TO ACCOMPLISHING THE CAUSE OF MODELLING THE WHOLE SOCIETY ON KIMILSUNGISM-KIMJONGILISM
Letter to Scientists and Officials of the Academy of Social Sciences on the 60th Anniversary of the Academy’s Founding
December 1, Juche 101 (2012)
Sixty years have passed since the great leader Comrade Kim Il Sung, amid the flames of the fierce Fatherland Liberation War with an eye to the future after the country’s victory, had the Academy of Social Sciences founded.
Since its founding, the academy has, under the wise leadership and warm care of the great Comrades Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il, followed a proud road of development along with the victorious advance of the revolutionary cause of Juche.
In the whole course of leading the Korean revolution to brilliant victory under the banner of the Juche idea, Comrades Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il attached importance to social sciences and paid close attention to their development; by doing so they developed ours into revolutionary, Juche-oriented social sciences that make a genuine contribution to accomplishing the cause of the masses’ independence.
Comrade Kim Il Sung was a social science veteran in the era of independence, who pioneered a new road of development for social sciences and, with his great foresight and outstanding leadership, built Juche-oriented, revolutionary social sciences.
Having originated Juche-oriented social sciences by authoring the immortal Juche idea in his early years, he clarified the mission and duties of social sciences in our era and wisely led the effort to introduce them. Thanks to his leadership, our social sciences, freed from stereotype, embarked on a new Juche-oriented development road, with all the branches, including philosophy, economics, linguistics and history, developing as Juche-oriented ones that contribute to the masses’ revolutionary struggle and construction work for achieving their independence and raising all mankind’s social sciences to a high level.
Comrade Kim Jong Il, with his brilliant intelligence and scientific-minded disposition, comprehensively developed through energetic ideological and theoretical activities the Juche idea and Songun idea authored by Comrade Kim Il Sung. By doing so, he ensured that these ideas shone as a perfect guiding ideology in the era of independence and that the Juche philosophy, the science of art and literature and other branches of social sciences, reached the highest possible level. Thanks to his wise leadership, our social sciences could, by resolutely frustrating the reactionary bourgeois ideas and theories, all manner of anti-socialist theories and the counterrevolutionary moves of the renegade revolutionaries, defend the purity of the ideas and theories of our Party and steadily develop into the most revolutionary and Juche-oriented social sciences. He was, indeed, a great ideological and theoretical genius and a master of social sciences who performed imperishable exploits for the cause of the masses’ independence and for social sciences in the era of independence.
Comrades Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il held all our social scientists in a warm embrace, training them as revolutionary intellectuals and leading them at every step so that they lived up to the Party’s trust and expectations by achieving great successes in their research. Because they enjoyed the trust and affection of the peerlessly great men, both the old-time intellectuals who had lived a life full of twists and turns in the past, and the intellectuals of the new generations who had grown up under our social system, could follow the road of worthwhile scientific research, exalting the brilliance of their life as men and disciples of the great leaders. Comrades Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il were the great mentors and benevolent fathers of all our social scientists.
Under their wise leadership and warm care the Academy of Social Sciences developed into a dependable ideological and theoretical organ of our Party and the national centre for the study of social sciences.
At every stage and in each period of the development of our revolution the academy, true to the Party’s policy on social sciences, staunchly defended the ideology and prestige of the Party and the leaders and further enriched the spiritual and cultural assets of the country and nation with its precious scientific research results; thus it contributed to developing our Party’s ideas and theories and accomplishing the revolutionary cause of Juche.
Its scientists provided convincing proof of, and gave wide publicity to, the greatness of the three commanders of Mt Paektu, the imperishable exploits performed by them, and the originality, correctness and viability of Kimilsungism-Kimjongilism; they wrote a variety of theoretical books and encyclopedias of national value, wonderfully transcribed and edited national classical works, and unearthed, verified and restored precious historical relics and remains. In this way they raised our social sciences to a level we can be proud of before the world, and exalted the brilliant history and culture of our nation.
The proud road travelled by the academy and the brilliant successes achieved in the sector of social sciences are permeated with the burning loyalty and devoted efforts our social scientists, in their unfailing loyalty to the Party and the leaders, dedicated to achieving the prosperity of their country and developing its social sciences.
I extend warm congratulations and thanks to the scientists and officials of the Academy of Social Sciences and other social scientists across the country who, aware of the heavy responsibility and mission they bear before the Party and revolution, the country and people, have contributed to developing social sciences and accomplishing the revolutionary cause of Juche by devoting all their wisdom and passion.
Today our revolutionary cause has reached a new historic stage, when, holding Comrades Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il in high esteem as our eternal leaders, we are modelling the whole society on Kimilsungism-Kimjongilism in a comprehensive way.
Modelling the whole society on Kimilsungism-Kimjongilism is our Party’s highest programme and our eternal banner of victory. By training all the members of society into steadfast Kimilsungists-Kimjongilists and developing all the realms of social life as demanded by Kimilsungism-Kimjongilism, we can build a world-class power and an advanced socialist civilized nation in which people’s ideals and wishes are realized. This is the most sacred and the gravest revolutionary duty facing our Party and people today in carrying forward the cause of the great leaders.
Scientists have assumed the honourable duties of pioneer and guide in the cause of modelling the whole society on Kimilsungism-Kimjongilism.
The basic task facing the social science sector at present is to make an active contribution to the cause of modelling the whole society on Kimilsungism-Kimjongilism by adding lustre to the imperishable exploits the great leaders performed for the revolutionary cause of Juche, and by giving satisfactory answers to the theoretical and practical problems arising in building a powerful socialist country.
If our social sciences are, as an effective weapon in revolutionary practice, to make a substantial contribution to building a powerful country a new, great turn should be achieved in studying social sciences as required by the times and developing revolution.
Social sciences should carry forward to the last their revolutionary character and proud tradition as Kimilsungist-Kimjongilist social sciences, both in name and in reality.
This is the fundamental principle and general orientation that should be maintained at all times in building Juche-oriented social sciences.
Social sciences, if they are to make a genuine contribution to the revolutionary struggle for carving out the masses’ destiny and to social development, must thoroughly embody the ideas and guidance of the Party and the leaders. This is the fundamental guarantee and lifeline for the development of revolutionary social sciences.
With the development of the times and with progress in the revolution, social sciences cover more diverse areas of study and new studying methods may be explored and applied, but there cannot be any change in the revolutionary character of our social sciences. Our social scientists should resolve all the problems arising in their study guided, once and for all, by Kimilsungism-Kimjongilism alone, and ensure that their study is oriented to carrying out the plans and intentions of the Party and the leaders and making a contribution to our revolutionary practice. In the whole course of their research work–explaining and proving the correctness and viability of our Party’s ideas, lines and policies and resolving the problems arising in revolutionary practice–they should guard against the infiltration of bourgeois ideology and other heterogeneous ideologies and alien elements.
In building social sciences we must hold fast to the Juche-oriented methodology, combine theory with revolutionary practice and firmly maintain the principle of remaining faithful to historical truth.
This is the absolutely correct road for the development of social sciences based on the Juche idea and a principled demand for ensuring success in the study of social sciences.
The social science sector should always approach all problems with human beings, the masses of the people, at the centre, as demanded by the Juche idea, and resolve them in line with the demands and interests of our people and the reality in our country. In the revolution and construction our Party always attaches importance to the demands and interests of our people and the reality in our country, and advocates our own way.
An essential requirement in applying the Juche-oriented methodology at present is to adopt a creative, innovative approach towards all aspects of thinking and practical activities.
Today our Party demands that all sectors reject stereotypes and create something new by adopting bold, innovative methods to meet the requirements of the new century. They should not follow the same pattern when the times and society are constantly developing. Our Party attaches importance to the performances by the Moranbong Band, which has adopted new forms and methods as a clever reflection of the spirit and trend of the times; its intention in doing this is to rid all sectors of the stereotypical way of thinking and outmoded patterns, as well as to encourage them to learn from the band’s innovative style of creation and to seek ways for radically improving their work.
Social scientists should reject the stereotypical and straightjacketed way of thinking that lags behind the times; instead they should find innovative solutions to all the problems in their study, as demanded by our rapidly-developing revolution and as appropriate for our country’s specific situation.
They should combine their study with revolutionary practice so as to resolve the practical problems arising in the revolution and construction and to develop the theories of social sciences onto a new, higher level.
Any abstract theory that fails to respond to the requirements of revolutionary practice, and any theory or knowledge that has not been verified in practice, is irrelevant. Social scientists should go deep into reality, identifying the most pressing problems in revolutionary practice, making them the themes of their study and finding profound solutions to them. Once they have achieved something in their study, they should work hard to apply it to revolutionary practice.
As Comrade Kim Jong Il instructed, they should keep their feet firmly planted on their land and look out over the world; they should strive hard, with the ambitious aim of developing our social sciences into the most scientific and revolutionary, and the most advantageous, in the world in terms of their influence and practicability. Our Party’s revolutionary ideas and theories hold the highest and most brilliant position in the history of human thought, and are fully demonstrating their advantages and vitality. Accordingly, we should develop all branches of social sciences to ensure that they take the leading position in the academic world. In this regard it is important to provide profound, theoretical solutions to the problems arising in the study of social sciences.
Social sciences should not be restricted to the interpretation of social phenomena or historical facts, but should clarify their essence and the laws governing their development, thereby promoting the social movement and historical development. If theoretical depth is not ensured in the study of social sciences, it is impossible to give a correct definition of the essence of problems and the laws governing their development, and they will lose their scientific viability. Some writings by social scientists, though they deal with important policies, are quite similar to ordinary articles and are not popular with readers–this is because the scientists have failed to give an adequate scientific explanation in their study and ensure its theoretical depth. If they are to fulfil their mission, writings emanating from the social science sector should contain philosophical quality and new creative elements in the course of their scientific explanation of problems. No writing that is devoid of philosophical quality and new creative elements can be called scientific and theoretical.
Social scientists should not produce abstruse writings that are comprehensible only to specialists, on the grounds that they should ensure theoretical depth. In the course of their study they should learn actively from the great leaders’ popular style of writing; they should write in plain language so that all readers can understand them. A fundamental aspect of the great leaders’ popular style is their writings, which are logically sound and contain a profound meaning, conveyed in words that are comprehensible to everybody.
Properly applying the principle of remaining faithful to historical truth is an important requirement in the study of social sciences.
The focus in the study of social sciences is ideas, theories, historical facts, relics and remains that emerged in certain historical circumstances and have an impact on people’s shaping their destiny and promoting social progress. When the principle of remaining faithful to historical truth is applied properly in the study of social sciences, it becomes possible to provide a correct solution to, and make a fair appraisal of, all the problems raised in former times or that have arisen in the present reality, and ensure that they are of scientific value not only today but in the distant future as well.
Social scientists should not analyze or evaluate anything in a subjective manner, nor should they exaggerate or distort the facts in disregard of the historical conditions and circumstances. They should not produce figurative writings but identify appropriate issues and use concise expressions on the basis of historical facts and data.
In order to develop our social sciences to a new high, in line with the requirements for modelling the whole society on Kimilsungism-Kimjongilism, we need to bring about a revolutionary turn in the work of the Academy of Social Sciences.
The Academy of Social Sciences is the country’s hub for the study of social sciences and it is our Party’s and our state’s adviser on scientific theories.
It has assumed an important mission of generating excellent scientific study results with which to defend our Party scientifically and theoretically, help the Party and the state formulate policies, and lead and promote the development of the country’s overall social sciences. It should perform with credit its role as a staunch champion of Party policy and the Party’s faithful assistant and wise adviser; only then can it be said that it is fulfilling its responsibilities and duty as a key ideological and theoretical organ of the Party.
First of all, it should explain and prove in depth the truthfulness, originality, veracity and invincible vitality of Kimilsungism-Kimjongilism, and widely propagate it at home and abroad.
It should conduct a closer study of the Juche idea and the people-centred revolutionary theories and leadership methods elucidated by it, and publish many writings that explain and propagate Kimilsungism-Kimjongilism. These writings should offer a theoretical, reasonable explanation and demonstration of the greatness and vitality of our Party’s Songun idea and Songun politics within the system of Kimilsungism-Kimjongilism.
The Academy of Social Sciences should also work effectively to scientifically systematize and formulate theories relating to the great successes and precious experience achieved by our Party and people in the revolutionary struggle and construction work, so that they can be handed down to posterity.
Throughout the long period in which they led the revolution and construction under the uplifted banner of Juche, the great leaders followed the revolutionary path of independence, the original path of Songun and the untrodden path of socialism. In the course of this, they performed imperishable exploits and gained valuable experience that will go down for ever in history. It is an important duty for contemporary social scientists to systematize the exploits and experience achieved by the great persons of Mt Paektu and hand them down to the coming generations. The Academy of Social Sciences should fulfil its responsibilities in ensuring that the history of the great leaders continues for ever on this land. It should do so by scientifically and theoretically systematizing, explaining and propagating the immortal revolutionary careers of the peerlessly great persons of Mt Paektu and their exploits, which constitute the everlasting wealth of our Party and revolution and the eternal cornerstone for building a powerful country.
It should scientifically and theoretically generalize the successes and experience gained by our Party, army and people in dynamically advancing the revolution and construction in the face of every manner of challenge from the imperialists and reactionaries, as well as the spirit of the times that is fully displayed by our service personnel, people and officials, and their fighting experience. By doing so, it can ensure that they become priceless assets in making the country more prosperous.
An important task facing the Academy of Social Sciences is to further develop all branches of social sciences and provide solutions to the problems that arise in building a powerful socialist country, so that they can prove effective in practice.
In the realms of philosophy and socio-political science they should conduct political and ideological work in a methodical manner as demanded by the reality; in this way they can give proper answers to the problem of bringing the people’s mental strength and creativity into full play and to other problems that are raised in defending and developing the people-centred socialism of our style and fully consolidating the politico-ideological position of our revolution.
In the realm of economics they should find bold solutions to the theoretical and practical problems arising in building an economic giant, such as perfecting the method of socialist economic management in our own way as demanded by the era of the knowledge-based economy, securing the country’s intellectual resources to the maximum and making the best use of them. By doing so, they can make sure that economic theory contributes to developing the national economy and improving the people’s standard of living.
In the legal realm they should add the finishing touches to the theories on state building and legal theories in line with the requirements for building a powerful country, and ensure that economic and other laws are explained effectively. By doing so, they can render a service to establishing strict legal order and a law-abiding climate across the country.
In the realms of history, folklore and archaeology they should make proactive efforts to unearth and verify more of our nation’s outstanding cultural heritage, and inherit and develop it; they should focus on scientific study aimed at responding academically to the attempts to distort our country’s history.
In the realm of linguistics they should properly resolve the problems that arise in exalting the brilliance of our language, both spoken and written, and in developing a refined and cultured way of speaking throughout society.
In the realm of the science of art and literature they should conduct a closer study of our Party’s Juche-oriented idea and theory on art and literature with the aim of promoting their innovative, steady development.
In the realm of the national classics they should work hard with the ambitious goal of transcribing and editing the major national classics as soon as possible in order to make them priceless possessions of our people and treasures of the country.
The Academy of Social Sciences should also direct due attention to collecting and compiling data on our country’s history, the history and culture of other countries and their socio-economic development, and the aggression and crimes committed by the US and Japanese imperialists.
Social scientists should go deep into the reality to identify those problems that must be resolved in a policy-oriented way and submit plans indicating effective ways of satisfactorily solving them. We have called for transforming every county into a paradise for the people by applying the spirit of the historic Changsong Joint Conference. In answer to this appeal, our scientists should identify a certain unit and suggest the most reasonable long-term plan for developing it.
Academy of Social Sciences should also work efficiently to explore new branches of research and to develop them in our own way.
The fields of research for social sciences are becoming more diverse and new methods are being applied in the course of social advancement. This is giving rise to the development of new applied sciences and cross-disciplinary sciences. The fields of research for social sciences and their branches cannot be immutable. For the present, the social science sector should step up scientific study to explore in our own way applied social sciences and other branches that are fundamental to our revolutionary practice, and gradually expand the scope of these branches.
The Academy of Social Sciences should step up its activities for propagating the Juche idea abroad and promote academic exchanges with other countries in several areas. By doing so, it can give wide publicity to our Party’s Juche idea and the successes achieved in the study of social sciences, and ensure that our scientists keep abreast of world trends in their work. It should also endeavour to produce and publish influential books on social sciences in large numbers and distribute them around the world.
It should show close concern for keeping abreast of the overall research work in the sector of social sciences, making the most of the collective wisdom for their development, and resolving problems in a unified manner.
Several units are engaged in the study of social sciences, and they should maintain close ties among themselves with the Academy of Social Sciences as the hub; they should also pool their wisdom and efforts in problem-solving.
The Social Sciences Guidance Committee, which Comrade Kim Jong Il set up, should further enhance its functions and role with a view to stepping up scientific study in various forms and by various methods, such as collective discussion, debate and joint research, and resolving the problems raised by the academic societies under it.
The Academy of Social Sciences should establish a proper system for assessing the research results in social sciences, and conduct the work of deliberating on academic degrees and evaluating researchers’ grades in a responsible manner. It should build up its institutes and further improve the organization and guidance of scientific research as required by the developing reality.
In order to develop social sciences as intended by the Party and carry out with credit the tasks facing the Academy of Social Sciences, social scientists should decisively improve their role and sense of responsibility.
Our social scientists are revolutionary intellectuals and scientific workers of the Party, whom the great leaders regarded as precious beings and trained with considerable care. They should always cherish this great honour and source of pride, and make positive efforts to prove themselves worthy of the Party’s trust and expectations.
Loyalty to the Party and the leaders is the lifeblood of our social scientists. It is said that science knows no borders; but our scientists have borders in their faith and have their own revolutionary base. Social scientists should become genuine intellectuals of the Party and staunch revolutionaries who invariably trust and follow their leaders and their Party, who cherish the ideas of their leaders as an element of their unshakeable faith in the revolution and in their scientific study, and who resolutely defend and implement the Party’s lines and policies. They should become genuine practitioners of Kim Jong Il’s patriotism, who boundlessly love their socialist country, which is a valuable revolutionary asset bequeathed by the great leaders, and who make a positive contribution to building a powerful country with their successful scientific research results.
Great practical ability is a scientist’s most precious asset. Social scientists should raise a fierce wind of challenging one another in terms of their practical ability, so as to steadily enhance their politico-ideological level and scientific and theoretical qualifications. They should study Party documents fully and systematically so as to arm themselves firmly with our Party’s ideas, theories, lines and policies; they should be able to approach social phenomena in the light of its policies and resolve problems true to its intentions.
They should establish the revolutionary habit of studying to master their specialist fields, gain a rich knowledge of various associated and other fields, and decisively improve their command of foreign languages.
All our social scientists should be true revolutionary intellectuals who support the Party with scientific conviction and conscience, able scientists and pre-eminent talents who can carry out all their research projects with credit. Information work for social sciences needs to be improved radically.
In the present era of the knowledge-based economy, scientific information work is a key prerequisite for the sustained and efficient development of social sciences. Given the exponential increase in knowledge and the extensive use of computers and other IT means in scientific research, it is impossible to achieve success in the study of social sciences if scientific information work is not improved.
The Academy of Social Sciences should steadily improve such aspects of information work as the collection, analysis, storage and diffusion of information concerning social sciences, in line with world trends. In this way it can promptly provide the information and data that are essential for our revolutionary practice and ensure that they are used actively in scientific research. It should build up the technical foundations for putting scientific research on an IT footing, including e-libraries, and introduce electronic means and multimedia in the compilation of information on social sciences. In this way it can ensure that our social sciences develop continuously on the basis of a vast wealth of knowledge, and it can make a contribution to satisfying our people’s intellectual and cultural needs.
A turn in training talented social scientists should be achieved.
In the present era when talented people decide everything, the development and future of Juche-oriented social sciences are inconceivable apart from the work of training able social scientists.
The Academy of Social Sciences should improve how its postgraduate course is taught and education conducted at the College of Social Sciences, so as to produce larger numbers of social scientists who are fully equipped with a revolutionary outlook on the world and possess profound specialist and versatile knowledge. In this way it can add lustre to the immortal exploits performed by Comrade Kim Jong Il in training talented people for the social science sector.
The College of Social Sciences should steadily improve the content and methods of its education in conformity with its characteristics as a college under a scientific research institution; in this way it can ensure that its graduates render a tangible contribution to developing Juche-oriented social sciences by virtue of their practical abilities. It should prepare its students as talented revolutionaries who can make a contribution to revolutionary practice with their keen political and scientific insight, not as scholars who are desk-bound and obsessed by their research work. The universities and colleges, including Kim Il Sung University, which are responsible for training social science specialists, should produce large numbers of able social scientists and send their most promising graduates to the Academy of Social Sciences.
It is important to intensify Party guidance over the work of the Academy of Social Sciences and to boost social and national interest in it.
Party organizations, including the various departments of the Party Central Committee, should be more positive and effective in their political guidance and policy-oriented guidance over the study of social sciences, so as to ensure that the great leaders’ instructions and our Party’s policy on social sciences are carried out to the letter. They should promptly convey Party documents and the decisions and directives of the Party and the state to scholars and officials in the social science sector so that they can have a good understanding of the Party’s ideas and intentions and apply them in their scientific research work. They should also pay close attention to providing them with the data they need for their research work.
The Party organization at the Academy of Social Sciences should make careful arrangements for organizing and guiding its members’ Party life in conformity with its feature as a community of intellectuals. It should direct close attention to the political and ideological education of scientists so as to ensure that they devote all their wisdom and energies to scientific research with a high sense of pride in and enthusiasm for what they are doing and an enterprising approach to their work. It should build up its ranks of scientists on the principle of properly combining old and young scholars, so as to ensure that the young people steadfastly carry out their scientific research.
It is essential that public interest in social sciences is heightened, social scientists are respected and active assistance is given to them in their scientific study.
Our Party demands that importance should be attached not only to natural sciences but also to social sciences. Social scientists are precious talents of the country in charge of creating the ideological and spiritual wealth that is the most important and valuable of social assets. In order to develop the whole society in line with the requirements of Kimilsungism-Kimjongilism, it is important to improve the role of social scientists and prioritize the development of social sciences.
Party organizations, state organs and all officials should have a proper viewpoint on and understanding of social sciences and pay close attention to their development. The state should accord respect and preferential treatment to social scientists and provide them with ample conditions, both material and technical, for their study. It should also improve their working and living conditions so that they can apply themselves to their scientific study, which is their basic revolutionary duty.
Our Party places great trust in and has great expectations of the Academy of Social Sciences and social scientists.
Scientists and officials at the Academy of Social Sciences and all other social scientists, bearing in mind the Party’s great trust and expectations, should bring about a decisive turn in their scientific study and thus render an active contribution to accomplishing the cause of modelling the whole society on Kimilsungism-Kimjongilism.
