[Editor’s note: The following paper in 4 Parts was originally prepared to present before the 70th Anniversary International Symposium on the occasion of Kim Il Sung University Foundation in Pyongyang, DPRK in September 29 – October 1, 2016.
The 4th Media believes Dr. Chung’s paper might be beneficial for its global readership hopefully to understand better the “anti-imperialist” struggle DPRK has endlessly waged ever since the Korean peninsula has been forcibly divided by the Washington’s “Imperial Ambition” in 1945. However, the topic the author persistently dealt or wrestled with throughout the paper could be a non-issue or a less-readily acceptable issue to many.
But, since both the worst W Bush and Obama era ever since early 2000s, specifically with the disastrous and helpless experiences from the cases of former Yugoslavia (in Clinton era), Afghanistan, Iraq, Sudan, Libya, Syria, Yemen and many other defenseless nations around the world which had been either already destroyed into shatters and ruins or still being bombed daily for years, it seems many in the world today might have a better (or much better?) position finally to understand at least what the nonstop DPRK-US confrontation for over 70 years is all about.
Therefore, some of the core arguments Prof. Chung presented in his paper should be quite controversial and/or for many hard to swallow to agree with. The 4th Media however hopes its global readership to wrestle with a rather long paper which painstakingly dealt with certainly the most (worst) demonized nation on earth the “North Korea” of its “not-known-before (or probably never been introduced) -to the world issue”, called, the “Military-first Politics“. Best wishes!]
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On Historical Significance of “Songun (i.e., Military-First) Politics”
CONTENTS
Part I
Preface
Introduction Linguistic Analyses and Interpretations
The DPRK-US Struggle and a New Future for the Humanity
A New Russia-China Alliance and the Failed “Anglo-American Empire”
Part II
The Songun Politics is the Answer
“Parallel Strategy to Develop Simultaneously both Economy and the Nuclear Power”
Most Challenging, Unpredictable Task: “Leadership Succession”
Part III
“North Korean Collapsing Theories” Made in USA
The Game Is Over: “Collapse of Collapsing Theories” and the Peace Treaty Issue
Rapidly Growing Geopolitical Awareness on the DPRK’s Parallel Strategy
Military-First Revolution Continues Through Generations
Part IV
An Undeniable Historical Fact: It’s the US Who Has Always Failed
The First-ever Defeat the US Imperialists Had in Its War History
The Korean Holocaust and Other Unrecognized Holocausts
Conclusive remarks
Most Extreme Asymmetrical War, Cultural Imperialism, Great Suffering
Songun Politics, US President’s Admittance of Military Defeat
Part II
The Songun Politics is the Answer
Based upon the above-argued analyses, interpretations, and readings of today’s global power politics and of course the over 500 years-old history of Western Imperialism which is represented by Washington/Tel Aviv today, the answer is I believe the 70 years-old history of D-U struggle. In other words, DPRK’s “almost a century-old Songun Politics” is the answer.
The still-continued D-U struggle itself means the unstoppably declining US position in today’s global power relations. In fact, the irrecoverable deterioration of US power in D-U struggle has begun way back in early 1990s. The Geneva “DPRK-US Basic Agreements” (hereafter, DUBA) signed in October 1994, as one of the most surprising therefore absolutely unimaginable political event, I believe, was one of the most historical turning points in the late 20th Century’s geopolitical power struggles.
What I am talking about here is the great geopolitical timing of the event. The DUBA timing in early 1990s was most strikingly significant. As well-known, it was when, starting with the Soviets, almost every nation on earth, nations prone to anti-imperialist socialism, began to either collapse, being destroyed or thrown into all sorts of Washington-instigated ‘regime change’ crises one after another.
It was when almost every nation had to behave before the OGS. Otherwise no nation was immune either from economic sanctions or military interventions, or from both unilaterally imposed by that real evil empire. However, in the case of DPRK, even if the US had done everything for 70 years in maximum, the last quarter century in minimum, the Washington hadn’t been able to even cross the 38th Parallel Line for a 0.00001 mm toward the north.
Therefore, as the author of this paper has argued in numerous times at least since December 27, 2011, I’d still contend US is already a finished empire. This argument is based upon a numerous number of undeniable historical facts that Washington hasn’t been able to do anything what it’d wanted against DPRK throughout the unbelievable history of 70 years-old D-U struggle.
As said above, for US, the still continuing D-U struggle itself means exactly, as in the language of Noam Chomsky, “The Failed State”. In a way, the longer the D-U struggle continues, the more the already finished therefore irrecoverably failed empire looks even furthermore completely defeated.
For some known and unknown reasons, DPRK in its 70 years of ongoing struggles against the most asymmetrically uneven counterpart in every aspect has inexplicably or mysteriously defeated, humiliated, ridiculed the OGS at every turn.
It’s like, therefore, as if the DPRK, at the expense of its own 25 million populations’ great suffering for several decades, had however prepared a new future for the world in which someday, hopefully not far down the road but in near future, all nations can live in peace with their neighbors thereby they’d harmoniously work together for each other’s co-prosperity without getting afraid of being threatened anymore from the most destructive real evil empire the humanity has never known before.
So one can even further arguably claim that the historic D-U struggle in a way has humbly presented a new future for the whole humanity by radically changing or restructuring the early 21st Century’s global power politics. One can call it the 21st Century Global Struggle between the DPRK, Russia and China-led International Anti-Imperialist and Self-determination Camp and the US/Tel Aviv-controlled world. The latter of course represent the over 500 years-old Western Imperialists.
Needless to say their expendable therefore anytime disposable clients, puppets, or vassals like Saudi, Turkey, Tokyo, South Korea and many others around the world are in the latter camp as well. By the way, though some may disagree, I believe by now one should be able to even contend the 70 years-old D-U struggle has both symbolically and practically represented the world’s most anti-imperialist self-determined socialist struggles in the forefront of the 20th and 21st Century.
Therefore, particularly after the KWP’s 7th Party Congress in May 2016, I don’t think seemingly there are still a lot more number of people further doubt as they did in the past if one conclusively argues DPRK is undeniably the most representative nation in today’s world’s anti-imperialist self-determined socialist struggles against the US-controlled world.
“Parallel Strategy to Develop Simultaneously both Economy and the Nuclear Power”
Let’s now try to find out, if possible, some logical clues and philosophical answers why we should have read that military-first language in the way as we’ve discussed from the very beginning of this paper. According to Chairman Kim’s definitions, it’s obvious the goal of the military-first principle isn’t the military.
Actually to defend, protect and further develop their already-firmly built-in self-determined, anti-imperialist and the people-centered socialist nation is its goal. So one should firstly conclude with a more assurance that the fundamental goal the military-first revolution solely aims for is the people, not the military.
In other words, unless a nation’s self-defensive military capability is assuredly strong enough to deter, stop, if needed, defeat any types of foreign military interventions, the nation’s sovereignty, dignity and security won’t be sufficiently warranted. As a result, the people’s security, wellbeing, and happiness won’t be either protected.
Therefore, one can find some logically-justifiable reasons why DPRK has chosen that most challenging but most guaranteed and the surest path both for the future of nation and the people. So one can again conclusively argue now a lot more comfortably the military-first revolution is for the people, not for the military.
The people is the goal, the military the tool as a methodology. Only thereafter the nation’s undisrupted economic developments can be also simultaneously ensured. That’s why I believe the Songun revolution, no matter how hard it was both in the beginning and throughout the process, as Chairman Kim once said, had been chosen as “the supreme politics of the nation.”
That supreme politics during the already-mentioned 2nd Arduous March, i.e., the most challenging period at the expense of people’s unimaginably great hardship, suffering and shortage of everything for about a quarter century, however, had been able to successfully prepare for the nation’s next generation of the leadership to be able to launch a further emboldened, ambitious, and critical strategy, called the “Parallel Strategy to Develop both Economy and the Nuclear Power Simultaneously” (hereafter, Parallel Strategy or PS).
DPRK argues, though still many would hardly agree, they believe the PS only should be able to safeguard both nation’s security, people’s wellbeing and nation’s undisruptive economic prosperity simultaneously. Therefore, it should be DPRK’s only but best choice which they argue has been also scientifically proven as the most justifiable strategy for them to stick with until they’d accomplish their most ambitious goals, i.e., both the economy and the nation’s security simultaneously.
Thus, the Parallel Strategy logically seems the most justifiable choice for them to live with, no matter how others argue. Anyway this newly-revised national strategy, with much heavier emphasis on the economic development, is already one of the most symbolic political slogans of the Kim Jong Eun era.
In other words, the elder Chairman Kim’s “hard-chosen Songun politics” had after all successfully achieved its most crucial however then regarded by most in the world as an “impossible therefore unachievable” goal to defend the nation from all sorts of US-led imperialists’ ‘regime change’ strategies.
But that “impossible goal” the Songun politics aimed most while the US-controlled world flatly dismissed as an unachievable one however had been already far surpassingly accomplished. In other words, The Songun politics had not only defended the nation but also, no matter how outside world argues, made DPRK obtained a nuclear deterrent capability.
Therefore, one can point out here in the discussions of Songun politics a most historical paradox, probably one of the most unbelievable paradoxes in the 21st Century world’s power politics.
The paradox is it’s the US imperialists whose 70 years-old anti-DPRK strategy had after all assisted DPRK become a nuclear power. What a great paradox it is! It’d have been probably one of the most unexpected outcomes for everybody, particularly for the US imperialists.
It must have been a worst nightmare for the Washington war planners to swallow as a new reality already for almost 20 years now ever since DPRK had successfully launched its first satellite into the orbit in August 1998. The DPRK’s first successful nuclear bomb test in 2006 was another nightmare for the Washington war planners. Those worst nightmares for US however must have been paradoxically a great blessing for DPRK.
For the latter has been undoubtedly threatened by US nuclear war threats for over 60 some years ever since Washington failed to occupy the north in its 1950-53 imperialist war of aggressions. Therefore, I don’t think there are still a lot of people who’d dare to argue on this undeniable history that the nuclear DPRK must be one of the greatest paradoxes in the world history.
The nuclear DPRK is doubtlessly one of the worst and the most miserable disasters in US war history. The nuclear DPRK itself in fact means the 70 years-long D-U struggle is already over, unless the psychopathic insanity in Washington is beyond control. What it means also is the Peace Treaty as the only solution which could peacefully end the 66 years-long worst enemy relationship.
Most Challenging, Unpredictable Task: “Leadership Succession”
However, in addition to the military-first politics’ first and foremost crucial goal to defend the nation, there was another task, probably the most challenging task which hadn’t been however undeclared until last minutes. But in many aspects it might have been in a way much more challenging and unpredictable task than those stated crucial goals of Songun politics. Another most crucial but most challenging therefore extremely unpredictable task was the “leadership succession.
However, it had been also successfully accomplished already. After 5 years passed since December 2011, everybody seemed to have realized how absolutely and indispensably crucial task that undeclared goal was. It was the task to prepare the nation’s next leadership who’d take the people under any circumstances into a much better, far better future based upon the same revolutionary tradition, i.e., the people-centered military-first politics.
What ordinary population in DPRK seemed to have most appreciated, in humble memories of their “beloved great leader General Kim Jong Il”, was that undeclared task of “revolutionary leadership succession” had been wonderfully prepared therefore superbly accomplished. The 5 years of seemingly par excellence leadership performed by the “new supreme leader” Kim Jong Eun seems to have made undoubtedly the world quite surprised. It’d be the reason why lately the world seems less hear the US-manufactured quite noisy, ugly and disrespectful defamation campaigns against the new DPRK leadership.
However, the world still is noisy with the so-called “North Korean human rights” issues the lately furthermore psychopathic Washington [by the way, for the sake of the discussion, the US as the historically unprecedented case, unbelievably most hypocritical and shameless entity ever existed in human history] habitually argues. What it means however is Washington has no more cards to use in its imperialist war against DPRK other than throwing out those outdated campaigns of demonization.
It’s definitely another undeniable proof that Washington has miserably failed, completely lost, and now even don’t know what to do about its failed “Anti-North Korea Policy”. When Washington habitually talks about Others ‘human rights abuse issues’, it means they are mentally ill. Severely ill! It’s an abominable illness. They’re helplessly ill.
However, no matter what Washington did, at least with regard to the issue of nation’s leadership succession, particularly after the quite historic and very successful 7th Party Congress in May 2016, there seem not much disagreements about the leadership succession issue anymore.
Seemingly there are apparently a lot more, regardless of like or dislike, supportive or unsupportive, almost universally-shared recognitions of Chairman Kim’s surprisingly far surpassing leadership skills and capabilities which seemed to have gone way beyond most people’s assessments, expectations, and predictions.
A more number of top leaders in many nations around the world, specifically now even China and Russia, of course many third world nations like Cuba, Iran, Syria, etc., already seemed to have respectfully recognized this undeniable fact. It’d be one of the main reasons why the world lately won’t hear much those stereotypically insane, cynical, ill-willed, skeptical and senseless noises against DPRK anymore.
Even if 5 years of nonstop reporting had been relentlessly made on the DPRK’s new leadership by the world’s most mainstream media mostly with unfavorable, unsupportive, often defamatory contents, however, the international standing of the new Chairman Kim as DPRK’s supreme leader seems to have been dramatically improved right after the successfully completed and very impressive 7th Party Congress.
What it means I believe is many in the world today in a way respectfully recognize the most challenging leadership succession task wonderfully completed now. Even if all sorts of both internal and external challenges, pressures, threats, etc., must have been heavily, if not overwhelmingly, placed upon his shoulder, however, it seems the nation’s most challenging task of leadership succession had been masterfully accomplished.
By launching the Parallel Strategy under the new leadership, DPRK’s almost a century-long tradition of people-centered military first politics has been also masterfully succeeded. It’s been already reported that it’s now even firmly built into the nation’s Constitution since 2013. What it means is the nation’s most urgent and most challenging tasks both in economic and national security matters have been also masterfully completed within that short period by the third generation of the nation’s new leadership as well.
Therefore, particularly today, it seems many would readily or more comfortably agree with the fact that the military-first politics has been the very reason all along why and how DPRK has not only survived but also successfully deterred the nonstop US-led imperialist war of aggressions for 70 years.
One can hardly question why the new DPRK leadership defines the Parallel Strategy as an absolutely justifiable strategy and then even in 2013 has constitutionalized it. Now, more than ever, seemingly almost everybody in the nation predict their future with a sense of absolute confidence, in addition to their nation’s security, that the new supreme leadership will be able to complete another most urgent task under any circumstances, i.e., the building an economically stronger and advanced nation.
(Continues in Part III)
Prof. Kiyul Chung, Editor-in-Chief at The 4th Media, in addition to a PhD he earned in the United States, also earned another doctoral degree, called, Doctor of Sociopolitics (SPD) from DPRK in 2014. Before he joined the Tsinghua University in Beijing, China as a Visiting Professor since September 2009, he’d been teaching in the States, South Korea and China ever since mid 1980s. While still working in China, however, since 2011, he’s been also invited to several universities in Japan such as Keio, Rikkyo and Korea University in Tokyo, Kyoto, Doshisha and Ritsumeikan University in Kyoto where he’s been lecturing as either Visiting Professor or Guest Lecturer. After obtaining a DPRK doctoral degree in the area of social science, he’s been also called into teaching at Kim Il Sung University in Pyongyang, DPRK since March 2015. His articles have been published around the world since 1990s in addition to his prolific Korean articles which have been published in both North and South Korean medias including independent medias in overseas Korean communities throughout the world. Since December 1994, he’s published about 300 some articles in several Korean-language medias in both Koreas. His first English book (The Donghak Concept of God/Heaven: Religion and Social Transformation, Peter Lang Publishing Inc.) was published both in the United States and Europe in 2007. His first two Korean books were published in the South in 2009 and 2012 respectively. His two latest Korean books were also published in the North in 2015 and 2016 as well.