page_title: Ten Principles for the Establishment of a Monolithic Ideological System
hierarchical_section_title: Ten Principles for the Establishment of a Monolithic Ideological System
caption_attribution_description: Tower of the Juche Idea
context_page_description: Ten Principles for the Establishment of a Monolithic Ideological System are a set of ten principles and sixty-five clauses establishing standards for governance and guiding the behaviors of the people of North Korea.
  The Principles were originally proposed in 1967 by Kim Yong-ju, the younger brother of North Korean leader Kim Il-sung, following the Kapsan Faction Incident that had unsuccessfully sought to challenge Kim Il-sung's authority and Kim Yong-ju's position as the heir apparent of that time. As such, the Monolithic Ideological System emerged in the context of internal policy debates within the Workers' Party of Korea and the external challenges posed by the Sino-Soviet split. The Monolithic Ideological System was implemented by Kim Il-sung in order to quash internal dissent and cement the Kim family's dominance over the North Korean political system. Kim Il-sung announced the principles to the public in a speech held at the Supreme People's Assembly on 16 December 1967, entitled "Let Us Embody the Revolutionary Spirit of Independence, Self-Sustenance, and Self-Defense More Thoroughly in All Branches of State Activity".
context_section_description: Ten Principles for the Establishment of a Monolithic Ideological System (Korean: 당의 유일사상체계확립의 10대 원칙; also known as the Ten Principles of the One-Ideology System) are a set of ten principles and sixty-five clauses establishing standards for governance and guiding the behaviors of the people of North Korea.
  The Principles were originally proposed in 1967 by Kim Yong-ju, the younger brother of North Korean leader Kim Il-sung, following the Kapsan Faction Incident that had unsuccessfully sought to challenge Kim Il-sung's authority and Kim Yong-ju's position as the heir apparent of that time. As such, the Monolithic Ideological System emerged in the context of internal policy debates within the Workers' Party of Korea and the external challenges posed by the Sino-Soviet split. The Monolithic Ideological System was implemented by Kim Il-sung in order to quash internal dissent and cement the Kim family's dominance over the North Korean political system. Kim Il-sung announced the principles to the public in a speech held at the Supreme People's Assembly on 16 December 1967, entitled "Let Us Embody the Revolutionary Spirit of Independence, Self-Sustenance, and Self-Defense More Thoroughly in All Branches of State Activity".
  The Principles were rewritten by Kim Jong-il, with the help of Hwang Jang-yop, after Kim had become the new heir apparent in February 1974. The updated Principles were longer and further extended the personality cult surrounding Kim. The Principles attained an official status in the party in 1974. 
  The Ten Principles have come to supersede the Constitution of North Korea and edicts by the Workers' Party of Korea, and in practice, serve as the supreme law of the country.
  The Ten Principles must be memorized by every citizen, and they ensure absolute loyalty and obedience to Kim Il-sung, Kim Jong-il, and Kim Jong-un. The Principles are integral to the political and daily lives of the people and are to be exercised through daily self-criticism sessions, in their work, school, etc., forming the foundation of the North Korean cult of personality. They are often compared with the Ten Commandments due to their similar role in shaping people's daily lives and the language they evoke and it is suspected that Kim Yong-ju's Christian past shaped them that way.
  According to North Korean dictionaries, the Ten Principles are defined as follows: “The ideological system by which the whole party and people is firmly armed with the revolutionary ideology of the Suryeong (supreme leader) and united solidly around him, carrying out the revolutionary battle and construction battle under the sole leadership of the Suryeong.”
caption: Signs atop two buildings adjacent to the Juche Tower read "Single-Minded Unity" (일심 단결)
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