Juche

    What is the main factor deciding the destiny of war?

    Human or weapon?

    The clear answer to the question was given during a break time of tactics-training in the Oundong Military Camp on August 22, 1962.

    That day the military campers were discussing on military ideology. Listening to the different ideas of the campers, Kim Jong Il said that the standard point evaluating a military ideology is the viewpoint of the armed forces.

    He further said: the armed force consists of man and weapon. What is more important, man or weapon? The military ideology is evolved and systematized in a different way, depending on what is observed as the decisive factor for victory.

    That kind of setting the issue itself was a new discovery.

    He told about the weapon-almighty idea the bourgeois military theory insists.

    Bourgeois military theorists evolve the military theory and prepare tactics in the direction of putting military technical dominance to the fore, since they think weapon decides victory or defeat of a war. This is, in essence, weapon-almighty idea. Weapon-almighty idea means you win if the weapon is superior or otherwise you lose.

    And he explained about the “battleship-first theory,” “air-first theory” and “tank-first theory” the bourgeois military theoreticians claim, tracking back the history of world war.

    The British imperialists who had command of sea, defeating Spanish fleet in the 16^th century and Napoleon’s fleet in the early 19^th century, insisted on “battleship-first theory.”

    Hitler insisted on “tank-first theory” as he conquered Poland in 15 days and France in a month by surprise blitz attack with tanks.

    The US imperialists since long ago have putting much importance to its ambition of domination over the world depending on “air supremacy,” insisting on “air-first theory.”

    The “nuclear weapon-almighty theory” the imperialists insist today, is a variety of weapon-almighty idea.

    Stressing on these facts, Kim Jong Il said it is true that it is favorable when the state of weapon is good but the weapon never decide victory or defeat of a war.

    In the military camping days, Kim Jong Il gave many clear instructions on the essential characteristics and basic principles of President Kim Il Sung’s military idea as follows.

    The President’s military idea is a military idea and theory evolved with human as main core, differently from the military theory evolved stressing weapon. The President rejected the weapon-almighty idea and created an original military idea depending on man. Regarding man as the main core is the starting principle of the President’s military idea. …

    It was really a clear answer only an outstanding military genius could give.