Juche (, ) is the fifteenth Taekwon-Do teul, as defined by the International Taekwon-Do Federation (ITF). The pattern consists of 45 movements and is taught to students with the 2nd dan (black belt) and necessary to know to obtain the 3rd dan.
Creation Contrary to the other 23 patterns recognized by the ITF, Juche is a teul that replaced an existing teul, having only been created in the 1980s. The official reason for the replacement of Ko-Dang was that the existing patterns lacked new advanced techniques. General Choi Hong-hi believed that a new teul could best be introduced for second-degree students, as he considered this level to be the physical peak for most students. Out of the three patterns for second degree, Ko-Dang was named after the youngest patriot (the other people being Son Byeonghui and Kim Deokryeong).
However, it is generally agreed that Juche was introduced as a pattern to secure financial support from North Korea. As long as ITF Taekwon-Do maintained Ko-Dang, named after Kim Il Sung's former political rival Jo Mansik, the North Korean authorities were not open to sustain the Taekwon-Do governing body. Initially, Kim Il Sung wanted to have the entire sport renamed to 'Juche Taekwon-Do', so the proposal to only rename a pattern after North Korea's state ideology was considered a compromise. After this deal, Juche was devised in the early 1980s and introduced as an official teul somewhere between 1983 and 1985.
Meaning
Juche is the name of the official ideology of North Korea and the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK), as well as the philosophical principle of Kimilsungism–Kimjongilism. Juche developed in the 1950s and 1960s in reaction to Soviet and Chinese involvement and influence and was established as the sole ideology of the WPK in 1980. The primary objective of Juche is to secure North Korea's political, economic, and military independence, and its core values include autarky, isolationism, and individualism.
Controversies While Juche holds a leftist image, a number of scholars argue that it is better characterized as nationalist or far-right, deviating from Marxism–Leninism.: "As a political idea, however, it is an inadequate exposition of nationalism and has little relevance to the tenets of Marxism and Leninism. [...] It was never explained what elements of Marxism and Leninism were domesticated to become part of the chuch'e idea or which aspects of Marxism or Leninism were creatively applied to conditions peculiar to Korea. [...] Whatever the name and however elaborate his claim, Kim's chuch'e idea is nothing more than xenophobic nationalism that has little relevance to communism." The WPK has been accused of Korean nationalism, xenophobia, and racism, inherited from Imperial Japan during its colonial occupation of Korea.
Due to the status of Juche as North Korea's official ideology and its links to xenophobia and racism, some ITF Taekwon-Do schools abstain from the pattern, instead still practising Go-Dang.
Number of movements The 45 movements in Juche refer to 1945, the year in which Korea divided into North Korea and South Korea, and Kim Il Sung, the founder of the Juche philosophy, won the Second World War as a member of the Red Army.
Movements