What is the Correlation between Independence and Independent Demand?

Independence and independent demand should be clearly distinguished in close relationship.

President Kim Il Sung said:

To live independently, free from any form of domination and fetters, is the natural desire of social man.

That man has independence means he has independent demand. But this never means that independence and independent demand are the same.

Generally, the independent demand is the demand of man to live and develop as the master of the world and his destiny.

For example, man is desirous of abolishing the old and creating the new and wants to have a progressive idea and scientific and technical knowledge. This is none other than the independent demand of man.

However, man can have his independent demand only with the forms of ideological consciousness.

Ideological consciousness is the reflection of man’s demand and interests.

Man’s demand reflected by his ideological consciousness is the demand of man’s existence and development and man’s interest is whether things and phenomena are favorable or not.

Man has a consciousness of independence in reflection of the demand and interests of social life and practice in living and developing as masters in the world and his destiny.

Man’s independent demand is one of the contents of consciousness of independence and this consciousness is the decisive factor that defines independence. Therefore, that man has independent demand becomes an important guarantee for independence. Man can be a social being with independence when he conducts activities for realizing his independent demand by considering it as the purpose of life.

Like this, independence and independent demand are closely related but different from each other.