Hugh Stephens

Hugh Stephens is a political and anti-imperialist activist who has written extensively on Libya and Iraq as well as North Korea. He is secretary of the Institute for Independence Studies, based in London, England. The following viewpoint is excerpted from an article he wrote after visiting the Democratic People’s Republic of (North) Korea in 1998 on its fiftieth anniversary. Stephens writes that North Korea’s people remain enthusiastic supporters of the government and have been well served by the “Juche idea” of independent socialism. He argues that the Juche idea, developed by longtime North Korean leader Kim Il Sung and carried on by his son, Kim Jong Il, is the key to understanding North Korea’s success in...