juche

Where does the word "juche" come from? It comes from Korean juche, and was adopted directly into English (1970s-1980s).

Juche’s story begins in Korean: juche meant “self-reliance; the guiding political philosophy of North Korea.” Meaning 'self-reliance' or 'subject', developed as North Korea's official state ideology. It reached English by 1970s-1980s as juche. Korean 'self-reliance', promoted by Kim Il-sung from 1955. Today, juche means north Korea's official state ideology emphasizing national self-reliance.

1. Stage 1 · Korean · 1950s-1960s juche "self-reliance; the guiding political philosophy of North Korea", meaning 'self-reliance' or 'subject', developed as North Korea's official state ideology.
2. Stage 2 · English · 1970s-1980s juche "North Korea's official ideology of political and economic self-reliance", Korean 'self-reliance', promoted by Kim Il-sung from 1955.