The advent of imperialism in the modern period triggered a wave of self-reliance movements in colonized countries. In India, Mahatma Gandhi promoted the idea of Swadeshi to boycott foreign-made products and supported the growth of indigenous industries in order to gain national independence. In North Korea, Kim Il-sung made the Juche idea a guiding philosophy of the state for autonomous economic development and make the country self-reliant. Although the ideas of Swadeshi and Juche share several similarities, there are also major differences between these two views on self-reliance. Ironically, the overemphasis on self-reliance in the realm of economic development in both India and North Korea led to poverty and backwardness in these two nations. However, compared to North Korea, India adopted economic liberalization measures in the post-Cold War period, but the Indian Government still aims for achieving self-reliance. Therefore, this article is an effort to compare and explain the ideas of Swadeshi and Juche in the era of globalization and argues that the North Korean regime may have to implement some serious economic reforms for the survival of the country in the coming times.