Korean civilization

1. Korean 10: Korean Civilization
Week 5: Slide Presentation 2 of 3
North Korea
Building a Socialist Nation with Clout (1951-2003)
Prof. Mickey Hong
Modern Languages & Civilizations

2. Democratic
People’s Republic
of Korea (DPRK)
 Est. September 9, 1948
 Motto:
"Kangsŏngdaeguk“
("Strong and
Prosperous Nation“)

3. North Korea was also
completely destroyed
in the Korean War

4. Pyŏngyang
1953 and 1964 after reconstruction

5. Pyŏngyang,
21st Century

6. Pyŏngyang
Metro

7. The Ever-
Present
Kims,
Father and
Son
Every Public and private space

8. Kim Dynasty,
Mount Paektu bloodline
Socialist AND Monarchy

9. Death of
Kim Il-sung, 1994

10. Death of
Kim Jong-il,
2011

11. “Travelling to North Korea
– Where Preconceptions
and Reality Collide”
 Becki Enright, a
British writer,
blogger, traveler
 https://www.borders
ofadventure.com/tra
vel-to-north-korea-
guide-reality/

12. Kim Il-sung is
the founder
and Eternal
President of
North Korea

13. The Party and revolution must be carried
"eternally" by the “Paekdu bloodline"

14. Making of a Socialist Nation
(1953-66)
 Establishment of One-man Dictatorship
 Elimination of opponents: purge of Soviet-line communists
 Idolization of Kim Il Sung: cult of personality
 Development of the Juche (Chuch’e) thought: main body, spirit
of self-reliance, independence, and subjectivity => Korean
people are the masters of Korea’s revolution
 Background
 Reaction to anti-Kim’s movement within
 Confrontation between China and Soviet
 Meaning
 Independence in politics, economy, military,
ideology and culture
 NK version of nationalism, deviation from
communist internationalism
 Ideological fusion of communism and nationalism
 Koreanization of communism

15. Chuch’e/Juche
Tower, Pyŏngyang
Torch symbolizes the Juche ideology

16.  Ideological development
 Cult of personality
 Confucian concept of family state
 Mass mobilization
 To increase productivity
 No elitism, no bureaucratism
 Mobilization of women into the labor force
 “liberation of women from the kitchen
 UN statistics (1976): 48% of entire labor
force = women

17. Familism in Cult: A painting of both Kim Jong-
suk, the mother of Kim Jong-il, and Kim Il-
sung

18. Construction of Socialist
Economy
 Aid from communist countries
 USSR: cancellation of half of NK’s debt +
new loan
 PRC: cancellation all NK’s debts + new loan
 Economic plan => heavy industry for defense
industry & infrastructure

19. Military Policy (1960-1989)
 Militarization of NK
 Aggressive US policy in 1960s
 Split between bloc: Sino-Soviet confrontation
 Normalization between SK and Japan => US-
Japan-SK alliance
 Slogans: militarization of the people,
fortification of the nation, modernization of the
military
 Widening economic/military gap
 Kim’s policy: offensive => defensive
 Development of hi-tech weapons: long-range
ballistic missiles + nuclear warheads

20. North Korea’s Nuclear
Program (1989-2003)

21. North Korea’s Nuclear Program
(1989-2003)
 NK in crisis
 Economic hardship
 Political dominance over economy
 Old infrastructure and lack of industrial
technology
 Natural disaster: drought &flood
 Energy crisis
 Alternative: nuclear weapons and missiles
 1989 US detected NK’s nuclear
development
 Tension and resolution: in 1999, president
Kim Dae Jung proposed “Sunshine Policy”

22. Sunshine Policy (1999)
 NK curbs missile & nuclear programs
 SK provides food & economic aid
 US normalizes with NK
 Peaceful coexistence with NK => no war, no
military tension
 SK enterprises and capital rushed into NK
 Cultural/ social exchange
 Mt. Kŭmgang tourism

23. Mt. Kŭmgang
(Diamond)
Tourism

24. 2002-2003
 Bush’s aggression
 Rejected any negotiation with NK
(2001)
 “Axis of Evil” (2002, Union address)
 Stopped oil shipment
 Kim Jung Il’s reaction
 Reactivation of nuclear facilities
 Withdrawal from NPT (Treaty on the
Non-Proliferation of Nuclear
Weapons)
 Expelled IAEA (The International
Atomic Energy Agency) inspectors
 Kim Jungil’s Military-First (Sŏn’gun)
Policy: prioritizes the Korean People’
Army in the affairs of state and
allocates national resources to the army
first.

25. The Interview
(2014)
 Sony Pictures
Entertainment hacked
and threatened
 Cancelled theatrical
release
 Lost $30 million

26. So little is actually
Known about
North Korea
 What I learned about
freedom after escaping
North Korea
https://www.ted.com/talks/
yeonmi_park_what_i_learned
_about_freedom_after_escap
ing_north_korea?language=e
n#t-29351

27.  The Hermit Kingdom
(2014)
https://www.youtube.co
m/watch?v=IrCQh1usdzE
 North Korea In The
Age Of Trump (2020)
https://www.youtube.co
m/watch?v=PYd9gd6sNMY

28. America
 Different ethnicities
 Different geography
i.e.Hawaii, Puerto Rico,
Alaska, etc.
 Different languages
 Different histories
 Different
traditions/cultures
 United by the same
ideology

29. What “makes” a nation?
 Same ethnicity
 Same geography, the same
peninsula
 Same language
 Same history
 Same tradition/culture
 Separated by different
ideology
North/South Korea

30. Will the Two Koreas ever
unite into ONE?