American Perspectives: Response to 주체 84

희 and 남선호. Artwork by Danu I.

Disclaimer: I am not a supporter of the DPRK.  I have a profound appreciation of the history and culture of the Korean peninsula, and in order to fully understand it, I must read about all of it.

 

"The Socialist state must work to develop economic and cultural exchange and cooperation with various countries around the world, based on the principles of equality and mutual benefit.  At the same time, it must guard against the infiltration of reactionary bourgeouis culture and ways of life." --김종일

 

That explains why the DPRK seems to tightly monitor the content and ideas that their people have access to.  It's to make sure, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that the ideology will be learned and embraced without outside interruption.  Because their ideology involves much more self discipline and a lot less external reward, it is very easy to be tempted by the consumerism that exists outside of "The Hermit Kingdom."  Throughout the 주체 84, it is noted that heterogeneity is bad, homogeneity is good.  While I can see where Mr. 김종일 is coming from (as social media from 2013-2022 was hell with all these annoyingly opinionated and confrontational American voices everywhere, so trust me, no one gets it better than me, ha ha ha).  I am going to have to respectfully disagree with the concept of keeping things homogenous.  As I just said, I understand the logic, and there are many times when I am in awe at how rude my fellow American friends are on social media compared to my international friends, however, it's not something I can subscribe to.

 

Why? You may ask.  Well, the irony is, because heterogeneous opinions are allowed in the US, I am able to read material about North Korea, written by one of their political leaders, and not have to worry about it coming at a painful price.  I like that I'm able to read about other cultures at all, and that I can study their respective political philosophies.  That I can compare it to my own culture's political philosophy, and that I can actually write about it.  Except on Facebook.  I did get banned from Facebook for writing empathetic opinions about the DPRK.  Facebook absolutely does not like that.

 

I can see why cultural/political homogeneity and the study of the 주체 is pushed so stringently.  Hell, there are some Christian Churches who go heavy handed in pushing the Bible Study, so it's really not that far removed from my own culture.  The only difference being that the study of the 주체 is government mandated.  Prior to the split between the two Koreas, the people had to contend with the Japan Occupation.  And just like Native Americans in North and South America, everyone handled/reacted to this foreign rulership differently.  I'm sure there were some Korean people who were all about resisting and getting the Japanese out as soon as possible, while there were others who embraced the idea of a new order, others who did not know what the hell to think, and others still who did not give a shit because they were so far down the social ladder that not much would change for them anyway.  And just like with the Native American population, it left everything split, no clear united front, leaving open some major weak spots.  And just like the American colonizers, it was something the Japanese took full advantage of. 

 

So, I feel this tight ideological control is really a government mandated trauma response.  A promise to never be taken over in that way ever again.  The way it is being approached, however, I don't consider it a good idea. I am also taking into account that the culture I'm coming from (American) is very hyper individualistic.  Naturally, I am inclined to think that South Korea is "the better Korea," but is there a way for North Korea to be socialist, to not be heavily touched by Western influence (as the powers that be would prefer, however, Western culture is everywhere, so it is nearly impossible to avoid), and for the people to have a bit more freedom of movement?  There are many cultural differences regarding North Korea that I can respect, but the inability to legally leave the country for whatever reason is something that I just can't.  I understand why, as there are concerns about bringing back Western influences, but I also feel that if the people love their country that much, they'll have no problem going back to their respective cultural contexts after a week or so abroad.