North Korea (N.K) has reaffirmed the fact they are still persisting in socialist regime for decades, even though there has been the anticipation of the collapse of N.K after the middle of 1990's. N.K had finished the preparation for power succession t...
North Korea (N.K) has reaffirmed the fact they are still persisting in socialist regime for decades, even though there has been the anticipation of the collapse of N.K after the middle of 1990's. N.K had finished the preparation for power succession that had started around 1970's in 1990, and Kim Jong Il naturally seized the power passing by the shock-absorbing period after the death of Kim Il Sung. The power succession has been completed stably through the form that has him as the chairman of the national defense committee again and has never seen before in other socialism nations.
Of course N.K is experiencing a crisis caused by aggravation of its economy generated by the conflict between N.K and U.S and these problems are being discussed seriously. However it's not connected to the discussion of the collapse of N.K. Moreover, N.K is seeking changes by making many movements one of which is to study China's economic opening model keeping in mind China' reform and opening in order to cope with these crises. The 7.1 economic measures for improving economic administration and the visiting China of Kim Jong Il in January 2006 are seen as efforts to manage these crises and show its will for reform and opening.
What are the driving forces that have maintained its regime stably in spite of the economical and political difficulties and the fact that threats to its regime springing from their choice for reform and opening are coexisting with it. This treatise has inquired what roles the symbolization of the revolution tradition of N.K has played as a mechanismof unifying the regime for the passed fifty years by analyzing it.
For this, ithas arranged the political history of N.K placing the tradition of revolution as the center, and it has driven characteristics of each period dividing the times. Also, it has studied how the intentions of the political power holdersare applied to people's daily life and have the force of unifying society through inquiring the process of presenting 'the tradition of revolution' as its symbol in N.K by analyzing symbolization.
The summary of the treatise is as follow. 'The period of establishing the tradition of revolution is the period that the power of Kim Il Sung and the partisan party was superior but there were some critical situations at the same time. The contents of the tradition of revolution of that time had to establish the fact that it was Kim Il Sung's military strife against the empire of Japan. It, therefore, emphasized the history of supporting the legitimacy of Kim Il Sung party through symbols of place and sculpture which directly express it. Although the 'Hyeok-myeong-jeon-jeok-ji-dal-ri-gi' which is an event that people run around places which the revolution was occurred was performed, it was not the type of exploration marching like the present.
'The period of institutionalizing and constructing ideology of the tradition of revolution' is a great conversion period that Kim Il Sung monopolized the political power. The contents of the tradition of revolution deepened the childhood story of Kim Il Sung and the contents of revolutionary songs in order to emphasize that his natural disposition as a leader and ability of revolution had been continuing long before the period of the military strife against the empire of Japan. Thus, the tradition of revolution was symbolized through all symbols such as symbol of place, symbol of sculpture, symbol of language, symbol of art and symbol of deification and so on in order to express the tradition of revolution of the victor at this time. After all symbols started being built, the contents and symbols of the tradition of revolution was brought into play, then the 'Bae-um-ui-cheon-ri-gil' exploration marching begun to be organized after 1973.
'The period of accession of the tradition of revolution' is theperiod at which the change generated by appearance of a new figure as a man of political power was emphasized. The contents of the established tradition of revolution transformed into the contents on Kim Jung Il among which the fact of the succession was emphasized at this time. The political situations and the changes of the contents were reflected on symbols. And the fact of the succession and the changes of contents were explained by symbols of language and art and deification more than by symbols of place and sculpture. The symbol of the period, therefore, was intensively expressed through symbols of them.
Also, it is the characteristic of this period that after all symbols of the period of institutionalizing and constructing ideology of the tradition of revolution were presented as contents of the tradition of revolution and institutionalized, it tried to emphasize the disposition and ability of Kim Jung Il as the successorby using synthetically symbols through the process of formalization. So to speak, the form and content of the exploration marching was established as performed now, what we must pay attention here is that the exploration marching was retroactively applied up to the achievement of Kim Jung Il's childhood (June 1956, the Pyongyang first high class middle school years). From that time on, the exploration marching has been institutionalized being actively used as a tool of justifying the political power of Kim Jung Il who is a new political power holder.
To cope with the crisis caused by the death of Kim Il Sung, the existing contents of the tradition of revolution was emphasized at 'the period of preservation and re-creation'. This was renewedly presented as an achievement of Kim Jung Il later. Reflecting this, the continuity of the regime was emphasized through routinizing each symbol. It had been re-creating the tradition of revolution as the military-first policy placing language symbol as the center later. It, however, is propositioning that the new invented military-first policy came from the tradition of revolution against the empire of Japan, it always emphasizes that the regime of Kim Jung Il is on the line of continuity of the regime of Kim Il Sung.
It could affirm the fact the tradition of revolution is consolidating the legitimacy of the regime as being built through the process of restoration and re-creation of the tradition by analyzingthe symbolization of the tradition of revolution and the exploration marching which is a concrete case. The exploration marching is a ceremony established with the national plan and apolitical intentions, it is composed of size, time, participants and so on. It motivates people from young age to adult to participate regularly in various ways. This has the symbols of the tradition of revolution absorbed in people's daily life through cultural and educational activities and people naturally receive the political intentions of the government by making people participate in the exploration marching regularly or periodically.
N.K has been strengthening the education of the tradition of revolution, and this is emphasized especially when it is experiencing conversion and has threats to its regime. After the nuclear problem and the international situation involving relation between N.K and U.S became worse, Kim Jung Il visited 'Baekdusan hyeok-myeong-jeon-jeok-ji' and he pointed out that the exploration marching had not been normalized except for the periodical national exploration and told that the exploration must be normalized. The directreference of the leader on normalizing the exploration marching which is being emphasized as an education of the tradition of revolution means that internal or external threats to its regime are existing and he again stresses it as a method to overcome them. This could be conversely an important base data to predicatethe changes of the society and the regime if the changes of symbols which symbolized the tradition of revolution and formalization which is the process managing institutionally are detected.
In the sense, that it emphasizes the established tradition of revolution of Kim Il Sung as the military-first policy while the conversion to the regime of Kim Jung Il has been maintained stably is shown as an effort to have the originality of Kim Jung Il's regime being maintained stability of the regime switchover. On the other hand, to emphasize that the achievement and the military-first policy of Kim Jung Il is the result of succeeding the existing the tradition of revolution without modifications reflects the facts that it is experiencing economical difficulties and national isolation caused by conflicts one of which involves the N.K nuclear problem between N.K and U.S and international society. It emphasizes to overcome these difficulties by strengtheningthe marching spirit of the partisan, military spirit, that is, the tradition of military strife against the empire of Japan. It will emphasize concentration through changes when its regime is stabilized, and it will promote unification of society through strategy preserving and stressing the tradition and symbols when it is unstable due to threats to its regime. Also, as long as the internal and external threats to its regime such as the nuclear problem and conflict between N.K and U.S by which economical difficulties were caused and so on exist, it would keep emphasizing that it maintains the tradition of revolution which begun from Kim Il Sung.
The efforts of inventing the tradition and consolidating the legitimacy of its regime through symbolization of it for a long time has become the cultural basis for maintaining unification of society and stability of political authority. Namely, the symbolization of the tradition of revolution develops a unique cultural characteristic and system of humanity of socialism and makes people adaptive to the system and has them assess positivelyon the leader. Thus, N.K society is being maintained even in a worst situation like economical difficulties contrary to expectations.