Assignment #1: North Korean Family and Politics

Portraits of rulers Kim Il-Sung and Kim Jong-Il hang in every North Korean home. 

April 15^th happens to be North Korea’s most important holiday. It marks the anniversary of “Eternal President of the Republic” Kim Il-Sung’s birthday. Leading up to this national celebration, inspection teams from the Korean Worker’s Party march from home to home checking on the maintenance of portraits of Kim Il-Sung and Kim Jong-Il. If a portrait is damaged or dusty, the household has failed and is subject to public ridicule. Interactions such as this between the government and the people in North Korea illustrate the visible influence that the former has on the latter.

Following the Japanese surrender during World War II in 1945, the Korean peninsula was divided into two occupational zones. Three years later, with Soviet support, the North became the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea with Kim Il-Sung ruling until his death as both the Secretary General of the only active political party (communist Korean Worker’s Party) and the President. He left behind a legacy of rigid governmental control and documented human rights restrictions.

Currently, Kim Jong-Il - Kim Il-Sung’s son - presides over North Korea as the General Secretary of the KWP, Supreme Commander of the People’s Armed Forces and Chairman of the National Defense Committee. A recent BBC News article reports, “The next generation of the Kim family is even now being groomed to take this dynasty into its sixth decade.”

North Korea's ailing leader Kim Jong-Il appears to be preparing his youngest son as his successor

The fact that political power in this country has remained within the same family is reflected in the society’s family structure. One North Korean man’s account of his own family suggests that households typically consist of at least three generations under the same roof.

Somewhat paradoxically, given the current political climate in the country it can be extremely difficult for families to stay together. One could reasonably infer that the government plays a large role in breaking up families, both indirectly and directly.

The highly-centralized communist government encourages a hierarchical society, which, according to Yop’s Memoirs, “caused the relationship between parent and child or brother and sister to break apart, divide the people and make them regard one another with hostility.” 

In North Korea, the government restricts nearly every aspect of society including the ability to criticize and/or change the government and the ability to communicate openly. The country ranks second to last out of 178 others listed in the World Press Freedom Index and imprisonment of citizens who are not loyal is commonplace. One could understand why certain citizens might want to head south in search of freedom.

However, the North Korean government has a firm zero tolerance policy on dissent and defection, regardless of how it inevitably affects family life. A few weeks ago, authorities reportedly issued a decree stating: “persons found to have communicated with persons outside North Korea are to be sent to a reeducation camp and their families exiled.” This policy has left thousands of families of defectors feeling anxious and defectors feeling guilty, fearing the worst has happened to the loved ones they left in North Korea.

North Koreans enjoy a tearful but brief reunion with family members from South Korea after being separated for many years.