Nationalism in North Korea

Nationalism in North Korea can refer to various forms of nationalism that appear in North Korea, but mainly means statistic nationalism called Our State First (우리국가제일주의).[1]

The flag of North Korea

Unlike South Koreans, North Koreans generally believe that their (North Korean) state and the "Korean nation" or "Korean race" (English: 민족, minjok) are analogous. Thus they strengthen each other rather than undermining the other like in South Korea:[2][3]

Thanks in part to decades of skillful propaganda, North Koreans generally equate the race with their state, so that ethno-nationalism and state-loyalty are mutually enforcing. In this respect North Korea enjoys an important advantage over its rival, for in the Republic of Korea ethnonationalism militates against support for a state that is perceived as having betrayed the race.

— Brian Reynolds Myers, North Korea's state-loyalty advantage (2011)[4]

Even North Koreans who may not particularly admire their country's leaders will still be patriotic towards their state.[5] The North Korean state's symbols, such as the national emblem and flag, have been cited as an example of North Korea's attempt to build a civic-based nationalism, in contrast to South Korea's state symbols, which utilize overtly racialized motifs and ethnic symbolism.[4]

Juche and Songun
Main articles: Juche and Songun

The Juche Idea teaches that "man is the master of everything and decides everything",[6] and the Korean people are the masters of Korea's revolution. Juche is a component of North Korea's political system. The word literally means "main body" or "subject"; it has also been translated in North Korean sources as "independent stand" and the "spirit of self-reliance".

The Juche Idea gradually emerged as a systematic ideological doctrine in the 1960s. Kim Il Sung outlined the three fundamental principles of Juche as being:

  1. "independence in politics" (자주, 自主, chaju).
  2. "self-sustenance in the economy" (자립, 自立, charip).
  3. "self-defense in national defense" (자위, 自衛, chawi).

See also

References
  1. 표윤신, 허재연 (2022). Our State First: The new resistant nationalism in North Korea. DBPia.
  2. Myers, Brian Reynolds (27 May 2010). "South Korea's Collective Shrug". The New York Times. New York. Archived from the original on April 19, 2015. Retrieved April 19, 2015.
  3. Myers, Brian Reynolds (14 September 2010). "South Korea: The Unloved Republic?". Archived from the original on May 19, 2013. Retrieved 19 May 2013.
  4. Myers, Brian Reynolds (September 22, 2011). "North Korea's state-loyalty advantage". Journal of International Affairs. Archived from the original on May 20, 2018. Retrieved June 26, 2019.
  5. "B.R. Myers Interview, Part II: Focus on North Korea's Ideology & Propaganda, Not Personalities | NKnet: Network for North Korean Democracy and Human Rights". April 23, 2012. Archived from the original on April 23, 2012.
  6. Lee, Kyo Duk (2004). "'Peaceful Utilization of the DMZ' as a National Strategy". The successor theory of North Korea. Korean Institute for National Reunification. p. 4. ISBN 898479225X.
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