New maps distributed to North Korean state agencies ahead of the Sept. 9 Foundation Day. Unlike previous versions, these are half-peninsula maps showing only North Korea. This appears to reflect North Korea’s “two hostile states” doctrine. (Daily NK)North Korea has been focusing on ideological indoctrination to teach the public that it is a completely independent nation — not an incomplete, divided nation — in accordance with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s “two hostile states” doctrine.
A Daily NK source in North Hamgyong province said recently that the Central Committee’s publicity and information department has been striving to indoctrinate the entire public, including party officials, so that they understand North Korea is one completely independent nation, distributing study material titled “Our Republic is a One Complete National System” on Oct. 17.
According to the source, the party committee of North Hamgyong province called for a complete cessation of outdated pro-unification indoctrination activities, stressing that Kim Jong Un said national unification is no longer a task for the age and that North Korea itself is a complete national system, based on the study materials.
The provincial party committee said this does not mean a cessation of propaganda efforts directed at South Korea. Instead, it means efforts must be directed at integrating public thinking into the party’s new policy toward the South.
Erasing shared national identity
Accordingly, the provincial party committee ordered all workplaces, schools and neighborhood watch units to hold study sessions on the theme “Our republic is a completely independent nation.”
The basic direction of the study sessions is to completely erase from the public’s mind the idea that South Korea constitutes the same nation as them and is an entity with which the North must unify. The sessions aim to make everyone accept that North Korea is a single, completely independent nation by banning even the use of the term “Namjoson” — “South Korea,” but implying that the South is merely the southern part of the larger Korean nation.
South Korea exists, but the goal of the study session is to make it so that it doesn’t exist in the ideological consciousness of the people, the source said. The provincial party committee said North Korea no longer needs education that compares its style of socialism with South Korean capitalism, so it must seriously deal with the continuation of such ideas.
In particular, the provincial party committee said contemporary indoctrination efforts must focus on establishing an ideological system centered solely on “our republic” so that people stop viewing the South as a subject of competition or comparison.
Moreover, the provincial party committee noted that if people are to naturally internalize the idea that the North and South are two different countries, the role of propaganda and security officials is important.
Propaganda officials were ordered to take the lead in producing slogans, songs and propaganda materials to instill the idea that “our republic is one, complete nation” and everything must be organized in a way that glorifies not only the lifestyle and development of the “independent state” but also the leadership of Kim Jong Un, the source said.
Security officials were told to prevent impure thoughts from budding and taking root by completely blocking the spread of outside information, especially South Korean videos and rumors regarding the South, the source said.