The purpose of this study is to shed light on the background and development process of sport politics from the era of Kim Il Sung to Kim Jung Eun in North Korea In addition, the status and role of sport politics in the North Korean system were confirmed through comparison
Kim Jong Eun emphasized 'Sports' compared to other departments during the process of establishing the initial government
Sport politics have been politically used to operate the entire people with combat sports activities for defense, strengthening production efficiency for labor, goodwill exchanges and participation and hosting of international sports events for diplomacy, physical growth, physical activity for the residents, group sports for politics in North Korea
The internal characteristics are as follows
During the Kim Il Sung era, the process of establishment of the Juche idea and the defense of the national defense against war were influenced by sports politics And during the Kim Jong Il era, In the collapse of the socialist regimes, Sport politics was emphasized to defend the North Korean socialist system through group sports activities And during the Kim Jong Eun era, 'Sports Fever' and lifestyle sports activities were encouraged in order to stabilize the initial administration and improve the lives of the residents
The external characteristics are as follows
In the political changes of the Soviet Union and China in Northeast Asia Kim Il Sung used sport politics to rebuild the nation after the Korean War In particular, in the conflict between the United States and the Soviet Union in 1962, Kim Il Sung put forward ‘Economic construction and Defense construction policies’ and emphasized ‘Defense physical activity’ China and the United States improved relations in 1971 through ‘Pingpong Diplomacy’ At that time, North Korea attempted to meet with South Korea in order to escape diplomatic isolation from the sports working conference talks in 1963 and the interKorean table tennis association meeting in 1979
During the Kim Jong Il era, Sport politics was actively used to establish the national goal of a strong country and improve interKorean relations As a result, South and North Korean athletes coentered and the Korean peninsula flag was used for the first time in the 2000 Sydney Olympics
During the Kim Jong Eun era, He promoted the system stability through the achievements of the 2012 London Olympics and major international sporting events
On the other hand, as time goes by depending on the changes in the internal and external environment, changes in various fields of North Korean society were brought about by the influence of sport politics
In the economic sector, it showed from the strengthening of the labor force to the increase of the labor productivity that was a practical approach
In the defense sector, strengthening physical strength based on conventional weapons has changed from physical activity to practical and effective defense sport due to the development of weapons and nuclear armed forces Moreover, numerous soldiers have been functionally employed in the field of economic construction such as ‘Effort Mobilization’
In the political sector, fresh changes appeared in comparison with the past In group sports activities under strict control that showed a change such as personal exercise at the gym and games in an electronic game room, etc
In the health sector, they emphasized that persistent physical activities could prevent diseases and viruses, but due to economic difficulties, physical activity could not be done However, as time goes by health gymnastics for mental and physical health has emerged that can relieve the stress of residents
In the diplomacy sector, sport politics were utilized to emphasize propaganda of socialist system and improve relations with neighboring countries
Unlike the Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il era in North Korea, Kim Jong Eun era shows the partial acceptance of capitalist culture and sports North Korea invited retired American professional basketball players and professional wrestlers to make goodwill exchanges between North Korea and the United States In addition, they invited residents to the plaza and showed the Brazilian World Cup soccer game through a large electronic screen It is unprecedented
Furthermore, In order to improve the life of the residents and increase the amusing culture, major sports facilities were expanded and the People's Park was developed
These changes have brought about a great change in the social culture of the young people of the Kim Jong Eun era
However, Sport politics of Kim Jong Eun system has some structural limitations
First of all, Sustainable economic development should be preceded
The economic hardship of the Kim Jong Il era has resulted in stagnation of physical activities Through such experience, the economic development for solving the food crisis will be given priority, and then the goal of sport politics will be achieved naturally
Secondly, the sports exchange in South and North should be truthfully practiced instead of the formal interKorean sports exchange
North Korea must engage with all countries and members of the international community through Ski Resort and Munsu Water Playground, etc
In conclusion, Kim Jong Eun should refrain from military provocation and communicate with neighboring countries in order to develop the nation for North Korean people Also Sport politics will continue to be an important tool for North Korea's development and improvement
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