Not a few scholars viewed that Korean Peninsula was on the verge of becoming reunification according to the prospect of the dramatic change, especially meaning the falling-down of North Korea in the aftermath of the collapse of East-European Communist countries around 1990 and the consequent transformation of Communist block as a result of the demise of Soviet Union. However, North Korea still maintains socialist system. Moreover, currently it is hard to judge that in the near future North Korea will go through similar changes that Soviet Union, the former Communist bloc countries in the East Europe and China underwent.
North Korea is still stable in terms of politics. On the other hands, some strong curiosities stay around the stability. What has made Kim Jung Il continue his ruling without any political conflicts after the death of Kim Il Sung, the former leader of North Korea? Besides, one must have wondered how absolute loyalty and support North Koreans have made to Kim Jung Il and his ruling system in spite of the worst economic conditions. This paper assumes that this phenomenon stems from the education of political thoughts, that is, political socialization of North Korea. In particular, this paper concentrates on the North Korea's military in the process of political socialization in North Korea because at the moment she performs the policy of giving priority to army, so-called Seongun-jeongchi. Combining her standing army and reserve army, the current North Korean army constitutes two thirds of her residents in the age of 15 to 60. Thus, the study on her army in the role of political socialization is quite significant.
It inquires into the following three points: First, how has North Korea politically socialized the society? Secondly, how have North Korea's armed forces played in her political socialization? Thirdly, how will North Korea's military play her political socialization in the future? It is composed of 6 chapters: the first chapter says the necessity, purpose and method of the study; the second chapter addresses a theoretical approach; the third chapter deals with the educational purpose, contents and characteristics of the political thoughts of North Korea's armed forces, and the maximizing means of educational effects for political socialization; the fourth chapter explores the role of North Korea's military on political socialization; the fifth chapter makes a prospect for the political socialization of North Korea made by her army; finally the sixth chapter reaches the conclusion and makes a suggestion.
For the close analysis on the peculiar North Korean political structure in the aspect of thoroughly systematic control to her residents and monopolistically and uniformly state-run media in political socialization, it primarily depends on the 'ruling theory' of political socialization. This theory is fairly compatible to the case of North Korea's political socialization because according to the theory, in order to consolidate the reign, a ruling power group manipulates political symbols and utilizes campaigns and propaganda. Therefore, noting that any media of a purposeful and uniform society are a "mechanism for the standardization of the society," it regards North Korea's armed forces as an instrument for her political socialization.
The education on political thoughts in North Korea's army is a prerequisite to all military education to all military forces. Through the education of communism to the army, it is expected to see full-fledged revolutionary warriors who unconditionally accept the policy of the North Korean Workers' Party and the instruction of the leader, and show indefinite loyalty to the party and the premier. On the other hand, the structure of her army from top to bottom is well organized for the purpose of political socialization. General Political Bureau, the supreme enforcing organization in the army, is in charge of the political socialization of the army. The General Political Bureau decides and passes down overall educational plans to subordinating organizations which accept and conduct the command with consistent support for the political socialization. In addition, consistently organized from the top down to the bottom General Political Bureau for Ministry of the People's Armed Forces and Jeongchijidowon-political leading officers- for an infantry company and a platoon, Bureau of Political Security is given an absolute authority for the forceful implementation of political socialization in the army.
Accordingly, North Korea's military shows its three characteristics in the role of political socialization: first, the education of the armed forces contributes to the re-socialization of the soldiers that is quite well-suited for the needs of the state system through long collective lives; second, the strengthened army through political socialization assumes a spearhead for the protection of Kim Jung Il regime, acting almost like his private soldiers while it plays the role of "revolutionary armament" for the revolution of South Korea; the army equipped with revolutionary spirit and patriotic thought to the party and leader plays an exemplary model to North Korean society by performing state building and making economic development.
Likewise, North Korea's army will continue to become the spearhead of the regime-protection and the main force for economic growth. On the contrary, upon the present point of demands of reform and opening for the overcome of economic catastrophe, the antagonistic position of the military will collide with the thoughts of reform and opening. It is why the armed forces has been long time internalized by such cultures as the command of the top and the unconditional obedience of the bottom, the absolute obedience of subordinates, the defense and uphold of the party and leader by the desperate spirit, and the protection of the regime. Hence, the army is estimated to make negative effects against the advance of North Korea toward reform and opening.
In this sense, it will be worthwhile to continue the study on the comprehension of the background about 'hyeog-myeongjeog gun-in-jeongsin' (revolutionary military spirit), 'gangseongdae-gug' (prospering the great state), 'seon-gun-jeongchi'(the policy of giving priority to army), 'seon-gun-sa-sang'(military first ideology) and so on, which have newly emerged in the Kim Jung Il era. Besides, it will be also notable to concentrate on the role of the military from the perspective of how the military culture has maintained and consolidated hegemony in political socialization.
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