Text: Lao Yan Kanshi
Editor|Lao Yan Kanshi
The Kim family of North Korea, from Kim Il Sung, Kim Jong Il to Kim Jong Un, has been in power for three generations, and although there are many controversies about its political system and foreign policy in international opinion, they have always maintained a high level of popular support in North Korea.
This phenomenon makes people think deeply: how did the Jin family manage to win the love of the people during the decades-long continuation of the regime?
So what is the reason for that? Let's break it down below.
The founder of the nation
At the outbreak of World War I, the European powers tore each other apart in the fog of power, triggering a catastrophe that swept the world, and at the same time, Japan took advantage of the lack of time for the European powers to look eastward to further consolidate its power in East Asia and strengthen its control over the Korean Peninsula.
Let's rewind the clock to August 22, 1910, when Japan formally annexed the Korean Peninsula through the Japan-Korea Merger Treaty, ending the feudal rule of the Joseon Dynasty and marking the beginning of the period of colonial rule on the Korean Peninsula. By August 15, 1945, Japan had announced its unconditional surrender, and Japan ruled North Korea for 35 years.
And on April 15, 1912, Kim Il Sung, a key figure in North Korea's later foundation for the restoration of the country, was born into an ordinary peasant family. At that time, the Korean Peninsula was under Japanese colonial rule, and Korea became a "protectorate" of Japan. The so-called "protection" is, to put it bluntly, a deeper level of oppression and enslavement.
Japan imposed a repressive rule on North Korea, seeking to weaken its national consciousness and cultural identity by pursuing a policy of assimilation. At the same time, it plundered resources, forced labor, and implemented land reform to serve Japan's industrialization process.
This series of measures has aroused strong dissatisfaction and resistance among the North Korean people.
In 1925, many Koreans fled to Northeast China in order to escape Japan's repressive policies in Korea, and Kim Il Sung also moved to Northeast China with his family, studying at the No. 1 Primary School in Fusong County, Jilin Province, during which time he began to come into contact with communist ideology and gradually came into contact with the Anti-Japanese Union.
A few years later, he organized the first anti-Japanese guerrilla force of the Korean people in northeastern China (then known as "Manchuria" by the Japanese) to fight against Japanese colonial rule on the Korean Peninsula and northeastern China. This laid the foundation for the later formation of the Korean People's Revolutionary Army.
In the face of the catastrophe of war, the people's desire for peace is like a long drought and a rainy day, like a dark night waiting for dawn. In August 1945, the Soviet army sent troops to the northeast, and because of the anti-Japanese heroes like Yang Jingyu and Kim Il-sung, Japan was defeated.
According to the development of the situation, it is necessary to reorganize the teaching brigade of the Anti-Japanese Union that has been integrated into the Soviet army, and return to each of them to everyone, so that the original Korean comrades will form a Korean working group and return to the DPRK, while the Chinese comrades will return to the northeast with the Soviet army.
With the support of the Soviet Union, Kim Il Sung returned to North Korea. Soon after, he rose to prominence in the political reconstruction of North Korea, leading the establishment of the Provisional People's Committee of North Korea and becoming the leader of the local Communist forces.
On September 9, 1948, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea was officially proclaimed, and Kim Il Sung became the prime minister of the country.
Mr. Peng once said, "For hundreds of years, the era when Western invaders could occupy a country as long as they erected a few cannons on a coast in the East is gone forever." ”
Kim Il Sung admired Mr. Peng's statement very much. He has always been committed to making unremitting efforts for the independent development of the DPRK. Kim Il Sung himself made a tremendous contribution to the independence of the DPRK and promoted the development of the DPRK.
As an important leader of the anti-Japanese independence movement on the Korean Peninsula, his heroic deeds in resisting Japanese colonial rule and realizing national independence have been widely publicized and deeply imprinted in the hearts of the Korean people. This has established a glorious image of the Jin family as a "national savior" and laid a deep foundation of public opinion.
Kim Il Sung died suddenly. He left almost no will, but because he had already designated his son Kim Il Jong as his successor, the transition was not too troublesome.
On the eve of his death, he was still reviewing a document on reunification talks with South Korea, and after reading it, he signed the document and wrote the date, month, and date. Judging from Kim Il Sung's handwriting, the handwriting is upright and there is no sign of serious illness. To the end of his life, Kim Il Sung was still concerned with the question of how to achieve the reunification of the Korean Peninsula.
One of the most important political festivals in North Korea, the "Sun Festival", is the birth anniversary of the late North Korean President Kim Il Sung, which means that the birth of Kim Il Sung marks the rerise of the sun of the Korean nation.
Kim Il Sung, after signing for the last time in his life, died in the early hours of the next morning. The day of his death, July 8, 1994, also became an important date in the history of North Korea. In the words of the North Koreans, from this day on, the DPRK entered the era of Kim Jong Il.
Important transitioners
Despite many challenges and controversies, the North Korean regime achieved a smooth transition from Kim Il Sung to Kim Jong Il. As the supreme leader of the second generation of North Korea, Kim Jong Il strictly followed the concept of "Songun politics". "Songun politics" was also proposed by Kim Chong-il's teacher, Hwang Chang-yeol.
He strengthened the modernization of the Korean People's Army, promoted nuclear weapons and missile research and development programs, made the DPRK a nuclear-armed country, and strengthened its strategic deterrence capability.
Kim Jong Il's succession to the throne not only ensured the continuity of the Kim family's rule, but also consolidated and developed the Korean theme, further strengthened the national cult of personality for Kim Il Sung, and built a leadership system centered around himself, consolidating the Kim family's dominance.
As the former supreme leader of North Korea, known for his iron-fisted rule, adherence to independent economic policies and nuclear weapons development, and his diplomatic attempts to break Western predictions, his later years sent a certain signal of openness, and after his death, he ushered in the era of Kim Jong-un.
When Kim Jong and the Japanese had just taken over from their father, Kim Il Sung, they encountered a big problem, that is, North Korea suffered a catastrophe year that had not been seen in a century. Because of his merit in leading the people out of the predicament, Kim Chong-il is very much loved by the North Korean people.
The current ruler
Kim Jong-il died in 2011, and Kim Jong-un's third son, Kim Jong-un, took charge of North Korea as a young man with a strong style. With the foreshadowing of his father and grandfather, North Korea at this time is no longer what it used to be. Kim Jong-un consolidated his cult of personality, excluded his uncle, Jang Song-thaek, from the core of power, and tightened his grip on the state.
and historic direct meetings with the leaders of the United States and South Korea, demonstrating flexibility in the diplomatic arena.
At the same time, Kim Jong-un's government has not only promoted nuclear weapons and missile programs, but has also proposed and implemented a series of policies aimed at improving the domestic economy and people's lives.
North Korea, where the three generations of Kim leaders have practiced "Songun politics" for a long time, has not neglected the construction of people's livelihood. The government has implemented a series of welfare policies in the fields of housing, medical care and education, such as free housing allocation, universal medical insurance, compulsory education, etc., which have alleviated the pressure on people's lives and improved their quality of life to a certain extent.
Despite ongoing pressure from external sanctions, Kim Jong-un has sought to preserve North Korea's sovereignty and security, as well as explore a path to peace and economic development that is in his national interest.
In the face of international sanctions and economic hardship, the North Korean government has implemented a food rationing system to ensure the supply of basic food rations for every citizen. Although the actual effect varies by region and time of day, the system has played a role in stabilizing the people's hearts and minds in times of crisis, so that the people can feel the care and protection of the government in difficult times.
On the occasion of the 2013 Korean New Year, Kim Jong-un pledged to create a new situation in the construction of a great socialist country with the courage to conquer the universe.
The charisma of Kim's leadership
Through vigorous publicity by the official media, the life deeds, governing philosophy and personal achievements of the three generations of the Jin family have been given a legendary color, which has inspired the admiration of the people.
All three generations of the Kim family have been portrayed as leaders with extraordinary wisdom, strong will, and selfless dedication. Members of the Kim family often appear in various public activities, such as factory inspections, farmland guidance, military condolences, etc., showing their concern for the grassroots and being close to the people.
This kind of people-friendly image helps to shorten the distance with the people and enhance the people's sense of closeness and trust in the leaders. Not only that, but North Korea has implemented a highly centralized media management system to ensure that all publicly available information is in line with the state's ideology and regime's interests.
Through strict censorship, negative information is effectively blocked, while positive reports are proliferating, creating a picture of prosperity and happiness and well-being of the country. The North Korean government has established a narrative system about the country's development history, external threats and challenges, and vision for the future.
This narrative emphasizes the resilience and self-reliance of North Korea under the leadership of the Kim family, as well as the unique contribution of the Kim family to national reunification and national rejuvenation. This narrative strengthens the people's sense of identity and belonging to the leadership of the Jin family.
The DPRK has established a sound ideological education system, from kindergartens to universities, from industrial and mining enterprises to rural communities, and conducts "Juche Ideology" education everywhere, through the ideological education of the whole people, the Kim family has ensured a high degree of recognition of the people's political ideology, and strengthened the centripetal force and loyalty of the people.
By establishing the "Juche Ideology" and the "Songun Ideology" as the guiding ideology of the state, the theory of socialism with Korean characteristics was developed and perfected, the control over the state ideology was strengthened, the unified value system of the Korean people was successfully constructed, and the centripetal force of the people was strengthened.
And for a long time, the Kim regime insisted on implementing a series of social welfare policies. Under the condition of limited resources, we still strive to ensure people's livelihood and win people's support.
As early as 1948, the North and the South of the Korean Peninsula set up independent governments, and although the initial partition was temporary, with the intensification of the Cold War, the contradictions between the United States and the Soviet Union could not be reconciled, and the North and South Koreas under the support of the two sides failed to achieve reunification, but instead moved towards the path of their own statehood.
The Korean Peninsula was formally divided into two independent sovereign states, and this division has continued to this day, and the Korean people have a strong desire for the reunification of the Korean Peninsula.
The Kim family, with its resolute opposition to external interference and safeguarding national sovereignty and national dignity, catered to the nationalist sentiments of the people and further strengthened its leadership position in the hearts of the people.
For today's North Korean people, the Kim family is currently the only "sun god" in North Korea and their greatest protection, which is the consensus of almost all North Korean people.
The reason why the three generations of the North Korean Kim family have been able to win the love of the people during their long-term rule is not only because of the historical background and nationalist feelings, which have shaped the noble image of the Kim family as a national liberator and guardian of the country, but also through personal charm and symbolic leadership, the sacred image of the leader, and the distance between the people and the people through pro-people behavior
However, these factors cannot conceal the deep-seated problems and challenges existing in North Korean society, and it is still necessary to pay close attention to the future direction of North Korea's internal and external changes.