The Ideological Indoctrination of NK Athletes

Although the Incheon Asian Games have yet to officially kick off [the opening ceremony is Friday],
members from North Korea’s first team of athletes who arrived in South Korea
last week have already shown a prickly response to issues related to the
country’s leadership. The concern is this may be a prelude to much greater
problems that erupt during the sporting event.

The men’s soccer team protested the use of the word Bukhan
[North Korea] on a banner welcoming them at training grounds in Dongchun-dong,
Incheon, last Friday. The team demanded the term be changed to “bukcheuk” [the
North] or removed altogether. The problem was only resolved after the banner
itself was taken done.

North Korea’s disapproval of the term Bukhan at official
venues stems from its belief that the reference,
Bukhan, is
used by South Korea to deny its existence as a sovereign state, whose official
state name is the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea [DPRK],

The men’s and women’s soccer teams both held closed sessions
for their first training on Friday, taking extra precautions with security.
They abruptly changed their schedules and sealed off all access from the media
in stark contrast to the relatively amiable response they showed during their
arrival.

According to defectors, North Koreans view their stay in the
South as a “confrontation with the enemy,” which explains why they receive
vigorous ideological indoctrination before departing the country. They are
banned from any personal contact with others and have scripted responses in
preparation for engagement, meaning the chances of hearing any
unexpected comments from them are very low.

Also, the North sees such international sporting events as
great opportunities to publicize the “superiority of its system.” Defectors say
this is why they might carry out acts that to any third party are outlandish.
Because there is a great emphasis on responding adequately to criticism against
the leadership in the North, members of the delegation may be on edge and show
unexpected reactions to all kinds of matters, such as the use of the word
Bukhan.

Within the delegation are separate members who are tasked
with questioning athletes and coaches about their behavior, and they watch over
each and every move players make during the Games, which last for roughly two
weeks. These monitors, known as “minders,” also observe movements in the South
that may portray the North in an unfavorable light and decide how to respond.
According to defectors, by doing so, they are able to evade any potential
repercussions once they return while also gaining more points.

On September 16th, Daily NK spoke by telephone with a senior
defector who once worked as part of the North’s security agencies  to learn more about
what preparations the North Korean delegation would have faced ahead of the Asian
Games.

Daily NK [DNK]: What kind of indoctrination do the athletes
receive before coming to South Korea?

Former Security Agent [FSA]: Even though South Korea and the U.S. are both enemy states,
people receive much harsher indoctrination when they are coming to the South.
The athletes especially receive more education, and what they emphasize the
most is that they should not have any fantasies about the South. They brainwash
them by saying, “South Korea may look beautiful on the outside, but everything
is rotten on the inside.” Athletes are told to think of everything they see and
hear in the South as something that is coming from the enemy.

They make the athletes practice what they should say and how
they should act when they encounter foreigners. They also hand out manuals titled,
“Questions to Expect and How to Respond” and tell the athletes not to
immediately answer questions from the media [so it does not appear rehearsed].

DNK:  What are
some of the trained responses appearing in the manual?

FSA: For example, on human rights issues, they are told to say
“North Korea is a society that revolves around its people, and there is utmost
respect for human rights,” and, “There is nothing to worry about when it comes
to work, or education, and everyone enjoys free medical care, education, and
freedom with no disparities.” The North does not forgo propaganda even when it
comes to sports, so there is a high possibility members will be outspoken about
their superior state.

Specifically on sports, they will likely say, “Thanks to the
Marshal [Kim Jong Eun] who has made sports accessible to all, anyone who has
talent can take part in sports.” They will also probably say that the good
sports facilities have allowed people to “enjoy benefits that everyone in the
world envies,” and are told not to forget to praise the leader for his
well-prepared policies that have delivered these astonishing results.

People are trained ahead of reunions for separated families
as well, but the indoctrination ahead of these Games was probably much more
intense. This is because with the reunions, they take place in a short period
of time and in a limited space, but with the Asian Games, they have a much
broader scope of movement, and there’s a much higher chance of encountering
journalists from many different countries.

DNK: Can
athletes be dropped from the team because of the indoctrination courses?

FSA: The sessions are usually carried out by the propaganda
department, and there are generally separate studying materials for reference. All the athletes have to do is master that. Usually,
they do their physical training during the day and study the manual at night in
case of surprise inspections. Everyone pretty much memorizes the whole thing to
make sure they don’t lose their position on the team. Also, they are well
accustomed to memorizing the ‘Ten Principles’ (Party’s Ten Principles for the
Establishment of the One-Ideology System) from a young age, so there is almost
no situation in which an athlete gets dropped from the team because of this.
It’s actually issues with songbun [family political background and loyalty]
that most often causes problems.

DNK: Are they deliberately creating problems with issues,
such as using the word Bukhan, because of this kind of indoctrination?

FSA: The people behind it are likely special agents within the
delegation instead of regular athletes. If you have 100 people aside from the
actual athletes, there are probably 30 to 40 real delegates such as coaches,
and the remaining 60 are agents from the State Security Department [SSD] and
General Bureau of Reconnaissance [GBR].

These members are handpicked from their departments and are
usually those with outstanding loyalty. It’s said that those in high ranking
positions are given priority, and they go out of their way to criticize South
Korea, so they can claim to have made achievements.

DNK: What are some potential moves we should look out for?

FSA: They might pretend they are journalists and try to find
fault about the South. If certain groups even so much as show an inkling of
speaking against the North, they will lash out against the South, saying it has
deployed such forces and raise issue with the safety of their athletes. They
could also say Seoul’s oppression is mounting by referencing the placement of
police and intelligence forces at the event.

It could also spread propaganda about some pro-North Korean
groups welcoming the delegation, saying “they admire our Marshal.” All of this
has likely been prepared in advance by the Propaganda and Agitation
Department.

DNK: What are the main roles of the agents during the Asian
Games?

FSA: The SSD and the GBR have different roles. SSD agents will be
monitoring the North Korean delegation. They will monitor the coaches, and
everyone there, and hold reviews of the games each evening, while asking
members questions on their daily views: “What do you think about South Korea,”  “What conversations have you had,” and
other probes of this nature. They will act as if they are in an enemy state and
be on high alert, watching over everyone’s behavior. The reason why they
monitor what their athletes say to South Koreans and foreigners is so that they
can prevent people from ideologically being compromised and also because they
fear flaws of the North might be revealed.

The GBR [on the other hand], will focus on studying South
Korean society. As they’re flying over, they will study the coastal areas;
while moving around in South, they will focus on understanding the state of
infrastructure, such as the airport, roads, tunnels, and ports.