The North Korean authorities have reportedly conducted a massive round of ideological training in October for Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK) officials with the distribution of a study guide. The materials are aimed at getting officials to support the tasks required to build a scientifically, technologically and economically strong socialist country, and is part of wider government moves to encourage achievement of the strategic goals set out by the WPK.
A thirteen-page study guide recently obtained by Daily NK lists the teachings of Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un concerning fourteen different topics, along with explanations of each topic.
The first eight topics focus on Juche (North Korea’s state ideology of self-reliance) and the Songun (military-first) ideology of Kim Jong Il. The remaining topics concern the national strategy currently being pursued by North Korea.
The topics covered by the guide include study questions regarding the construction of a technologically, scientifically and economically strong country, the implementation of the Five-Year National Economic Development Strategy, the construction of a civilized and strong socialist country, and the direction required to progress toward successful socialism.
The document also includes the decision document adopted by the 7th Party Congress in May 2016 and Kim Jong Un’s 2018 New Year’s Address, in what appears to be an attempt to encourage officials to “re-educate” themselves about the WPK’s basic policies and strategies.
The document further quotes Kim saying that “Implementing this year’s ‘battle objectives’ will require building on last year’s successes, actively looking forward to the results of the Five-Year Strategy and ensuring that the entire economy is raised to an ever-higher level of development.”
The document also lists the eight “Sector-Specific Tasks Aimed at Creating Change through the Five Year Strategy” that must be studied by WPK officials.
-Placing an emphasis on and leading the way in science and technology
-Achieving success in the sectors of electricity, metals and chemicals
-Guaranteeing that demand for electricity, metals, and coal in the coal and railway transport sectors is met
-Rapid development of the machinery industry
-Dynamically develop the light industrial, agricultural and marine product industries to improve people’s quality of life by leaps and bounds
-Focus resources on the construction of critical projects in the construction sector, and quickly build more high-quality education and cultural facilities, and residential housing
-Increase production – to the fullest extent possible – in all sectors and units within the people’s economy, and actively promote campaigns emphasizing frugality
-Ensure the entire country participates in projects to manage the nation’s land resources
The document further calls for WPK and labor organizations to take a larger, more responsible role in implementing the national strategy.
Specifically, the document calls for officials to “accurately understand the main issues concerning the enhancement of production and those issues deemed important by the Party, and to mobilize all resources available to solve these issues.” Moreover, the document requests “Party organizations to move their political projects to the ‘battleground’ and engage in a revolutionary ideological offensive that mobilizes the masses to achieve the Party’s ideological and policy-related goals.”
“This current, rapidly-changing era demands that officials, who are at the forefront of achieving Party policies, revolutionarily improve their spirit and attitude towards their work,” the document adds, further stating that, “The spirit and attitude officials hold toward their work must be improved in a revolutionary manner.”
The study guide is distributed four times a year in North Korea and during at least two of these periods the expectations placed on officials are very heavy. These periods feature one-on-one study sessions for officials, who must be well-versed in the material during the period.
By forcing them to mindlessly memorize questions and answers on the study guide, the North Korean authorities are trying to raise loyalty toward the regime and ensure that levels of ideological belief remain strong.
