[imText1]South Koreans are busy in December because they have several year-end parties to attend and enjoy the Christmas season. Even though South Korean people say that the economic situation is not good nowadays, to a North Korean defectors’ eyes, the year-end atmosphere is merry and exciting.
North Koreans, too, spend a busy December. North Koreans do not celebrate Christmas Day. Instead, Music Concerts for Loyalty take place to widely celebrate Kim Jong Sook’s birthday of December 24th. (Kim Jong Sook is Kim Jong Il’s mother.) Many organizations such as the Party, Workers’ Union, Women’s Union, Farmers’ Union, and Youth Union participate in the concerts.
Music Concerts for Loyalty are held to celebrate Kim Il Sung, Kim Jong Il, and Kim Jong Sook’s birthdays. They represent typical activities for the personality cult of the Kim Il Sung family. In early December, the public relations department of the Central Party orders several organizations such as companies, cooperative farms, soldier organizations, and student organizations to practice for the concerts. In fact, the whole country is in preparation for the concerts.
Tone-deaf people are in agony until December 24th
The concert consists of choruses, vocal ensembles, instrumental musics, dances, poems and songs, and conversational poems. All performances must express Kim Jong Sook’s revolutionary movement as Kim Il Sung’s wife, and her giving birth to Kim Jong Il and raising him as the leader for world revolution. The practice sessions are held during spare times after work hours.
If one misses a practice session, she is criticized during Life Reflection as being insufficiently loyal to Kim Jong Il. Moreover, one is not allowed to choose other topics than the personality cult of the Kim Il Sung family.
Tone-deaf people are in agony until December 24th because they are forced to sing to the others even though they are bad at singing. However, this is less painful than hunger.
It is painful to practice when you are exhausted and hungry. However, no one dares to complain. By means of the process of Music Concerts for Loyalty, the high ranking officers of the Chosun Workers’ Party and workers’ unions verify whether people’s states of ideology are sound. It’s like children’s hide-and-seek because the officers try to find traces of disloyalty to Kim Jong Il, and people try to hide it.
People are looking forward to the year-end party at their work places
Most South Koreans have various year-end parties for various circles such as alumni associations, colleagues, and veterans’ circles. Korean, Chinese, or Western restaurants are mostly used for the parties.
North Koreans, too, have year-end parties for the department of the company they work in or the company itself. The parties are not compulsory like Music Concerts for Loyalty, and thus people look forward to the year-end party. It is free of political issues unlike Kim Il Sung’s birthday, the biggest holiday in North Korea.
The food for the year-end party must include liquor and meat. To obtain them, people secretly take out raw materials or products from the company and sell them in Jangmadang (a kind of black market). For example, welding rods are stealthily taken out from a welding factory and shoes are drained out from a shoe factory. 70-80% of colleagues’ year-end parties are held by doing that.
Some contribution fees are also collected to deceive the authorities into believing that the party is fully self-supported lest the executive officer be charged with the crime of stealing factory goods. Without doing that, one cannot fill her stomach during the once-a-year party. If the party is not abundant in food, the executive officer loses his face, or sometimes he is criticized.
Dishes are usually prepared in some upper level officer’s house. During the party people dance, sing, and eat. This is what happens among factories or companies at the end of the year. Some year-end parties take place in Koryo Hotel, and Okryukwan Restaurant in Pyongyang, and some other fancy restaurants in various cities, but these parties are intended only for high ranking executive officers and ordinary people do not care about them.
North Korean are looking forward to December because of the happy year-end party held by colleagues. If there were not Music Concert of Loyalty, North Koreans’ December would be much more enjoyable.
