북한의 반동사상문화 인식과 대응: 김정일과 김정은 집권 시기 북한 청년에 대한 로동신문 분석을 중심으로

Abstract

In recent years, the North Korean authorities have defined “contact with outside culture by young people” as a serious deviation, and enacted the Reactionary Ideology and Culture Rejection Law on December 4, 2020, at the 14th 12th plenary session of the Presidium of the Supreme People’s Assembly to further tighten control over the North Korean people. This study examines the differences in perceptions of reactionary ideology and culture between Kim Jong-il and Kim Jong-un, changes in response policies to control them, and implications of these changes for North Korean youth culture. Therefore, this study aims to improve understanding of North Korean youth, to explore future prospects for North Korean society, and to suggest implications for the inter-Korean integration process. As a research method, the articles of the Rodong Sinmun(2002-2021) dealing with youth as the subject were analyzed by keyword and text mining. As results, the perception of reactionary ideology and culture and the change in response policy by Kim Jong-il and Kim Jong-un periods were characterized by three characteristics. Firstly, While the proportion of anti-imperialist class consciousness was high in the Kim Jong-il period, the warning message about external culture was strengthened in the Kim Jong-un period. Secondly, regarding the phenomenon of reactionary ideology and culture, this study shows that while a greater emphasis was placed on anti-imperialist class consciousness during Kim Jong-il’s period, this emphasis has shifted during the Kim Jong-un period to a higher level of caution about the spread of external cultural influences. Third, Kim Jong-un recognized the reactionary ideology and culture as a political threat, and practical countermeasures such as revising the laws implemented during the Kim Jong-il era and making new laws were made. The shared phenomenon of reactionary ideology and culture among North Korean youth has created ‘youth culture’ in North Korea, which is a new phenomenon given that North Korean youths have not had freedom of movement. In addition, this study shows that reactionary ideological culture has the potential to continue to expand in the future, given that it produces not only simple cultural entertainment but also an economic means of livelihood. This study is meaningful to provide the prospects for future social change in North Korea, and understanding the cultural differences between the South and the North in the future.