The Background Behind North Korea Strengthening Its Anti-Socialist Struggle

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo In-ho] North Korea is intensifying its anti-socialist struggle.

Kim Jong-un, General Secretary of the Workers' Party, is showing a cautious stance in external strategies such as North Korea-US and inter-Korean talks, which is interpreted as an effort to strengthen internal unity.

Korean Central News Agency reported that participants of the Workers' Union (Jikchong) congress, a North Korean labor organization, held a rally emphasizing their determination to "eradicate anti-socialist elements."

The Korean Central News Agency reported on the 30th that participants of the 8th Jikchong congress, held from the 25th to 26th, held a rally on the 29th at Mansudae Hill in Pyongyang.

The participants pledged, “We will mercilessly eradicate all anti-socialist and non-socialist phenomena that undermine our system, thoroughly establish socialist lifestyles throughout the country, and become resolute fighters of the class who firmly defend our political and ideological fortress like an iron fortress.”

They continued, “We will firmly grasp the primary task of unifying the entire union under Comrade Kim Jong-un’s revolutionary ideology and vigorously wage the ideological battle,” and resolved to make the party’s revolutionary ideology the overflowing 'ideological purity,' 'organizational unity,' and 'unity of action.'”

[Image source=Yonhap News]

In this regard, General Secretary Kim emphasized the anti-socialist struggle in a letter sent to the Jikchong congress on the 25th.

Kim stated, “The struggle against anti-socialist and non-socialist phenomena is a desperate battle to protect the proletarian purity and lifeline of our style of socialism,” and urged, “Do not overlook the anti-socialist and non-socialist phenomena appearing around us, but wage a merciless struggle to thoroughly suppress and crush them.”

Amid ongoing economic difficulties and the COVID-19 situation, North Korea is striving to prevent ideological relaxation among residents and the influx of external influences by intensifying ideological education and control.

The participants also took part in a training session conducted by Ri Il-hwan, a secretary of the Workers' Party, on the same day.

During the training, emphasis was placed on “absolutizing the authority of the Party Central Committee, defending it in every way, upholding and glorifying the Party’s leadership achievements,” and “planning and implementing organizational work to resolutely carry out the Party’s policies, establishing steel-like discipline and order in execution.”

The participants visited the Korean Revolution Museum, Pyeongcheon Revolutionary Historic Site, Pyongyang Textile Machinery Factory, and Rakrang Honorary Veterans Daily Necessities Factory, and watched performances by the Jikchong Central Workers’ Art Propaganda Troupe and films.

At the outdoor rally, participants all wore masks and stood with some distance between each other. Although 'distancing between seats' was not observed during the lecture, all participants wore masks.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.