Thread for news and discussions of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, its material conditions, the status and health of its socialist tradition, disproving common myths about it, etc.
Archive of the previous DPRK thread:
https://leftypol.org/leftypol_archive/res/12395.html>>2176919>>2176921>>2177288Many don't know about North Korean football, they were the best Asian side for a while and had a memorable run in the 1966 World Cup in England where they had Portugal beaten 3 null at one point but Eusébio, one of the greatest players of all time singlehandedly turned it around in what is a classic match in the history of world cups. Also they beat Italy which was a favorite
Korea was kind of an underdog story and you had whole english towns cheering for them, something unthinkable today
The glorious Chollimas shall rise again
Labor groups plant trees to celebrate Arbor Day
To celebrate Arbor Day, labor groups carried out tree planting activities.
The Youth League, the Trade Union League, the Agricultural Workers' League, and the Women's League members and their allies dedicated themselves to planting trees in the area.
The Central Committee of the Youth League and the Youth League workers and members in Pyongyang planted fir trees, zelkova trees, and other flowering shrubs at the Children's Baekhwawon on April 15.
Young people from South Pyongan Province, North Pyongan Province, South Hamgyong Province, and North Hamgyong Province also planted trees according to the seasonal conditions of their respective regions.
At Mt. Hwaseong, the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea worked hard to plant trees.
The local union members and union workers planted trees with great care, full of enthusiasm to fulfill their mission and duty in the grand march.
The Central Committee of the Agricultural Workers' League and agricultural workers' league organizations at all levels planted various types of trees at the Mangyongdae Revolutionary Historical Site and other locations to further enhance the scenery.
The Women's League Central Committee, the Women's League workers and members of the Women's League in Xi'an, who went to the construction site of the 10,000-household housing complex in the third phase of the Hwaseong District, put their heart and soul into planting trees, envisioning the future of the grand construction complex, which will soon be filled with joy at its completion.
In North Hwanghae Province, Kangwon Province, and Kaesong City, women's league members also carried out water supply projects while taking responsibility for each task. (End)
>>2192030To elevate the eternal legacy and noble stature of Korea is a duty beyond mere ambition—it is the solemn calling of history itself. And to speak of scarcity in the land of Juche only reveals the blindness of one who has yet to grasp its true strength.
>>2192672The leisure parks of the DPRK are not mere amusements, but reflections of the people's cherished customs and timeless legacy, shaped by the boundless wisdom of our Great Leadership. To dismiss the Eternal Leaders as mere subjects of foreign propaganda is not only the height of ignorance but an insult so grave that it can only come from one of caucasian descent.
>>2153151The deceitful tongues of the capitalist press weave endless falsehoods against the great DPRK, for they fear what they cannot understand. Their slander is not merely an attack upon our sovereign nation, but an affront to the very soul of the Korean civilization—an unbroken lineage of strength, wisdom, and self-reliance, guided by the immortal truth of Juche.
>>2204882Both, if they can keep on demonstrating developments that have western "analysts" crying
POTEMKIN VILLAGE!!! every time, then clearly Juche is the correct answer for the DPRK's socialist construction and it's the construction part that Western Communist societies faltered on before collapsing, thus, it's a real area of interest for me personally.
>>2205195noo it's different because [citation needed] shit i just now made up!!!1
please leave.
>>2205195>The Kim dynasty are true monarchsno. None of their positions are inherently hereditary, if suddenly the supreme assembly wanted an end to them they'd just need to stop voting for them.
>symbolic, they hold no hard power or sway on government policylol, lmao even. They do have significant hard power in nomination and such including power positions such as ambassadors or lords, and the FUCKING PRIME MINISTER (which they can dismiss as well), they're commander of the army, the prime minister see them in private weekly, everything is done in their name, and they have ownership of a fuckton of very valuable lands and buildings. You can claim "well sure but in practice they obey the government" and I will say, sure, as long as its not an actual socialist government trying to actually change shit. Go check the 1975 Australian constitutional crisis to see how the monarchy powers that libs assure you are completely theoretical are actual powers when needed (and if you think the army wont obey the king doing a coup against an elected communist you're an absolute idiot). Saying "but according to the tradition they always pick the leader of the winning party" is being naive, guess what in france that was the tradition as well (president pick as prime minister the leader of winning party) until macron decided "mmmh I dont think I will" and chose anyone rather than the left. Rules on paper are hardly good enough to prevent power grabs, so arguing its fine when you dont even have that is hilarious.
Im not a fan of the importance of the kim family in the dprk political apparatus, but truth is its largely impossible to know how that structure actually operate internally, and objectively it seems it operates in the interest of its people (and lets be real, if the elites simply wanted to fill their pockets they'd have done like in the ussr and abandoned socialism altogether or at least invited the capitalists in while keeping the red flags)
>>2205195>The monarchy in the UK is symbolic, they hold no hard power or sway on government policy.By tradition the British monarch still has to give Royal Assent to all laws recommended by parliament, is supposed to be imbued with divinity from god, isn't elected by the people, etc. Sure there is some capitalist LARP (outside the House of Lords). but the core fundamental of capitalism (dictatorship of the bourgeoisie) is compromised with so much power in the hands of one person, who is largely immune to criticism.
Do you see how tradition and culture can be presented as something it isn't?
>>2205204And you wouldn't last a single day with the tasks and duties imposed on the average dictator like Adolf Hitler or Augusto Pinochet. Is your point that it's okay that KJU is a dictator because his job is hard?
>>2205303>no. None of their positions are inherently hereditarySure, there's nothing to spit it out since DPR has a "democratic" constitution and "elections" (if we can call them that), but since the founding all 3 chairmen/general secretaries have been from the same family line, they were never once not elected. Even when the situation in DPR was terrible like during the Arduous March the people "elected" Kim Jong Il.
>suddenly the supreme assembly wanted an end to them they'd just need to stop voting for themThat's a bald faced lie, I'm disappointed you have the audacity to say it with this much confidence.
>lol, lmao even. They do have significant hard power in nomination and such including power positions such as ambassadors or lords, and the FUCKING PRIME MINISTER (which they can dismiss as well), they're commander of the army, the prime minister see them in private weekly, everything is done in their name, and they have ownership of a fuckton of very valuable lands and buildingsBrilliant, does this justify Kim having even more powers?
>Go check the 1975 Australian constitutional crisis to see how the monarchy powers that libs assure you are completely theoretical are actual powers when needed (and if you think the army wont obey the king doing a coup against an elected communist you're an absolute idiot)I'm not delusional (unlike you), I know these monarchies exert some influence and that western liberal democracy is as fake as it gets, but that doesn't make me entertain the complete and utter delusion that makes me think that the DPRK's hereditary monarchy isn't 10 times worse, and that there is no 'socialism' in the DPRK, just literal slavery with additional steps.
>Im not a fan of the importance of the kim family in the dprk political apparatus, but truth is its largely impossible to know how that structure actually operate internally, and objectively it seems it operates in the interest of its people (and lets be real, if the elites simply wanted to fill their pockets they'd have done like in the ussr and abandoned socialism altogether or at least invited the capitalists in while keeping the red flags)This is a much more pragmatic take from you, supporting DPRK because it is in the interest of its people (or more accurately because alternatives that can lead to catastrophic warfare are dangerous) isn't mutually exclusive with recognising that the DPRK is a dystopian total monarchy where the Kims are literally, without a hint of exaggeration, are worshipped like gods.
>>2205721Except that you can actually critique the government in Cuba and Vietnam.
Ironically Vietnam is a one-party state with much more democracy and less political repression than the "DPR" Of Korea, so the systems are not really identical in any way.
>>2205803Here are some excerpts.
A better question is why do I have to provide this to someone defending the irrefutable cult of personality for the Kim dynasty in the DPRK? Do you uyghas not read anything?
>>2205809The only anecdote there that could be
suggested to be god-like is the Typhoid one, but only if you misread "supported" as "cured".
>>2205820The west has achieved an amazing thing, where all politicians being perverts, thieves, racists, sexists, classists, war criminals, etc is presented as evidence of how honest western democracy is, because how could people hear of so many scandals otherwise?
So when there is someone who has led their country out of oppression and genocide
without a trail of scandals left in his wake proving he was buggering every woman he came across, was helping himself to money intended to be spent on helping people and arming soldiers, ordered the unjust slaughter of minorities he didn't like, etc, it triggers the western almonds that sees someone not presented as suspicious and untrustworthy, as being suspicious and untrustworthy.
>>2205924It's a perfect point, though. But let's sideline that.
Not only do you refuse that this boisterous prophet-like worship for KIS isn't what it is, but you, like the rest of the tankoids in here, refuse to address the elephant in the room that is its existence.
Why are North Koreans writing entire books that compiles dozens of little stories about how KIS cured the local sick ward with his magic or cracked a joke that everyone laughed at? Even if some of these stories are taken at face value, the fact that they are chronicled, printed and trumpeted around not only defeats the purpose of doing good, but it is an irrefutable example of a cult of personality that pervades today (everyone has to make a deep bow to Kim monuments, photographs must not break their monuments, country-wide celebration for the great leader's birthday, and so on).
It feels like bizarro world even trying to argue this, how does anyone needs to be convinced that there is a cult of personality established around the Kims?
>>2206019>It's a perfect point, though. But let's sideline that.<It's not retarded, but please lets just move on
>Not only do you refuse that this boisterous prophet-like worship for KIS isn't what it isCheeky downgrading your claim from god-like to prophet-like.
>Why are North Koreans writing entire books that compiles dozens of little stories>Even if some of these stories are taken at face value, the fact that they are chronicled, printed and trumpeted around not only defeats the purpose of doing good, but it is an irrefutable example of a cult of personality that pervades todayIt's really not that uncommon that leaders have such books written about them for their admirers.
>how KIS cured the local sick ward with his magicWe've already established that's not what the anecdote said, also that none of the anecdotes provided make any claim of magical or divine powers, but you're calling me disingenuous?
>(everyone has to make a deep bow to Kim monuments, photographs must not break their monuments, country-wide celebration for the great leader's birthday, and so on). Lib media narratives, thanks for finally just outing yourself already.
>It feels like bizarro world even trying to argue this, how does anyone needs to be convinced that there is a cult of personality established around the Kims?That's not the issue, the issue is in claiming that the Kim family is a monarchy based on CNN-tier assertions of their power and cult and thus proof that the DPRK isn't socialist, as though that's the *only* metric or analysis that matters.
《Rodong Sinmun》 Emphasizes that our party's ideas and resolutions will soon be put into practice
3. In an editorial written under a personal pen name, the Rodong Sinmun stated that our party's plan and determination are a grand blueprint for the prosperity of our country and a goal of struggle for realizing our people's beautiful ideals.
The essay emphasized the following, saying that all the work our party decides to do and carries out is based on scientific strategies for building a revival and powerful nation.
Today, our style of socialist construction has entered a new period of development and all-round prosperity, making great changes and making vigorous progress in all directions.
Our Party has put forward scientific action plans and strategies for making this year shine as a miraculous year of great change that will pave the way for a higher stage of development.
All the work our party decides to do and carries out is consistently for the people.
Our party's unwavering belief is that because there are people, there is a party, a country, and everything on this land, and if there is something the people desire, we should not discuss its feasibility but only put it into practice unconditionally.
Our party has constantly set forth development-oriented goals for the promotion of the people's welfare and has been implementing them without fail.
Thanks to our party's lofty political ideology, the spirit of selfless service, and the electric creativity and practical ability that uphold the people as the sky and devote themselves to the people, a brilliant future is approaching in which all those who have lived on this land will sing the song "There is no one to envy in the world" and fully enjoy the blessings of socialism. (End)
Opening ceremony of Joseon Disabled Children's Recovery Center
An opening ceremony was held on the 1st at the Joseon Disabled Children's Rehabilitation Center.
The event was attended by Comrade Jeong Mu-rim, Chairman of the Central Committee of the Korean Federation for the Protection of Persons with Disabilities, Comrade Jeon Cheol-hi, officials from relevant departments, children from rehabilitation centers, daycare centers, educational institutions, doctors, and parents.
At the opening ceremony, there were discussions following remarks by Director Song Hyang-chun of the Recovery Center.
Speakers and discussants noted the thoughtful steps taken at the 11th Plenary Session of the 8th Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea to establish a national education support system for the disabled.
They emphasized that under the benefits of our country's most superior socialist system, disabled children will grow up brighter and stronger, fully developing their hopes and talents.
Then, the participants toured various parts of the recovery center. (End)
>>2208183This looks unironically nicer than special needs schools i've seen in the west, btw. let alone other places in asia.
FDPD
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