Socialist Patriotic Youth League 사회주의애국청년동맹 | |
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Chairman | Mun Chol |
Founded | 17 January 1946 |
Headquarters | Pyongyang, North Korea |
Ideology | Kimilsungism–Kimjongilism Communism |
Mother party | Workers' Party of Korea |
International affiliation | World Federation of Democratic Youth (WFDY) |
Newspaper | Chongnyon Jonwi |
Website | youth |
Socialist Patriotic Youth League | |
Chosŏn'gŭl | 사회주의애국청년동맹 |
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Hancha | 社會主義愛國靑年同盟 |
Revised Romanization | Sahoejuuiaegukcheongnyeondongmaeng |
McCune–Reischauer | Sahoejuŭiaegukch'ŏngnyŏndongmaeng |
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The Socialist Patriotic Youth League is the main North Korean youth organization. Directly under the party Central Committee, it is the only mass organization expressly mentioned in the charter of the Workers' Party of Korea.[ not verified in body ] Youth under 15 may join the Young Pioneer Corps, itself a part of the larger Korean Children's Union. The organization, modeled after the Komsomol in the former Soviet Union, includes all North Koreans without party membership between the ages of 15 and 30, although married women who opt to become housewives are transferred to the Socialist Women's Union. [1] Officially, the guiding ideology of the organization is Kimilsungism–Kimjongilism. [2]
The League was founded on 17 January 1946 as the Democratic Youth League of North Korea. It became the youth wing of the Workers' Party of North Korea. Six months after its foundation in June 1946, the League joined the World Federation of Democratic Youth, establishing international relations with other Marxist–Leninist and anti-imperialist youth movements. [3] In 1949, it was renamed the Democratic Youth League of Korea and in May 1964 renamed as the League of Socialist Working Youth of Korea. [4] It assumed the name Kim Il-sung Socialist Youth League on its 50th anniversary in 1996. [5]
The 8th congress of the youth league was held in February 1993, after a 12-year lapse since the 7th congress, held in 1981. The last conference was held on 12 July 2012, after ten years since the previous one, held on 21–22 March 2002. The 9th congress has been convened for January 2016, after 23 years since the previous one.[ citation needed ]
On 4 January 2007, in Pyongyang, Kim Song-chol, the First Secretary of the Pyongyang Municipal People's Committee of the KSYL gave a speech at a mass rally, with other high government officials, praising Songun Korea. [6] During the speech, Kim Song-chol said that the country should bolster "death-defying corps" and create a "youth vanguard faithfully following the Party's Songun politics." [6]
The 47th plenary meeting of the Central Committee of the KSYL was held, in Pyongyang, on 22 March 2012. At the meeting, former First Secretary Ri Yong-chol was relieved of his post due to his age and Jon Yong-nam was elected to the post.[ citation needed ] The current head of the league is Chairman of the Central Committee Pak Chol-min . [7]
Recently, Choe Ryong-hae has been replacing military officials with KSYL members. [8]
The Kim Il-sung Socialist Youth League was renamed as the Kimilsungist-Kimjongilist Youth League at its 9th Congress held on 27–28 August 2016. [9] It was renamed as the Socialist Patriotic Youth League at its 10th Congress held on 27–28 April 2021, [10] with the aims of reflecting its nature as a reserve force to socialist construction. [11]
Within the government, the league coordinates the national youth policy of North Korea together with other youth-serving ministries, such as the Ministry of Education. [12] The league plays an important role in the planning, implementation and evaluation of this national youth policy and serves as a national youth platform to link both the governmental and nongovernmental youth-related organizations and activities in this over-all national youth policy. [12] The league is the party's most important ideological and organizational training ground, with branches and cells wherever there are regular party organizations. [12] "Youth league cells exist in the army, factories, cooperative farms, schools, cultural institutions, and government agencies." [12]
The youth movement shifted its focus after Kim Il-sung's death and expanded its ideological indoctrination to include the "revolutionary accomplishments" of Kim Jong-il and the "brilliance" of Songun . [12]
"The KSYL, by restricting the ideological culture and organized groups of all youths, monitors any changes in the society’s way of thinking that may happen with the change of generations. It also organizes all youths to be actively involved in production, construction, and military service. The KSYL plays the important role of restricting any form of opposition groups or actions among the youth of North Korea", according to Ken E. Gause. [12]
The league's official newspaper is the Chongnyon Jonwi . [13] It also has a sports team, Hwaebul Sports Club. [14]
The Down-with-Imperialism Union was allegedly founded on 17 October 1926 in Hwatian County, Kirin, China, in order to fight against Japanese imperialism and to promote Marxism–Leninism. It is considered by the Workers' Party of Korea to be its root and foundation and its creation is celebrated every year.
Songun is the "military-first" policy of North Korea, prioritizing the Korean People's Army in the affairs of state and allocation of resources. "Military-first" as a principle guides political and economic life in North Korea, with "military-first politics" dominating the political system; "a line of military-first economic construction" acting as an economic system; and "military-first ideology" serving as the guiding ideology.
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The Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) is the sole ruling party of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, commonly known as North Korea. Founded in 1949 from a merger between the Workers' Party of North Korea and the Workers' Party of South Korea, the WPK is the oldest active party in Korea. It also controls the Korean People's Army, North Korea's armed forces. The WPK is the largest party represented in the Supreme People's Assembly and coexists with two other legal parties that are completely subservient to the WPK and must accept the WPK's "leading role" as a condition of their existence. The WPK is banned in the Republic of Korea under the National Security Act and is sanctioned by the United Nations, the European Union, Australia, and the United States.
Kim Yong Ju was a North Korean politician and the younger brother of Kim Il Sung, who ruled North Korea from 1948 to 1994. Under his brother's rule, Kim Yong Ju held key posts including Politburo member in the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) during the 1960s and early 1970s, but he fell out of favour in 1974 following a power struggle with Kim Jong Il. From 1998 until his death in 2021, he held the ceremonial position of Honorary Vice President of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly (SPA), North Korea's parliament.
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The Socialist Women's Union of Korea is a mass organization for women in North Korea. Founded in 1945 as the North Korea Democratic Women's League, it is the oldest and one of the most important mass organizations in the country. The Union has committees on every level of administrative divisions of North Korea, from ri (village) all the way up to provinces.
Kim Jong Un has been the supreme leader of North Korea since the death of Kim Jong Il in 2011.
Chongnyon Jonwi is a daily newspaper in North Korea. It is the official organ of the Central Committee of the Socialist Patriotic Youth League. It is one of the three most important newspapers in the country, the other two being Rodong Sinmun and Joson Inmingun. Chongnyon Jonwi is particularly known for jointly publishing New Year editorials with the two papers under the rule of Kim Jong-il. Most of its regular articles are commentary on the contents of Rodong Sinmun from a youth perspective. The editor-in-chief is Choe Sun-chol.
The Workers' Party of Korea Publishing House is the principal publishing house of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) and one of the two main publishers in the country. It publishes magazines and books on politics, such as the works of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il, posters and works of fiction. The current director-general and editor-in-chief is Ri Yong-chol.
The 8th Congress of the Workers' Party of Korea was held at the April 25 House of Culture in Pyongyang from 5 to 12 January 2021. A total of 7,000 people participated in the congress including 5,000 delegates. The Party Congress took place in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic where no cases were reported.
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Officially, the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) – the ruling party of North Korea – is a communist party guided by Kimilsungism–Kimjongilism, a synthesis of the ideas of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il. The party is committed to Juche, an ideology attributed to Kim Il Sung which promotes national independence and development through the efforts of the popular masses. Although Juche was originally presented as the Korean interpretation of Marxism–Leninism, the party now presents it as a freestanding philosophy. The WPK recognizes the ruling Kim family as the ultimate source of its political thought. The fourth party conference, held in 2012, amended the party rules to state that Kimilsungism–Kimjongilism was "the only guiding idea of the party". Under Kim Jong Il, who governed as chairman of the National Defence Commission, communism was steadily removed from party and state documents in favour of Songun, or military-first politics. The military, rather than the working class, was established as the base of political power. However, his successor Kim Jong Un reversed this position in 2021, replacing Songun with "people-first politics" as the party's political method and reasserting the party's commitment to communism.