| Chapter 1: | The Culture and Ideology of the DPRK |
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juche ideology, the cardinal rules of Confucianism remain intact and revered in the Democratic People’s Republic of North Korea (DPRK): the idea that the relationship between the ruler and the ruled ought to be based on righteousness is largely intact. Despite the seemingly autocratic and brutally dictatorial governance, the notion that the ruler should be benevolent and should pursue the well-being of the people is deeply imbedded in the ruling philosophy. The norm that guides the relationship between senior and junior must be proper order. The relationship between parents and children ought to be maintained by intimacy. Trust must govern the relationship between friends. And separate roles should be mutually respected by people of different genders.
As a rule, one might observe that in an ordinary revolutionary setting where new programs and ideologies are to replace traditional and conventional ways of life, the existence of any age-old cultural legacy is counterproductive in the revolutionary cause. This was evidenced in China, where Confucianism was considered an obstacle to the socialist consolidation. This in part prompted the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution in the mid-1960s. But North Korea did not encounter much resistance from Confucianism. On the contrary, Confucianism in North Korea facilitated the development of charismatic leadership and paternalist socialism; indeed, without the Confucian cultural influences inherent in its historical heritage, the system itself would not have been made in the way it has been.
The focus of Confucianism is the human, and the principle of social and economic change is human or spiritual determinism, as opposed to material determinism. Although the human is the epicenter of society and history, Confucian ethics never endorses individualism. Individuals are not credited with intrinsic value in isolation from collectivity. The objective, or goal, of Confucianism is to condition individuals and teach them how they should fit into a greater social network and to ensure that they are fulfilling their roles in family and society. Confucian political culture emphasizes, above all else, group loyalty and obedience and