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Obbligati ad odiare

La Corea del Nord è economicamente, politicamente e socialmente uno dei paesi più isolato al mondo. Nel 1948, Kim Il-Sung instaurò un regime autoritario, creando la Repubblica Democratica Popolare di Corea ed un sistema educativo obbligatorio, il cui scopo era la giustificazione del regime.

Come funziona il sistema educativo nordcoreano? L’articolo 43 della Costituzione nordcoreana dichiara che “lo Stato deve incorporare tutti i principi della pedagogia socialista così da crescere la prossima generazione come costanti rivoluzionari che combatteranno per la società ed il popolo e per essere persone del nuovo Juche degne di nota, morali e fisicamente sane”. In questo contesto, la “rivoluzione” che la Corea del Nord intende consiste nel sacrificare qualsiasi cosa per l’interesse del Paese, specificatamente per il regime, e nell’essere fedeli alla dinastia dei Kim.

Essendo il sistema educativo nordcoreano è basato sull’ “ideale rivoluzionario” per creare una “generazione degna di nota”, tutti i contenuti insegnati a scuola contengono l’ideologia Juche, le politiche lavorative del partito, le tradizioni rivoluzionarie, il credo comunista, l’ottimismo rivoluzionario e molto altro. Tutto ciò viene fatto non solo applicando il metodo militaristico, ma anche attraverso il costante monitoraggio per “tenere gli individui sbagliati al loro posto”. Inoltre, gli studenti sono obbligati ad eseguire lavori pesanti sin dalla scuola elementare.

Propaganda per l'idolatria

La Corea del Nord educa le future generazioni con lo scopo di crescerli come convinti rivoluzionari pronti a combattere per la loro società ed i loro compatrioti, ed afferma, inoltre, di crescerli come individui completi dalla mentalità comunista. Per raggiungere questo scopo, sin dagli anni ’70, Kim Il-Sung ha preteso che si insegnasse l’idolatria dei leader del regime per ottenere l’assoluta obbedienza del popolo.

L’educazione all’idolatria inizia sin dalla prima infanzia. Sebbene essa non si svolga regolarmente in classe, gli insegnanti d’asilo nordcoreani insegnano agli alunni di Kim Il-Sung e Kim Jong-Il. Dalla scuola elementare i corsi curricolari prevedono che si insegnino l’infanzia e le attività rivoluzionarie di Kim Il-Sung, che si insegni di Kim Jong-Il e sua madre Kim Jong-Suk. Il tutto deve essere fatto enfatizzando la “grandezza” delle “3 generazioni dei Leader del Monte Baekdu”.

In seguito alla successione di Kim Jong-Un come dittatore, le attività rivoluzionarie e la storia di Kim Jong-Un furono inserite nei curricula scolastici delle scuole medie sotto il nome di “Attività Revoluzionarie di Kim Jong-Un” e delle scuole superiori sotto il nome di “Storia Rivoluzionaria di Kim Jong-Un”. Inoltre, le università nordcoreane devono avere dei corsi, indipendentemente dal tipo di laurea, di ideologia come “Filosofia dell’ideologia Juche” , “Storia della Rivoluzione” ed “Economia politica del Juche”. In aggiunta ai curricula ufficiali, i bambini sono educati dall’Alleanza dei Bambini, i teenager dall’Alleanza della Gioventù Socialista Kim Il-Sung e da altre organizzazioni da cui ricevono l’educazione all’idolatria.

I tre passi dell'idolatria:

Prima delle lezioni

In Corea del Nord ci sono delle sessioni di “studio autonomo” tutti i giorni prima dell’inizio delle lezioni, in cui l’alunno deve spendere 15 minuti studiando e leggendo propaganda a voce alta. Uno studente porta sempre il giornale  o una canzone e la legge di fronte alla classe. Nel primo e secondo anno di scuola elementare l’insegnante presente nell’aula in quel momento condurrebbe lo “studio autonomo”, mentre dal terzo o quarto anno un’ufficiale della lega dei ragazzi, responsabile per il monitoraggio ideologico e comportamentale dei compagni, conduce la sessione. L’obbiettivo è di apprendere continuamente le politiche del Partito e gli eventi correnti. Tuttavia, non essendoci alcuna libertà di stampa, i media fungono solo da ulteriore forma d’educazione all’idolatria. Fondamentalmente, come d’altronde si può intuire, le sessioni di “studio autonomo” servono a promuovere la fedeltà al regime sin dall’infanzia.

In seguito allo “studio autonomo”, ci sono delle sessioni di idolatria note come “Politiche del partito e raffinamento“, in cui l’insegnante presente legge delle storie relative a Kim Il-Sung e procede ad affermare che rifletteranno su quella storia quel giorno. Inoltre, gli studenti hanno tra i 5 ed i 10 minuti per leggere propaganda relativa alle politiche del partito connesse a Kim Il-Sung e Kim Jong-Il. Ogni sabato degli ufficiali l’Alleanza giovanile o la Lega dei Ragazzi continuano l’educazione politica dei giovani. Se uno studente memorizza incorrettamente le politiche dell’era di Kim Il-Sung, Kim Jong-Il oppure di Kim Jong-Un allora deve essere rieducato a riguardo. Questa sorta di raffinamento ideologico gioca un ruolo importante in quanto si aggiunge ai corsi curricolari ed allo “studio autonomi”. Per mantenere questa continua educazione ideologica gli insegnanti devono incontrare l’ufficiale della propaganda locale una volta alla settimana per rimanere sempre aggiornati sulle politiche del partito.

Durante le lezioni

L’indottrinamento ideologico pervade ogni aspetto del curriculum educativo nordcoreano, con lo scopo di formare “rivoluzionari talentuosi, indipendenti e creativi”. Ciò dimostra che l’ideologia politica è l’aspetto più importante dell’educazione all’idolatria. In “Educazione Socialista”, scritto dalla divisione educativa del Partito, viene esplicitamente affermato che la base del raffinamento dell’ideologia politica è il Juche.

L’ideologia Juche della Corea del Nord pretende l’assoluta obbedienza ai leader del regime. Ciò avviene perchè, stando all’ideologia, solamente il leader può essere la forza propulsiva che trasporta il popolo nordcoreano attraverso la storia.

“Dobbiamo rovesciare l’imperialismo ed il capitalismo, e continuare la rivoluzione anche dopo aver stabilito il sistema socialista. Il socialismo ed il comunismo non si stabiliscono automaticamente usurpando il ruolo dell’imperialismo e del capitalismo. La longevità del socialismo e del comunismo viene raggiunta attraverso la lotta di classe ed il lavoro a lungo termine.”

L’idea che il Supremo Leader debba guidare le generazioni sul giusto percorso della duratura rivoluzione è al cuore dell’ideale rivoluzionario. Perciò, la successione ereditaria all’interno della famiglia Kim è inevitabile, rendendo necessario seguire la linea di sangue di Baekdu (Kim Il-Sung, Kim Jong-Il, Kim Jong-Un) per preservare l’eredità di Kim Il-Sung. Per questo motivo, il raffinamento politico serve per perfezionare la lealtà del popolo, essendo la lealtà al leader necessaria affinchè esso porti avanti la rivoluzione.

A questo scopo, la propaganda idolatra è ampiamente diffusa nel curriculum educativo. Il pensiero rivoluzionario di Kim Il-Sung, le sue teorie ed i suoi successi sono presenti in tutto il curriculum scolastico e nella società, in modo tale da ispirare l’idolatria dei leader e da aumentare il supporto della popolazione per il regime. Inoltre, durante le classi di storia rivoluzionaria, Kim Jong-Il e Kim Jong-Un vengono esaltati come i leader del futuro, dotati di tutte la qualità necessarie per il compito. Le classi di storia insegnano che essi padroneggiano gli ideali rivoluzionari di Kim Il-Sung e che li faranno ulteriormente progredire – come richiesto dalle esigenze del nuovo secolo e della rivoluzione.

The subjects Revolutionary Achievements and History of Kim Jong-Sook (Kim Il-Sung’s first wife and the mother of Kim Jong-Il) serve to idolize this female, motherly, figure. However, instead of exalting Kim Jong-Sook’s own achievements, it puts emphasis on her unfailing loyalty toward Kim Il-Sung, proposing an ideal that the people must live by. Most importantly, this class subject is specifically used to justify the succession of Kim Jong-Il. 

Le  materie chiamate “Risultati Rivoluzionari e 

North Korean students are forced to study political thought, and if they do not do their homework in such classes or otherwise fail to correctly memorize the material, they are subjected to harsh physical punishments. This kind of political thought education during the academic years greatly influences the North Korean people. Because the political education is to be carried from the womb to the grave, many individuals consider its importance to be far greater than it actually is.

After Classes

 

Idolization education persists outside classes even on school excursions. For example, in private lessons or vacation periods, students visiting various idolization-themed landmarks in order to affirm the greatness of Kim Il-Sung and his family. The revolutionary historical locations in North Korea are composed of approximately 40 sites related to Kim Il-Sung, approximately 20 sites related to Kim Jong-Il, and a few related to Kim Jong-Sook (Kim Jong-Il’s mother), Kim Hyong-Jik (Kim Il-Sung’s father), and Kim Hyong-Gwon (Kim Il-Sung’s uncle), totaling over 60 historical sites.

Additionally, many symbols of the North Korean leaders are created (statues, badges, portraits, etc.) to affirm their greatness to the people; there are approximately 38,000 statues which all have a significant meaning, just like the previously referenced Sun altar (which is protected day and night). Furthermore, schools teach children from a young age that the portraits of the leaders are important by having them clean the portraits. Students are expected to clean the portraits with utmost sincerity from elementary school to college. The act of cleaning the portraits is to have the students express absolute loyalty and idolization towards Kim Il-Sung and his family.

In elementary school, when the children are short and cannot reach the portraits, the teachers must lead by example by showing the children how to sincerely clean the portraits and teaching them that they must always keep the portraits clean. Starting from middle school, students take turns cleaning the portraits themselves. This repetitive idolization practices forces the students to always remember the sacred meanings of the symbols of their leaders. Not only this, but the North Korean government exposes its citizens to daily, continuous propaganda revolving around the government’s ideals and legitimacy.

Propaganda in Other Subjects

The idolization method is not only present in political and revolution classes. Even if you’re studying a language, it is limited to content regarding loyalty to Kim Il-Sung and Kim Jong-Il and social thought. The first words you learn are the leader’s names. Even in travel essays, rather than focusing on the tourism and historical aspects of a historical landmark, it focuses on praising and revering the life and achievements of Kim Il-Sung and his family. Music mostly involves songs about Kim Il-Sung and Kim Jong-Il. If one changes the lyrics related to idolization or if the lyrics are neglectfully written, then it’s possible that students’ parents could be punished in the students’ stead. Whether one’s specialty is physical fitness or music, the objective is always “to please the General.”

Historical Distortion

Historical distortion, along with idolization, is part of the indoctrination education system designed to maintain the single-party dictatorship of North Korea. The North Korean government through distorting history justifies the regime, idolizes its leaders, and accentuates its claim that it is a great nation. History is distorted by changing modern Korean history, manipulating truths about Kim Il-Sung’s anti-Japanese war efforts, glorifying the Kim family history as well as intentionally misinterpreting world history. 

One example is the interpretation of the General Sherman Incident in 1866 as it differs greatly from that of South Korea. On August 15th of 1866, the incident began as an American armed merchant, a marine side-wheel steamer named General Sherman, approached Pyongyang with the intention to trade. At that time, the Joseon dynasty maintained a strict isolationism policy. Due to such policy, Governor Park Gyu-Su of Pyongan province demanded that General Sherman leave Pyongyang at once. However, ignoring the warning, the General Sherman approached the Turu Island near Mangyongdae and seized Adjutant-General Yi Hyon-Ik. Enraged Pyongyang citizens started to throw stones at the ship as a protest and the General Sherman responded by firing its guns and cannons into the crowd. As the situation escalated, Park Gyu-Su launched an attack to rescue Yi Hyon-Ik, burning down the General Sherman in the process. All the sailors on board were killed, including those who survived the fire but were beaten to death by the crowd. This incident later led to the Shinmiyangyo, a United States expedition to Korea.

This is the commonly accepted narrative of the General Sherman Incident. However, the North Korean version differs greatly. North Korea describes the General Sherman as a naval warship instead of an armed merchant vessel, implying that U.S. approached Pyongyang with hostility and the intention to invade, thereby fueling anti-American sentiment. Furthermore, such description is intended as a warning against capitalism and imperialism, calling for a defensive attitude towards foreign influences.

Another example can be found from “The Revolutionary Acts of Our Great Leader, Kim Jong-Il” textbook for middle school which states that the Korean War began with a South Korean attack on North Korea, and that North Korea defeated South Korea and the United States forces without any help from China. But in reality, from the world history which is taught worldwide, the Korean War started on the 25th of June 1950 when North Korean tanks crossed the 38th parallel, the boundary with South Korea.

Violent and Hateful Propaganda

The North Korean government upholds the violent and hateful education policy in order to maintain its dictatorship and inspire integral unity. Such efforts are apparent in various conditions. The school curriculum, a militaristic way of education, public executions, visits to the historic museum, rallies, Saeng-hwal-chong-hwa (criticism/self-evaluation sessions), games and comic books, and revolutionary education are only some of the examples. Through these practices, North Korea intends to make enemies outside the society, unify the nation, and try to avoid political insurrection by having the citizens monitor each other. In the same context as historical distortion, North Korea criticizes capitalism and uses anti-U.S. and anti-Japanese sentiment in order to encourage communist ideology and the social system. For this reason, North Koreans learn the revolutionary history and activities of their leaders in school, which then fosters feelings of hatred toward the U.S. and its allies. For example, there are questions on math exams such as, “How many are left after destroying some of the American tanks?” and lyrics in music classes, such as “Kick the Japanese out of the country”.

Hateful propaganda is found in various activities outside of the regular educational curriculum. Almost every field day at school has a competition called, “Smash the foreign-nosed Americans to death”. Most students are required to participate, and they’ve done so since a very young age, as elementary school students. Moreover, they casually play violent games on special occasions, and try to lead whoever is on the American team to lose. The purpose of these kinds of violent games is to indoctrinate the children into believing that North Korea is the best country in the world, and to instill anti-American, anti-imperialist sentiment.

Apart from these curriculums, the Saeng-hwal-chong-hwa or group criticism sessions should be mentioned as it is a form of damaging and fear instilling education, that has been handed down since Kim Il-Sung Government, to make the people obey the dictatorship through public self-criticisms and mutual criticisms at schools or working groups so, it makes people monitor and distrust each other and contribute greatly to preventing members of the society from cooperating with each other. This practice has become so ingrained in their society that citizens view each other with a critical eye even when not in these sessions. Through this environment of constant societal scrutiny, the regime causes its people to experience mistrust, anxiety, and fear while still suffering pressure to promulgate the very behavior monitoring and censorship which keeps them so subjugated. Moreover, there are considerable cases in which weaker students are bullied because of what happens in Saeng-hwal-chong-hwa.

Additionally, group criticism sessions are used to encourage people’s hatred toward the foreign countries. For example, if the first secretary of the Socialist Youth Alliance says, “Now I will begin a discussion. Submit your agendas about your rage against the class enemy and your resolutions for the future,” the students answer by saying something like, “They have to pay for what they did. I will exact revenge for generations. The United States and Japan are countries that should be extinguished and should not exist.”

Damir Sagoji - Reuters

Public Executions

Because public executions frequently occur in various locations, people witness them since youth, whether they are forced to or not. These executions, as supported by the defectors’ testimonies, are very violent and serve to warn everyone that there is no tolerance for any form of actions made against the regime. Public executions are conducted to rule North Korea via a reign of terror. There are many moments in which it is mandatory to attend public executions, and if the person attending is a minor, it often becomes a source of lifelong trauma. These scenes of violence, which even elementary school students are forced to watch, are a denial of basic human dignity and humane criminal justice to the people.

Rallies

To create stronger hatred towards foreign powers and to create internal solidarity, North Korea holds mass rallies. Mass rallies are protests in which crowds gather and make hate speeches such as, “Defeat the U.S. and the puppet government of South Korea.” It is held mostly in holidays, but each class, school, city, province, and central government has a different schedule; all must attend to these rallies.

Animated Movies

The violent and hateful propaganda takes place not just in events like Saeng-hwal-chong-hwa or rallies but also in their daily lives. The North Korean government indoctrinates the youth by providing animated cartoons that infuse hateful ideas along with their school curriculum. Since youth, North Korean children are taught to loathe and disrespect foreign powers and peoples, which is much different from children in other countries who are told to love and respect one another. These ideals even appear in the popular animated shows for the North Korean children.

There are animated cartoons like “Boy General” or “The Squirrel and the Hedgehog” that teach children to hate and exclude capitalist countries at all times, and at the same time, they indoctrinate the children into believing that North Korea is the best country in the world.