A Hero The People Needed
The people of North Korea do not have the freedom to openly practice any religion they choose as the act of doing so can result in severe punishment given out by the North Korean government. The government sees organized religion as a challenge towards the supreme leader of North Korea, Kim Jon-Un. Instead of practicing religion, the people of North Korea have an ideology that they live by called Juche. It is extremely important in North Korean culture as it is the base that the North Korean culture is built off of. Juche was introduced by North Korea's first supreme leader, Kim Il-Sung in the 1950's when North Korea had been recently formed and the people of North Korea needed someone and something to live for; they needed a purpose and Juche was exactly what they needed. The North Korean people embraced it and formed an almost religious admiration towards their country and its leader.
What is Juche?Juche describes the importance of self-sustainability and emphasizes the importance of man-driven history and that it is man that makes history, not machines or industry as it was viewed in the USSR at the time. The ideology states that the working class cannot think and act for itself and it needs a supreme leader to function and the great leader is also a flawless human being, who never commits mistakes, who is always benevolent, and who always rules for the masses. The ideology is pretty far out there compared to what the rest of the world is used to but the people of North Korea are raised believing in it and working to please the supreme leader without asking questions.
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Cultural Affect
If there is one important thing the North Korean culture is build around, it is Juche; the people of North Korea hold nothing higher than their ideology. Their culture, from their haircuts to their entertainment activities, for the most part is determined by what the supreme leader approves. This is why people live in slums working in rice fields for little money, because the supreme leader said to do it. There are festivities and carnivals held in the cities with vibrant colours and music, these are held for the supreme leader. The North Korean people do have their own minds and traditions but they hold their ideology, Juche, very close to them as it gives them hope and security.
As you can see to the right, there are images of North Korean propaganda posters encouraging the Juceh ideology and in the bottom right, there is an image of a rally held in honour of their supreme leader.
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