Kim Jong-un, the head of the North Korean Workers Party, late presided over a meeting of the Korean Worker’s Party Secretariat, which oversees the party’s policy of proper behavior and ensures that party members follow it. The group’s standard newspapers, Rodong Sinmun, reported that this meeting was convened to target several shortcomings in discipline ( tangnaegyuryurŭlranp’ok )– including binge eating by some celebration officials.
The conference was particularly concerned with two party control violations. Party officials in Onchon County ( about 60km west of the capital, Pyongyang ) were accused of making inadequate preparation for their local party meeting, which – as a result – was held in a “grossly formalistic]hyŏngshikchŏkŭro] way”.
In the early days of North Korea’s social record, there were accusations of formalism related to overly horsing foreign governments and their socialism strategies. However, when used in reference to Onchon County officers, it meant going through the motions and never displaying much genuine enthusiasm and commitment to the democratic process.
This lack of intellectual zeal was apparently reinforced when 40 of the officials engaged in a “drinking rampage,” an action that was viewed as directly in opposition to the group’s policy of upholding discipline. In the English-language edition of the Rodong Sinmun media post, these officers were branded as a” crooked group”. But in the Korean-language version, they were more colorfully condemned as a “rotten group” ( ssŏgŏppajin muri ) and an “arrogant rabble” ( pangjahan ohapchijol ).
Kim responded by saying that the actions of the party leaders were a “political and social” violence that had harmed the foundations of the Korean Workers Party. In consequence, the Onchon County group committee was disbanded, and the 40 police officers involved in the obscene merriment were designated for punishment. Although no word was given as to the kind of punishment the officials would be subject to, it is likely that they will at the very least be subject to intellectual re-education.
In North Korea, accusations of intoxication and alcohol as a means of demonizing and purging group officials are not new. In December 1955, Pak Il U ( then the minister of post and telecommunications ) was accused of leading a depraved lifestyle and being an alcoholic. This was done to tarnish his reputation, support his ejection from the Korean Worker’s Party and imprison him.
It isn’t improper to ingest in North Korea. Beer has a solid cultural presence. It is used on official events to honor ceremonies, ease grief during burial, and remember the birthdays of leaders.
The nation has actually promoted its adult products on postage stamps in recent years. The government issued a mark in 2022 showcasing three Taedonggang beer varieties, which have been produced since 2002 at a state-owned local brewery. The beverage is named after the Taedong valley, which runs through Pyongyang.
The next year, a mark depicting Pyongyang Soju was issued. Since 2009, this grain and corn-based beverage has been produced at a state-owned shop. With an alcohol content of 25 %, North Korea’s soju has a higher alcohol content than South Korea’s best-selling version, Jinro Chamisul Original ( 20.1 % ABV ).
Pyongyang Soju was named the nation’s beverage in June 2015, underscoring that both drinking and modern society have a significant place in North Korea’s cultural heritage.
That’s not to say that North Koreans are heavy drinking when compared to their southern neighbors, who, according to pre-Covidstatistics, consume about twice as many alcohol. A gallon of beer costs roughly the same as a pound of corn in North Korea, which might explain this.
vices in politics and morality
But excessive eating is regarded, as Kim stated, as a political and moral evil. Beer and another medication taking, such as meth use, is bound up with mental illness as a mark of depravity.
Drinking, smoking, and using marijuana frequently serve as coping mechanisms for people living in North Korea because the quality of mental health care that is essentially nonexistent ( mental health conditions are correlated with ideological issues ).
In recent years, North Korea has cracked down more firmly on what is seen as the “ideological and social poison” of culture. For instance, it has been reported that people have been given lengthy prison sentences or even death sentences for consuming and/or disseminating foreign press, using international slang term, or sporting unusual clothing and hairstyles.
Those caught selling hot dogs and divorcing people have apparently been the most recent instances of people engaging in anti-state behavior and serving time in prison. The communist theory of communism, which places team needs before personal desires, is opposed by division.
Thus, the government’s criticism of excessive alcohol consumption can be seen as yet another example of North Korea’s crackdown on personal behavior that is perceived as incompatible with the ideals of how people in this communist society should act.
At the University of Central Lancashire, David Hall is a PhD participant in Asian research.
The Conversation has republished this post under a Creative Commons license. Read the original content.