North Korea links rising delinquency to foreign culture
North Koreans engaged in a dispute. [Photo/NK Times]
North Korea has reportedly launched a sweeping ideological education campaign aimed at eradicating various illegal activities that have recently emerged among young people.
Analysts say the authorities are feeling a significant sense of crisis as theft, violence, and unhealthy lifestyles spread throughout the population, particularly among the youth.
Workers at a textile factory in Hyesan, Yanggang Province, were subjected on April 18 to a lecture titled, “Let Us Once Again Launch a Strong Campaign to Thoroughly Eliminate Illegal Acts Appearing Among Youth,” according to a knowledgeable source.
The lecture reportedly emphasized that youth-related issues should not be seen as individual deviance, but rather as a broader problem of social discipline.
During the session, the speaker described young people as “successors of the revolution” and key actors responsible for creating the “myth of heroic youth,” while noting that, in reality, a significant number are displaying the opposite tendencies.
The speaker went on to describe specific forms of delinquency, stating that groups of students at some senior middle schools in Hyesan roam around stealing state and private property. They even confiscate and resell other students’ school supplies and personal belongings, the lecturer claimed.
Such illegal acts “tarnish the image of our-style socialism” and must be recognized as acts of betrayal aligned with “decadent bourgeois ideology and culture” and the maneuvers of imperialists, the speaker said.
In this sense, juvenile delinquency is being interpreted not only as a matter of discipline, but also as being linked to the infiltration of foreign ideology and culture.
The lecturer also addressed the use of computers and recording devices in households, suggesting that exposure to outside media and electronic devices are contributing factors.
The issue was framed not simply as a lack of education, but as one directly tied to the future of the state.
“The youth issue is a critical matter that determines the rise and fall of the country and nation,” the lecturer said, warning that while shortcomings in other areas can be compensated for by future generations, failures in raising the next generation would lead to irreversible consequences.
Workers were warned that even minors could face strict punishment for illegal acts. The lecture stressed that the era of leniency based on age is over and that those caught committing offenses would be subject to harsh penalties.
The solutions proposed by the authorities include strengthening ideological education through youth organizations and schools, increasing teacher accountability, reinforcing family-based upbringing, encouraging participation in organizational life, and expanding social control.
Although the speaker criticized outdated educational methods and mentioned adopting new approaches, the source noted that, in practice, the emphasis remains on ideological indoctrination, surveillance, and punishment.
The source added that the authorities appear to attribute the causes of youth delinquency not to material hardship or social instability, but to ideological laxity and the infiltration of foreign culture.
“Rather than addressing the underlying causes, they are responding by strengthening control over youth, families, and schools,” the source said.
The source further observed that while the lecture focused on theft and violence among youth, its core intent was to tighten control and increase pressure on the population.
“Under the pretext of correcting youth deviance, control, surveillance, and demands for discipline across schools, youth organizations, and families are likely to intensify further,” he predicted.
Kang is a reporter at NK Times, a Seoul-based media outlet focused on North Korean issues. He was born in 1978 in Chongjin and graduated from Chongjin 1st High School in North Korea. After 10 years of military service in the 4th Army Corps, he attended Chongjin Agricultural University before defecting.
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