New propaganda material aims to enforce loyalty amid declining faith in leadership

Study reference materials for the party faithful published last month by the Korea Workers’ Party Publishing House, provide a good indication of how the Kim Jong-un cult is intensifying.

The materials, which are about “principles for state management and socialist construction,” function to enforce absolute obedience to the leader, and provide a glimpse into the internal state of the country as it enters the new year.

The materials repeatedly stress the “sole leadership system of the Party Central Committee.” They demand that Kim’s revolutionary thought be treated as the sole guiding principle and that his authority be absolutized.

For example:

Article 13: “The essence of the sole leadership system of the Party Central Committee is Kim Jong-un’s sole leadership over the entire Party and society.” In other words, nothing may be done outside of his instructions.
Article 14: describes the goal of the system to make the Party and society “one head and one body,” essentially turning the whole nation into a living entity that shares Kim’s ideology, will, and actions.
Article 15: demands that cadres arm themselves with Kim Jong-un’s thought, internalize it, defend and uphold his authority in every way, and thoroughly establish the practice of unconditionally accepting and executing his orders.

Under this type of leadership, North Koreans are denied the ability to freely shape their own lives. The requirement that all must unconditionally carry out Kim’s instructions reads less like normal policy guidance and more like the institutionalization of a coercive system of control rooted in leader worship.

The backdrop to this is one of growing dissatisfaction. Chronic economic hardship and food shortages caused by the hereditary dictatorship, failed regional development policies, and poor medical and educational conditions have led people to increasingly turn their back – figuratively, at least – on the regime.

In response, authorities continue to issue directives to cadres to “educate” and “ideologically arm” the people with a view to suppressing internal discontent.

The materials for the party faithful also take a hardline stance regarding foreign relations. The country will “not engage with South Korea under any circumstances,” cadres are told. This strategy aims to cut off external exchanges and strengthen internal cohesion, repeatedly sending the message that, isolated from the outside, citizens must rely on Kim.

It is hard to avoid the conclusion that the new materials reflect regime insecurity. Rather than address economic hardship and social discontent, the government seeks to manage the crisis by coercively enforcing loyalty through mandatory study sessions. Yet, given the circumstances, organized indoctrination and coercive control of this sort are likely to deepen public resentment in the system and expose its fragility.

This type of enforced system of study has been a regular feature of life for North Koreans for nearly 80 years. It began with Kim Il-sung, continued through the era of his son, Kim Jong-il, and now is a feature of the rule of his grandson, Kim Jong-un. But there has always been something empty about them. The fact that they represent an attempt to forcibly instill the leader’s ideology and the Party’s line makes citizens struggling with harsh living conditions participate in a perfunctory, formal manner without really believing anything.

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Era Seo

Era is a North Korean defector and an experienced journalist who offers a unique perspective on one of the world's most secretive nations. Having escaped the oppressive regime, Era has leveraged her keen understanding of North Korean society to become a beacon of truth. Through her extensive network of in-country reporters, she maintains real-time communication with sources inside North Korea, providing unparalleled insights into the ground realities of the closed society.

Unusually, no mention of South Korea or the U.S. in Kim Jong-un’s new year address