Songbun and the five castes of North Korea



Analysis Songbun and the five castes of North Korea Source indicates that social classification system has more classes – and criteria – than previously thought Fyodor Tertitskiy February 26, 2015 SHARE COPY LINK FACEBOOK X LINKEDIN MASTODON Victorious Fatherland Liberation War Museum, Pyongyang, North Korea by yeowatzup on 2008-09-25 11:08:02 The most important element in the social structure of Kim Il Sung's North Korea was the infamous songbun system. This system was established in the late 1950s and came into full power somewhere around 1967. It divides the population into groups, according to the actions and status of their paternal ancestor (and themselves, depending on their age) during the Japanese colonial period and the Korean War. Songbun determined, among other things, whether one was allowed to live in the capital or in special cities like Kaesong and later Rason, the workplace one is allocated and what kind of education one can receive. While there have been some academic works related to songbun, they are, sadly, either outdated, incomplete or, usually, both: Academics do not have access to North Korean documents and instructions related to songbun are always classified. Fortunately, I have a friend who served in the North Korean police and had to deal with these documents often. Thanks to him I can now explain how songbun operates. The most important element in the social structure of Kim Il Sung's North Korea was the infamous songbun system. This system was established in the late 1950s and came into full power somewhere around 1967. It divides the population into groups, according to the actions and status of their paternal ancestor (and themselves, depending on their age) during the Japanese colonial period and the Korean War. Songbun determined, among other things, whether one was allowed to live in the capital or in special cities like Kaesong and later Rason, the workplace one is allocated and what kind of education one can receive. While there have been some academic works related to songbun, they are, sadly, either outdated, incomplete or, usually, both: Academics do not have access to North Korean documents and instructions related to songbun are always classified. Fortunately, I have a friend who served in the North Korean police and had to deal with these documents often. Thanks to him I can now explain how songbun operates. Try unlimited access Only $1 for four weeks Unlimited access to all of NK News: reporting, investigations, analysis Year-one discount if you continue past $1 trial period The NK News Daily Update, an email newsletter to keep you in the loop Searchable archive of all content, photo galleries, special columns Contact NK News reporters with tips or requests for reporting Get unlimited access to all NK News content, including original reporting, investigations, and analyses by our team of DPRK experts. Subscribe now All major cards accepted. No commitments – you can cancel any time. © Korea Risk Group. All rights reserved. No part of this content may be reproduced, distributed, or used for commercial purposes without prior written permission from Korea Risk Group. Get the Daily Update Start your day with the North Korea stories that matter most – as selected by And how should we address you in correspondence? One more step! Please check your inbox, for an email we just sent you, and click on the confirmation message in it to get subscribed to our Daily News Update. Trending

Analysis

Songbun and the five castes of North Korea

Source indicates that social classification system has more classes – and criteria – than previously thought

Fyodor Tertitskiy February 26, 2015

Songbun and the five castes of North Korea

Victorious Fatherland Liberation War Museum, Pyongyang, North Korea by yeowatzup on 2008-09-25 11:08:02

The most important element in the social structure of Kim Il Sung's North Korea was the infamous songbun system. This system was established in the late 1950s and came into full power somewhere around 1967. It divides the population into groups, according to the actions and status of their paternal ancestor (and themselves, depending on their age) during the Japanese colonial period and the Korean War. Songbun determined, among other things, whether one was allowed to live in the capital or in special cities like Kaesong and later Rason, the workplace one is allocated and what kind of education one can receive.

While there have been some academic works related to songbun, they are, sadly, either outdated, incomplete or, usually, both: Academics do not have access to North Korean documents and instructions related to songbun are always classified. Fortunately, I have a friend who served in the North Korean police and had to deal with these documents often. Thanks to him I can now explain how songbun operates.