How North Korea's devastating famine subverted the rigid "songbun" system



Features How North Korea’s devastating famine subverted the rigid “songbun” system Many were able to use their foreign connections to start illegal, but profitable, cross-border businesses Andrei Lankov October 27, 2019 SHARE COPY LINK FACEBOOK X LINKEDIN MASTODON by nknews_hq on 2018-09-19 18:42:42 The great famine of 1996-99, which killed around half a million North Koreans, also delivered a fatal blow to the songbun system, a feudalistic system of hereditary privilege determined the life trajectories of nearly all North Koreans from around 1960 until the mid-1990s. In those days, North Koreans knew that their chances of social advancement, level of income, and lifestyle were largely determined by their family's origin, or "chulsin songbun." The great famine of 1996-99, which killed around half a million North Koreans, also delivered a fatal blow to the songbun system, a feudalistic system of hereditary privilege determined the life trajectories of nearly all North Koreans from around 1960 until the mid-1990s. In those days, North Koreans knew that their chances of social advancement, level of income, and lifestyle were largely determined by their family's origin, or "chulsin songbun." Become a member for less than $5.75 per week. Unlimited access to all of NK News: reporting, investigations, analysis 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

Features

How North Korea’s devastating famine subverted the rigid “songbun” system

Many were able to use their foreign connections to start illegal, but profitable, cross-border businesses

Andrei Lankov October 27, 2019

How North Korea’s devastating famine subverted the rigid “songbun” system

by nknews_hq on 2018-09-19 18:42:42

The great famine of 1996-99, which killed around half a million North Koreans, also delivered a fatal blow to the songbun system, a feudalistic system of hereditary privilege determined the life trajectories of nearly all North Koreans from around 1960 until the mid-1990s.

In those days, North Koreans knew that their chances of social advancement, level of income, and lifestyle were largely determined by their family's origin, or "chulsin songbun."

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How North Korea’s devastating famine subverted the rigid “songbun” system

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