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."
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.
SHARE
COPY LINK
X
MASTODON
