Thread by @BonicMichael

Presidium of the Supreme People’s Assembly in DPRK passes 4 laws, notably a law “on rejecting reactionary ideology and culture”
[December 6, 2020]
koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/2020/12/06/nat…
“According to the official KCNA, the Presidium of the Supreme People’s Assembly (SPA) convened under its

2/"president, Choe Ryong-hae, to pass four laws unanimously.  
 
Particularly notable was a law “on rejecting reactionary ideology and culture,” which KCNA reported would be “certainly observed by all the institutions, enterprises, organizations and citizens” in the country.

3/"The principles enshrined in the law were aimed at “further cementing our ideological, revolutionary & class positions by thoroughly preventing the inroads & spread of the anti-socialist ideology and culture and firmly maintaining our idea, spirit and culture,” the report said.

4/"The term “reactionary” has been loosely employed in North Korea to define a variety of condemned behaviors, including engaging in capitalist practices.
 
While it is not exactly known what events triggered an already draconian regime to take such actions, the new law may be

5/"related to corruption or the popularity of foreign cultural influences spurred on by the growth of the private economy."

First takeaway: This was no "dictatorial move" by KJU but one of the laws passed by the SPA's Presidium [= "a standing executive committee in a communist

6/country"].
Second takeaway: This accords w/ DPRK's Socialist Constitution:
"Article 41
The DPRK shall develop a truly popular, revolutionary culture which serves the socialist working people.
In building a socialist national culture, the State shall oppose the cultural

7/"infiltration of imperialism and any tendency to return to the past, protect its national cultural heritage, and develop it in keeping with the existing socialist situation.

Article 42
The State shall eliminate the way of life inherited from the outmoded society and establish

8/"a new socialist way of life in every sphere.

Article 43
The State shall put the principles of socialist education into practice and raise the new generation to be steadfast revolutionaries who will fight for society and the people, to be people of a new communist type who

9/"are knowledgeable, morally sound and physically healthy."

The law is to curb "reactionary thought". The word "reactionary" means:
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reactiona…
“20th century: In the 20th century, proponents of socialism and communism used the term reactionary polemically to label

10/"their enemies, such as the White Armies, who fought in the Russian Civil War against the Bolsheviks after the October Revolution. In Marxist terminology, reactionary is a pejorative adjective denoting people whose ideas might appear to be socialist, but, in their opinion,

11/"contain elements of feudalism, capitalism, nationalism, fascism or other characteristics of the ruling class, including usage between conflicting factions of Marxist movements.”

So the "anti-reactionary law" targets those who appear to be socialist but "whose ideas contain

12/elements of capitalism or nationalism". The piece above 👆remarks: "The “new law may be related to…the popularity of foreign cultural influences spurred on by the growth of the private economy." When you factor in the strictures of Articles 41 - 43 in DPRK's Constitution

13/the law appears designed to nip any desire to align to capitalist ideology. Remember that Juche socialism is in a perennial struggle against bourgeoise Western capitalist forces whose sanctions seek to undermine their socialist economy & threaten their sovereignty.

14/The "popularity of foreign cultural influences" resulting from USBs of K-pop & Korean dramas brought in can be remedied by DPRK developing its own pop culture (albeit one not driven by a multi-$B capitalist industry), music and contemporary dance by teaching students in school

15/the rudiments of Western music & dance forms. We see this in:
Blue Sky, Blue Sea, Blue Dream
From NEW DPRK:
A DPRK Vlog: Teenagers in North Korea

https://twitter.com/BonicMichael/status/1418063844665008139?s=20

16/The best way to guide your students and people who look at South Korea w/ longing & pangs of envy is to instill in them the idea & belief that they can be as good as, or even better, than ROKers. And to do that means developing your own homegrown "DPRK-pop culture" & to

17/represent it w/ socialist pride.

The struggles DPRKers have endured no American or S Korean can fathom. They're on a journey to reach ☮️, socialist independence & security in a cold world that's just ONE BIG HATER. They've earned the right to ☮️, independence & security. ✌️❤️

@threadreaderapp compile