Dynamism of Politics and Status of Intellectuals in North Korea

Abstract

North Korea's policy on intellectuals has focused on prohibiting their voice and forcing them into taking loyalty; moreover, it has not allowed any exit as an alternative way for the discontented intellectuals. Such harsh suppression may be attributed to Kim II Sung's political struggle with other factions, particularly the communists of South Korea origin who were accused of having worked for Americans North Korean intellectuals had to face another ordeal during the socialist development in the 1960s when the authorities took the policy of revolutionizing intellectuals and turning them into working class, depriving them of a meaning of social group. The policy contributed to their uncertain social status and passive attitude, resulting scholarly and technological backwardness. The intellectuals are not likely to become an active agent for social and political change in the near future. Those in social science and technology will become beneficiaries of new policies initiated by the authorities, only if they succeed in theoretically justifying the policies and contribute to the implementation with technical expertise.