Young North Koreans have been warned to be loyal to their country’s standard language and follow “traditional lifestyles” as part of the regime’s campaign to stamp out cultural influences from neighbouring South Korea.
In an editorial published on Sunday, the Rodong Sinmun, the official newspaper of the ruling Workers’ party, railed against the creeping influence of the South on everything from hairstyles to the spoken word. “The ideological and cultural penetration under the colourful signboard of the bourgeoisie is even more dangerous than enemies who are taking guns,” it said, according to South Korea’s Yonhap news agency.
The newspaper said nothing less than the future of North Korea’s political system was at stake. “When the new generations have a sound sense of ideology and revolutionary spirits, the future of a country is bright. If not, decades-long social systems and revolution will be perished. That is the lesson of blood in the history of the world’s socialist movement,” it said.
It is not the first time the regime has issued warnings against embracing South Korean popular culture. The regime has been previously critical of K-pop, TV dramas, dress sense and dance moves. Kim Jong-Un also banned the wearing of skinny jeans and mullet haircuts out of fear that the influence would tear the country down.
