Many Asian states and cities have been known as ‘Forbidden Kingdoms’ or ‘Forbidden Cities’ and although not a forbidden country, North Korea, in the 21st century, is a truly hidden country. It is one that does allow access (however limited) to outside visitors, however these individuals rarely have a clear understanding of the country they have entered or the regime they see from afar.
This does not stop people drawing their own conclusions about the nation; seeing it as a rogue state steeped in communism, dictatorial politics and military fervor. These assumptions do ring true for this Far East state, which is controlled by a Communist based, family dynasty, whose power is vested in the military; however North Korea is more than simply the stereotypes generated by Western media. It is a nation with a complex politics, ancient history and vibrant culture; the problem that journalists, politicians and analysts face is the inability to gain verifiable news as the country exercises such close controls over censorship.
It is this censorship that truly defines North Korea; that makes the state a real Hidden Kingdom.
North Korea has been an enigma ever since Kim Il-Sung assumed the position of leader of the newly independent Communist country under the guide of the USSR. They had agreed, with the USA, to divide the country between the two powers to run in a post-WWII administration and Kim Il-Sung emerged as the leading figure in the new Soviet administration. When Kim Il-Sung was made leader, his communist principles were well established from the outset with sweeping land reforms creating an equal distribution of land and a policy that would be hard to integrate with the US influenced South when unification was proposed.
Within years the two regions had become politically opposed, with each side supporting different ideologies and supported by a different superpower. Both superpowers helped to build up the military power of their respective spheres of influence and it was this conflict over who should control a united Korea that led to the Korean War (1950-1953).
It was after the war that North Korea began the process towards isolation. It was a small Communist country in relation to its two, much larger, neighbours China and Russia, both leading communist countries that sought to exert influence over North Korea. However Kim managed to achieve relative political isolation from both countries. He disagreed with the USSR during the leadership of Nikita Khrushchev and sided with China in the Sino-Soviet split, but then went against the Chinese government of Mao Zedong during the Cultural Revolution in China, siding instead with the Soviets. By playing these two Communist nations off against each other Kim ensured that North Korea had allies in both camps without the exclusive influence of one deviating him from creating his own form of communism in the country, however the diplomatic consequence of this was that North Korea became estranged from both countries.
However it was only once this self-determined form of communism, known as Juche, became state ideology in 1972, that North Korea began to truly become a hidden kingdom. The ideology established the idea that North Korea should be self-reliant and nearly all foreign trade was stopped. China was less interested in trading with the country and with the collapse of Communism in Eastern Europe and the USSR in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s the nation soon lost all its main partners. By his death in 1994 Kim Il-Sung had created a country completely isolated from the rest of the world
This isolation continued after his son, Kim Jong-il, took power and has not ceased even after his death and the assumption of Kim Jong-un as Premier. But it is not purely history that has created such an isolated and introverted state but the society that these leaders have created. North Korea is a country with no political reforms or freedom of the press meaning there are no real opportunities to check the power of the leader or to challenge publicly what the regime is doing. The population is told the information that the government want to reveal and often internationally observers are simply left to guess at what it is going on at the very height of power. It becomes increasingly difficult to work out the hierarchy in this country or determine who has influence over the Premier.
Under Kim Jong-un the international understanding of the Korean hierarchy has been truly tested with questions over how the leader will govern and who will be by his side as he leads the country through turbulent times in world politics.
For many observers it appears that he is ruling the country just as his father and grandfather before him did; through the military. This week Kim Jong-un was named as a Marshall, the highest rank in the North Korean army. This is a move that solidifies his position at the top of the military hierarchy, which has seen major shakeups recently with a senior military leader replaced. Ri Yong-ho was removed from his post as army chief and meanwhile Hyon Yong-chol was made Vice-Marshal. This shake up represents a North Korea that is changing without any real change taking place.
The political structure at the top is the same as it has been before despite changes to the faces leading the regime. The censorship and cult of personality that distorts all the information coming out of this nation continues to pervade every aspect of society and prevents an accurate understanding of North Korea from being established across the world. Whilst this regime continues to rule North Korea the nation will continue to remain a Hidden Kingdom.
A Little View of the World 