For decades, North Korean authorities have taught ordinary citizens not to harbor illusions about South Korea, the United States, and Japan, on the grounds that admiring the culture and lifestyles of “hostile states” could erode faith in the system. But recent developments inside the country suggest the authorities’ vigilance extends well beyond these so-called hostile states. Even China and Russia – partners with whom North Korea is deepening strategic cooperation – are no exception.
North Korea needs Chinese goods and capital, and is expanding military and economic cooperation with Russia. Yet it does not permit ordinary citizens to envy China’s standard of living or Russia’s technological prowess. The state may draw closer to both countries; however, its people are not allowed to hold any “illusions” about them. This contradiction reveals less about North Korea’s foreign policy than about the underlying logic that keeps its system intact.
Even a Friendly Nation May Not Be Seen However One Wishes
According to Daily NK’s reporting, the Organization and Guidance Department of North Korea’s Central Committee instructed border-area party organizations and workers’ groups in June to tighten discipline and ideological control, emphasizing that people “must not harbor illusions about Chinese-style socialism.” The move has been widely interpreted as a preemptive effort to stop North Koreans from taking interest in China’s market economy and living standards – and comparing them to conditions at home – as cross-border trade and personal exchanges with China expand.
