Socialist Education in Korea

by Kim Il Sung (Editor), Riley Seungyoon Park (Editor), Cambria York (Editor)

Publishing the selected works of Kim Il-Sung on education is a controversial move in the United States. In fact, there's almost a proportional relationship between the demonization of the DPRK and the level of ignorance one has about the state, the country, its government, its people and society, and its history. This is particularly striking given the recent interest in decolonial and anti-colonial education, in socialist and communist educational methods, and in socialism and communism more generally. Given these recent activist and scholarly interests, Riley Park and Cambria York's new collection, Socialist Education in Korea, is a welcome contribution. Their book not only provides key insights into the socialist educational project in Korea-including its pedagogical philosophies and practices, organizations, purposes, government institutions, and more. It also helps provide a more accurate description of the DPRK's socialist project as articulated by the state's founder and, for almost five decades, central leader.

"Academic and public libraries in the West should expand their collections with revolutionary education. Socialist Education in Korea delves into the history and educational praxis of North Korea in a way that is rarely studied in the US, as this work counters many of the western media narratives against North Korea. As librarians, it is our duty to build collections with a wide range of ideas, and the research in this book presents a challenge to our current institutionalized education systems. Only through the study of a socialist pedagogy, can we really see that the education of the working class is paramount to our collective liberation."

-Stephen Lane, Reference and Outreach Archivist, Indiana University-Purdue University of Indianapolis

"As decolonial and anti-racist educational projects gain global prominence, especially in the epicenters of imperialist power such as the U.S., it is high time critical educators reject the racist, Cold-War anti-communism so viciously aimed at North Korea, and open our minds to the rich pedagogical lessons taught by one of the DPRK's most important historical figures, Kim Il-Sung. Since the U.S.'s so-called Pivot to Asia in 2015, escalating military aggression, and increasing crisis and white supremacist backlash in the U.S., Riley Park and Cambria York's important collection of Kim Il-Sung's writings is a welcome contribution to the field."
-Donna-Marie Cole-Malott, Assistant Professor of Professional and Secondary Education, East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania

Genres: Theory, Politics, Education, Nonfiction

160 pages, Paperback

Published April 1, 2022

Reviews

[Dan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great short collection of Kim Il-Sung's writings on socialist education, bracketed with some really good essays providing historical context. While I'd love for a new selected works on broader subjects by Kim Il-Sung since the DPRK is so rarely talked about, it's very nice to have them on this important subject. Pairs well with the PSL's recent short book on Revolutionary Education.

[Leo46 · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is nothing less than a peculiar read in the best way possible--that of a socialist country unlike any other, utterly subordinated and determined to autarky (which is impressive in their own right of survival) all the while being pummeled by the fetishistic demonization of the Kim family in the most overtly idiotic western propaganda (just see "We Went To North Korea To Get A Haircut"). Their survival is profound, and their particular emphasis on education in their conception of Marxism-Leninism reflects their accomplishments in socialist construction under the treacherous conditions global capitalism has imposed on them, not allowing them access to the most advanced technology, food import, etc.
Derek Ford and Curry Mallot open with some great myth-busting. Then, "Eliminating Dogmatism" introduces the reader to the seminal ideas and essence of Juche that adds the pen to the hammer and sickle--concretely materializing the semi-Gramscian/Althusserian idea of all people being able to be theorists and intellectuals themselves, a clear anti-elitism all socialist society should strive for. Then, the three speeches introduce, explain, and discuss the implementation of Kim's seminal project of socialist education. The introduction reinforces the idea of anti-dogmatism and importantly anti-revisionism that shows that the DPRK is successfully carrying out the continuation of revolution under socialism (as opposed to Stalin's mistake Joma critiques the USSR for), fortification of the dictatorship of the proletariat, and the eliminating of distinction between heavy and light labor (all reminiscent of Mao's ideas). These are the real reasons the DPRK is so demonized; the things vanguardism is criticized for by liberals and western Marxists actually is still standing in the DPRK today and look at how the world treats them...
The thesis itself maps out an entirely different system of reality where education and study are integral parts of everyday life. Study and education aren't subordinated to the purely preparatory utilization it functions as in capitalist society; instead of education only preparing you to best alienate yourself, and gain success in the sense of most efficiently pouring your labor into the mystical totality of capital, education becomes a way of life that is omnipresent in society. It both reminds me of and is the opposite of Che Guevara's desire for society to be a huge school/university; instead of making society a school, the traits of school permeate society. The DPRK is able to do this by constantly putting education at the prime spot of importance; even in years of turmoil after and during war, they substantially increased the quantity of schools and secured 11-year compulsory, FREE education, continuing to implement part-time schools for workers, have students to do work-studies in work environments to materially apply their education, and make all these opportunities accessible and free. This all funnily enough solves the entire issue the western Marxists of Frankfurt School critical theory pose about western, enlightenment thinking's fetishization of logical necessity rather than real necessity (connecting fields of study to their application in reality): Kim simply would respond, "theory for theory's sake and knowledge for knowledge's sake that are detached from revolutionary practice are utterly useless in our society," and the DPRK actually keeps to their word (73).
Other than that, the speeches can at times be a bit repetitive and didactic at worst, which makes the thoughts evoked from reading it the more important than the content itself (as it made me rethink and look into a lot more), and also some language can seem almost to the worshipping of the party and worry of bureaucracy but that's no surprise to critiques of Leninist vanguardism. Additionally, the emphasis on compulsion for education may be weird translation or just too pushy, but it doesn't seem like the people of DPRK dislike it (although I wouldn't be entirely able to tell). I still have much more to learn about the current material conditions and circumstances of the DPRK and the Worker's Party of Korea, but this served as a great introduction. The afterword was also amazing in contextualizing Japanese colonization and the current state of oppressed Koreans in Japan.

[Breanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

really liked the intro made me rethink my understanding of korean history as a korean american

[Matt Lucente · Rating 4 out of 5]

Education is a decisive factor in the revolution and in determining the fate of the nation. Without education there can be neither social progress nor national prosperity, at any time or in any nation. The question of education acquires still greater importance in those newly independent countries which have won their freedom from imperialist, colonial rule.” (p. 65)

This text was pretty good, featuring a strong (if slightly repetitive) foreword and a collection of speeches and written texts (also slightly repetitive) by the DPRK’s founder and revolutionary hero, Kim Il-Sung. I really enjoyed reading some primary sources from Kim himself, as I have learned a lot about Kim Il-Sung in the past but haven’t (until now) actually read anything by him. He was a skilled speaker and was clearly committed to education and to building a people-centered, socialist economy, often reiterating that the WPK (Workers’ Party of Korea) should be made up of, responsible to, and serve the interests of the working masses of Korea. I’m not sure how good the translation is, but I did struggle to focus on some parts of these transcribed speeches; I’ve often found that I struggle with speeches transcribed into text though, so I don’t necessarily hold that as a fault of this book.

The crux of the text is the importance of education along socialist, Marxist-Leninist lines—including technical, ideological, and philosophical education, but also education in Korean history and culture. It positions education and socialist pedagogy as an ongoing, heuristic process, one which is accessible and integral to each and every person in the DPRK, which is inseparably integrated into the productive forces of society, and one with a clear, directed goal aimed at increasing living standards and broadening the productive capacities, intellectual capabilities, and creativity of the masses. DPRK society is infused at all levels with continuous education, education there is free and universal, is compulsory from the primary- to secondary-level, and in general the political, social, and organizational/productive activities of youths and adult workers alike are combined closely with schooling and continuing education. Kim says: “Socialist education must become an all-round, continuous process that educates all the members of society throughout their lives, from the cradle to the grave.” (p. 91)

This text can go a long way in actually teaching Western audiences about the DPRK (albeit limited solely to its educational system) and how the country has constructed its socialist society, with lots of concrete discussion about educational policy, actual teaching practices, etc. This is imo extremely important, as the foreword (correctly) states: “there’s almost a proportional relationship between the demonization of the DPRK and the level of ignorance one has about the state, the country, its government, its people and Party, and its history” (pp. 4-5). Most Westerners have no real conception of how society and political economy are constituted in the DPRK, what Juche ideology is, who Kim Il-Sung was, or what the historical realities surrounding the state’s founding actually were. Patriots, Traitors, and Empires by Stephen Gowans (which I just read) is an excellent resource for building this knowledge, but that’s not what this text (or review) is about.

An emphasis on education can be found in every successful socialist revolution that has ever occurred: as Che Guevara said, “The first duty of a revolutionary is to be educated”. One of the first missions of any socialist state-building project is increasing literacy rates, and we can see this clearly in Korea. The literacy rate in the DPRK is a reported 100% (it probably is slightly lower but certainly not by much), while the People’s Republic of China has a 97-98% adult literacy rate, and Cuba boasts one of the highest in the world at 99.75%; all these states having had absolutely dismal literacy rates pre-revolution. The Soviet Union similarly increased literacy from something like 24% in late imperial Russia, to nearly 100% by the 1930s. Meanwhile, the United States languishes at a laughable 79% adult literacy rate—owing to a for-profit capitalist educational system, designed to prepare students for nothing more than to become exploited workers, and a society which does not value the lives and development of actual human beings outside of a tiny, moneyed, corporate sliver of the population—this sliver, of course, having much better educational access and opportunities than the rest of the populace.

We see, in the DPRK and elsewhere, that literacy rates and educational outcomes in general absolutely skyrocket after successful socialist revolution, as do healthcare outcomes, lowered infant mortality rates, and pretty much any other measurable index of human development. Kim states:

“After the working class overthrows the capitalist system and establishes the socialist system, it is, of course, important to improve the material standard of living of the people through constructing a sound socialist economy. But it is no less important to increase the people’s ideological consciousness and raise their cultural and technical levels. We should steadily increase the ideological consciousness of the working people and raise their cultural and technical levels in order to make effective use of, and manage well, the existing material and technical foundations of our country and further consolidate and develop them.” (p. 55)

The DPRK, to this end, provides free, universal, compulsory 11-year education to every single one of its citizens, specifically with the aims of creating a well-rounded, educated populace which can contribute to the development of their country and the increase of living conditions for all. Imagine the strides that could be made if the DPRK was not subject to the most strangling trade embargo on Earth, if it did not have to divert such a large proportion of its resources to national defense owing to constant aggression from the largest military superpower in human history, and if the democratic self-determination of the entirety of the peninsula hadn’t been hijacked and robbed by that very same superpower, which maintains a puppet regime south of the 38th parallel to this day.

I really enjoyed learning about the various educational institutions in the DPRK, including educational centers embedded in workplaces so that workers can easily access education, free schooling given to youths and guerrilla fighters during the struggle for independence, and the emphases and ethos of teaching methodology and educational planning. I’m an educator, so I was very interested in these nitty-gritty details: luckily, Kim repeats himself clearly and often. The Theses on Socialist Education, which comprises the meat of this text, details “the pedagogical, philosophical, political, organizational, and overall educational ethos of the [educational] project and its connection to socialism and the peaceful reunification of the peninsula” (p. 64). Some key ideas include:

-the centrality of Juche ideology, or “self-reliance”, and creativity: This text, and pretty much any other good-faith text about the DPRK, has lots of information about what Juche is, and why it is so central to a well-rounded understanding of the DPRK. Kim says: “An important factor in establishing Juche in education is to find a creative solution to all the problems that arise by adopting an independent stand. Socialist education is creative work to develop the people who live and act in specific conditions. There can never be an educational theory or experience that can be applied uniformly to the specific circumstances and conditions in every country. We must solve all the problems of theory and practice that arise in education creatively by our own efforts in accordance with the situation in our country and in the interests of the Korean revolution” (pp. 71-72).

-emphasis on a heuristic—or “discovery-based”—teaching methodology: that is, teaching through trial and error, discussion and debate, question and answer sessions, etc. so as to give students an “extensive and profound understanding of what they are taught”. I love this; it perfectly maps onto scientific socialism and the necessity for concrete analysis of concrete conditions, and is genuinely just how human cognition works. Kim points out that this is a tried, tested, and efficient teaching method and I fully agree. It’s a far cry from the mechanical, standardized test-focused, decentralized and inefficient education system we have in the U.S., stemming from the differences in priority between the two systems: people-centered in the DPRK, versus profit-centered in the U.S.

-the necessity to combat “backward ideas”, fighting against the “ideological and cultural infiltration of imperialism” so as to successfully transition from socialism to communism: this was interesting and is undoubtedly incredibly important, as bourgeois superstructures and ways of thinking continue to persist post-revolution, a fact which has been acknowledged and theorized since Marx himself. Kim emphasizes that ideological and political education “should be neither coercive nor even crammed, but always conducted by explanation and persuasion, so that the students understand and sympathize with advanced ideas of their own accord” (p. 84). This ties in with the heuristic teaching method mentioned previously.

-a heavy emphasis on technology, engineering, and the natural sciences: I thought it was interesting that Kim specifically points to knowledge of “nature, society, and modern technology”, as Marxists have, since the 19th century, emphasized the connection between human beings and the natural world, and environmental sustainability is critical to socialist nation building. The DPRK’s education system also provides students with practical activities tied into their heuristic, discovery-based lessons, with an acknowledgement that knowledge for knowledge’s sake is “utterly useless”: education should serve the purpose of improving peoples’ lives, increasing productivity and serving the aims of revolutionary socialist nation-building.

-the interrelation between physical education, ideological education, and technical education: “The thinking, knowledge and physical strength of a man are closely related. Socialist education aimed at bringing up fully-developed communists who are independent and creative, should give both intellectual and physical training in an integrated manner, although priority should be given to ideological training.”.

-compulsory, FREE education for all: “Compulsory education can only become a reality when it is free. Compulsory education that is not free is never compulsory in practice. The fundamental distinction between the compulsory education in socialist society and the so-called ‘compulsory education’ in capitalist society lies in the fact that education costs are borne by the socialist state, which actually provides the people with the right and freedom to study. State-financed universal free education is possible only in socialist society where the means of production and educational facilities are owned by the state and the people and the interests of the state and the people in education coincide with each other. […] Now we offer universal 11-year compulsory education entirely free of charge and give free education to all the children and students who study at educational institutions of all levels from kindergartens to institutions of higher learning. Not only school education but also all forms of social education are free, and adult education for cadres and working people is also given at state expense. The proportion of our budget devoted to education is very high, and is increasing every year.” (pp. 97-98)

-collective, free, universal childcare and preschool education: I’ll just include a handful of quotes about this topic here, because they really speak for themselves.

“Our Party and the Government of the Republic have always devoted a great deal of effort to the work of bringing up children under public care. After liberation we set up nurseries and kindergartens in towns, at factories, enterprises and state farms and ran them at great cost to the state, and thus we established a system of bringing up and educating children under public care. Even in the difficult circumstances of the Fatherland Liberation War, bringing up children under public care was still continued, and such great measures as setting up large numbers of baby homes and orphanages and raising war orphans were adopted. After the foundations of an independent national economy had been laid and the socialist system established in the postwar years, the work of nursing and educating the children at state expense got under way in earnest. With the planned investment of state funds and through a movement that involved the whole of society, numerous modern nurseries and kindergartens were built throughout the town and country’ areas and their management was systematically improved.”

“Bringing up children collectively under public care is an important communist policy. Socialist and communist society is a society based on collectivism, and collective education is the basic form of training communists. Only by nursing and educating children collectively in social surroundings is it possible to bring them up to be people with truly communist qualities.”

“The state system of nursing and educating children should be consolidated and developed still further. The institutions for bringing up and educating children should be further modernized and managed properly, and the standard of nursing and educating children should be raised steadily on the basis of socialist pedagogy. In order to bring up and educate the children better and enable women to take part in public life, many weekly and monthly nurseries and kindergartens should be gradually established.” (pp. 101-102)

Overall, I liked this text, but I wouldn’t recommend it for everyone. It certainly benefits from a good grounding in theory and an understanding of DPRK history and juche ideology. It was pretty readable though: as is the case with many socialist leaders, the speeches were delivered with the explicit goal of being understood and widely read by the masses. The transcribed speeches preceding the Theses on Socialist Education were not quite as important as the theses themselves, but they did include some useful writing concerning juche, combatting dogmatism and over-reliance on foreign powers, and application of Marxism-Leninism to a specifically Korean context. I would definitely like to read a more generalized collection of Kim Il-Sung’s writings, as I’ve been very interested in the DPRK lately and want to broaden my understanding of such an inspiring, heroic figure in the history of world revolutions and anti-imperialist struggle.

[Joseph Bierlein · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book espouses the Theses on Socialist Education as spoken by the historical leader Kim Il-Sung. The forward and afterward explore a bit of historical and contemporary Korean history while attempting to dispel myths regarding the nation and its people.

Kim Il-Sung's speeches refute the notion that juche is detached from Marxism-Leninism. In fact, Il-Sung references Marxism-Leninism several times in the text. His speeches clarify the necessity of developing socialism in a country surrounded by great powers. Specifically, Il-Sung recognizes the need to apply the socialist process to the unique conditions of Korea, while highlighting the relevance of Korean culture, resources, climate, and such in socialist construction. Juche is as much a monolithic ideology as American Exceptionalism, Neoliberal Psychology, or disinterest in general.

The book is generally easy to read because Il-Sung delivered the speech to be transcribed for the Korean people.

I do highly recommend reading this text. Reading the position of the leader and the socialist movement in korea with the provided historical context serves as an excellent antidote to the constant propaganda served to western people.

[Abri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing summary of the Juche Idea's principles, especially the ones that aren't talked about the most. That's why I'd recommend reading Kim Il-Sung's quotation books or, at least, read some articles on it before reading this one.

Nonetheless, it's by far the best and most concise explanation of the DPRK's reality, and pretty beginner friendly because of its simplicity (in a good way). It portrays it in a more social/ecofriendly-ish way so young people like me have a better approach and understanding of it all. 10/10.

[Zoe · Rating 5 out of 5]

An important collection that serves to Demystify the ideology of the DPRK and also raises important pedagogical questions for activists in the west. Of particular note are the Theses on Socialist Education, and Derek Ford’s essay on Chongryon schools in Japan

[Maxwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

As Ford and Malott note in the foreword, Koreans endured incredible hardship and dehumanization under the imperial Japanese. Writing from occupied land on Turtle Island and actively studying ways to assist Indigenous people and nations here with proliferation and resurgence of their own revolutionary theories and goals, I found many of the ideas in this work useful. Though some of the writing is slightly dated and the minutiae of socialist teaching methods are less examined than I would like, these writings clearly establish the importance of: adherence to scientific principles, instilling revolutionary attitude and ideology, knowing your own history to understand your present and build your future, individual responsibility to the community and the community's responsibility to the individual, lifelong critical education, and the costs of universal education being outweighed by the benefits to the people and society.

[Silk · Rating 5 out of 5]

I cannot stress enough how important this read is to anyone claiming they are a socialist, let alone a communist, or even just mildly left-wing. Along the main content written by Eternal President Kim Il-sung, the foreword and afterword written by Derek R. Ford in collaboration with Curry Malott give a clear and necessary insight and historical context regarding the Japanese occupation from then, through annexion of Korea, and now, through the persecution of Koreans in Japan and their self-owned and self-funded schools.
Beware, though, as it is very depressing to read such brilliant takes on socialist education and, de facto, education in general when coming from a western country whose educational system has heen parasitized by capitalist revisionism, liberalism, and pro-colonial rhetorics.

[KT · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting and illuminating read underlining the importance of education in freeing the people from capitalist imperialism and in constructing the socialist state

I particularly enjoyed the thoughts on compulsory education that is not free is never compulsory and that the fundamental distinction between the compulsory education in socialist society and so-called "compulsory education" in capitalist society lies in the fact that education costs are borne by the socialist state that actually provides the people with the right and freedom to study

[Connor Leavitt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Accessible, immediate, and yet full of depth as "living theory." Derek Ford's bookending essays are indispensable as well.

With limited access to Korean material and language, the juche idea is difficult to explicate. Korea is judged as "no longer marxist" even by dedicated leninists due to misapprehension of juche. This work gives the concept full definition, in all of its brilliance.

As Assata Shakur says, "We're taught at such an early age to be against the communists, yet most of us don't have the faintest idea what communism is. Only a fool let's somebody tell them who the enemy is."

[Pope · Rating 5 out of 5]

Phenomenal read, gives a thorough insight into the basic framework for nationalized public education in the DPRK, and how it is rooted in a thoroughly dialectical and grassroots manner. Also includes some relevant, and oft not discussed information on the experiences of Koreans living abroad and how they adapt the concepts of mass education formulated in their homeland.

[Daisy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Riley Seungyoon Park and Cambria York did such a fantastic job of writing this book. It was a short read with a lot of cited sources and information. If you were curious about North Korea's education system, then I cannot recommend this book enough.

[Brannon O'Neal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cool book that gives a glance into the importance and value of education in Korea!

[Jared Palencia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good overview on attempted education goals in DPRK despite obvious economic and global obstacles

[Alexa Neslon · Rating 5 out of 5]

genuinely exactly what I would hope other then the sexism but that is to be expected.

[holly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Found the Introduction and Afterword particularly enlightening. Enjoyed reading the translated essays by Kim Il-Sung, but they got a little repetitive (understandably), so started to skim through them a bit towards the end. Has made me interested to learn more about the DPRK and the Korean War as it's not a topic I know lots about already.

[Daniel Ahmed Ortega · Rating 1 out of 5]

If it was possible, i would give it a 0. Not only filled with your typical stalinoid jargon and constant repeat of meaningless words, also practically out of no use for contemporary revolutionaries. A relic that should have stayed forgotten.

[Nick Girvin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hardly essential, but a nice look into Juche and the importance of socialist education in the DPRK, as the title would suggest. It's four collected works of Kim Il-sung, with a great intro for better understanding of the situation in the nation early on.