The following article aims at comparing the theory of Pierre Bourdieu dedicated to the reproduction of elites within the framework of the North Korean leadership. The first part of the article is dedicated to theoretical aspects of the analysis of Pierre Bourdieur and several other sociologists. The second part is related to the case of the North Korean leadership.
Abstract This paper aims to explain the adaptation of North Korean elite defectors who fled from North Korea. Data used for the purpose of this article came from surveys of North Korean defectors conducted in the late 2000's. Findings of the realized research indicate that the majority of senior defectors are experiencing less psychological and material issues when adjusting to society than regular North Korean defectors. The paper will proceed in three steps: explaining the notion of defectors, outlining their background, and focusing on their adaptation in South. Although defectors as a whole has emerged as of the most research group as a minority in South Korea, the so-called senior defectors have hardly been spotlighted. Basically North Korean senior defectors are supposed to strengthen the anti-Kim movement and legitimize the power of the South Korean government and the image of South Korea abroad. What has to be enlightened upon is the fact that North Korean senior defectors partially disagree with the integration policy of South Korean authorities. A major research question emerges: How are the experience of elite defectors localized in South Korea? How do their specific identities impact their opinion within the South Korean society? The aim of the article is also to categorize senior defectors and to provide in a single document a list of senior North Korea defectors based abroad. This kind of information is only available for Korean speaking readers. I wanted to make it accessible to the Englishspeaking community.
Publikacja recenzowana / Peer-reviewed publication ; The main aim of this article is to analyze some aspects of the historical roots of the North Korean ideology and political system. This study argues that the North Korean ideology is to a certain extent rooted in the historical background of the Korean Peninsula but has also been purposely changed and manipulated in form to deal with at-the-time diffi culty and circumstance that the regime faced. Meanwhile what can be observed in the North Korean ideology is that there is no direct referring to the antecedents. These claims are illustrated in this article by various primary material of a propagandistic nature published in North Korea and by research articles.
Chondoism is a 20th-century Korean pantheistic religion, based on the 19th-century Tonghak movement. Originally, Chondoism was recognized as the national religion of Korea, unlike Buddhism and Christianity. Being a patriotic movement, Chondoism was able to develop itself in North Korea when North Korea was liberated from the Japanese occupation (1910–1945). Despite the nature of the North Korean regime, Chondoism is still present in the North Korean society. Like other religious groups in North Korea, the Chondoist religion today serves political aims in this country as the Chondoist Chongu Party belongs to the Democratic Front for the Reunification of Korea. On the other side, its influence cannot be neglected when understanding the society of North Korea.
This descriptive article focuses on the cultural relations between Poland and North Korea in 1948–2020. In 1948–1980, bilateral relations were very close due to belonging to the same ideological movement, but economic matters dominated. Subsequent cultural relations became the main area of cooperation. The article focuses on two issues: The spread of North Korean culture in Poland and the place of Polish culture in North Korea. The article presents historical and cultural facts concerning cultural cooperation between the two countries.
