In North Korea, children aren’t necessarily born with a silver spoon in their mouths. Instead, they come into the world with a songbun, which is often translated as “ingredient” or “background.” In this context, songbun is the closest thing to destiny and determines the daily lives of the 26 million people living under the leadership of dictator Kim Jong Un.
However, unlike destiny, each citizen’s songbun is inexorable and lacks any element of mysticism. Organizations such as Human Rights Watch (HRW) and the Committee for Human Rights in North Korea (HRNK) have discussed the existence of songbun and the discrimination it perpetuates among North Koreans. Expatriates also reflect on it now from outside the country.
For instance, Yeonmi Park, a North Korean defector and author of In Order to Live: A North Korean Girl’s Journey to Freedom, says there’s nothing citizens can do to change their fate. Her statement leaves many pondering the question: What exactly is songbun?
Looking back. The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) was founded in the 1940s by Kim Il Sung, Kim Jong Un’s grandfather. To control the nation and organize society, authorities established a caste system that classified the entire population based on their merits and, primarily, their family history. This system was solidified between 1957 and 1960, coinciding with Kim Il Sung’s consolidation of power.
The term for this classification system, which is still in use, is songbun. HRW’s Phil Robertson defines it as “the socio-political classification that determines the status of North Korean citizens.” Some even compare it to India’s caste system, referring to “Brahmins and untouchables, North Korean style.” The concept is straightforward: Good songbun equals “opportunities,” while bad songbun translates to “hard times.”
What did your grandfather do for a living? The most intriguing aspect of this system is that every North Korean is assigned a songbun at birth that’s nearly impossible to change. This fate is influenced by the actions of their ancestors, their loyalty to the regime, and their historical roles.
What was your great-grandfather’s occupation during the early 20th century under Japanese rule? What positions did your grandparents or parents take during the Korean War? Are you descended from religious workers, wealthy merchants, and landowners, or were your ancestors farmers? Does your family have a legacy of unwavering support for the North Korean government, or do you have a distant uncle who was a dissident?
In the DPRK, none of these questions are trivial. Some analysts suggest that Kim Il Sung adapted and revived aspects of the traditional Confucian caste system that had existed in the same area for centuries. By the 1960s, it’s believed that this comprehensive system of social stratification was fully established.
Categories and subcategories. Understanding the songbun system is complex. North Korea denies the existence of this social classification system and claims that all its citizens enjoy equal opportunities. According to HRW, the Constitution states that the country’s inhabitants “enjoy equal rights in all spheres of state and public activity.” However, international organizations such as HRW, HRNK, Crossing Borders, and Amnesty International, along with expatriates and journalists from outlets like The Guardian, have reported the existence of songbun.
Their research and testimonies explain that songbun, which can also be translated as “origin” or “seed,” is tied to the term chulsin songbun, meaning “family origin.” Experts often identify three main social classes, though some categorize them further, recognizing up to 51 subcategories. The three main groups are the haeksim, considered the hardcore loyal to the regime; the choktae, labeled as “hostile;” and the dongyo, classified as the “intermediate” class.
What do these classifications actually mean? They represent connections between a person’s past, present, and future. Essentially, these categories are labels that link each North Korean to their ancestors and determine their future prospects.
The haeksim, often referred to as the “caste,” includes citizens loyal to the Kim regime. They’re typically those descended from former combatants who fought against the Japanese or those who stood on the “right” side in the Korean War. This group also includes party members and descendants of peasants or workers with a clean record.
In contrast, the choktae group descends from landowners, religious individuals, and those deemed to have been on the “wrong” side during 20th-century conflicts.
In between these two extremes is the dongyo group, which encompasses families with varied histories deemed more or less favorable by the authorities. According to the BBC, this intermediate status represents the largest segment, comprising approximately 40% of the population. Both the haeksim and choktae groups account for about 30% each.
There’s nothing you can do. Different sources describe the system differently. For instance, Fyodor Tertitskiy, a leading researcher at the Institute for Korean Studies at Kookmin University in South Korea, argues that there are five groups, including a “special” category. He states that songbun is evaluated based on two factors. The first one is the social status and behavior of paternal ancestors during the Japanese colonial period and the Korean War. The second is the societal position each individual occupies in North Korea.
Tertitskiy explains that there are ways to potentially improve one’s standing, such as by being photographed with the country’s leader. However, Park believes that altering one’s songbun is overly complicated, given that there’s nothing you can do to change your ancestors.
Educational and occupational opportunities. Whether a person belongs to the haeksim or choktae categories determines crucial aspects of their life. These include their place of residence, the universities and jobs they can aspire to, and their overall future prospects.
Members of the haeksim class enjoy the highest privileges, considering they’re loyal to the regime and have a “good” family background. The core class has access to the best universities, jobs, and healthcare. Additionally, they typically reside in the most developed areas, including the capital city, Pyongyang.
In contrast, the North Korean authorities view the choktae as “hostile,” so members of this cast live in remote villages with inferior services. As a result, their opportunities for education and employment are severely limited throughout their lives.
Choosing a spouse. Park explains that children from the hostile caste often attend school in the mornings, primarily for ideological indoctrination. In the afternoons, they’re expected to work in fields or mines. She adds that, due to the harsh conditions they face, these children generally have a shortened life expectancy and are under constant surveillance by government authorities.
Park emphasizes that songbun is so vital in North Korea that people consider it when choosing whom to marry. A family can pay a bribe to learn whether a prospective partner belongs to a particular social group. However, it’s virtually impossible to improve one’s songbun through bribery because doing so would require falsifying documents.
Bribery-proof. “Can you alter your songbun? When it comes to ancestry, the answer is almost always no. Records are kept in four locations: at the local administration office, ordinary police, secret police and at specific organisations, like the Worker’s Party, Women’s Union, or labour union,” Tertitskiy says.
From principle to practice. In 2016, HRW highlighted the case of Choi Seung Chol. He fled North Korea in 2014, partly due to the impact of songbun on his life. Born in the 1990s, Choi worked diligently in his studies and sought to prove his worth in the eyes of the government, even rising early to clean shrines dedicated to North Korean leaders. He even became a youth leader in the ruling party.
Despite his efforts, including the bribes paid by his family, Choi struggled to gain admission to prestigious universities that would secure him a desirable position. His repeated rejections were frustrating yet somewhat predictable. Years before, the North Korean state had accused Choi’s grandfather of supporting Japan during World War II, which had already led to his father being relocated to a remote mountain village in the 1960s.
Image | Roman Harak | Thomas Evans | Stephan
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