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Juche North Korea

Decent Essays

Introduction
In 1953, North Korea emerged as a Stalinist state after the Korean War. Kim Il-sung, first leader of North Korea, remodeled the nation according to a new ideology he developed called Juche. “Juche is a radical nationalistic ideology promoting autonomy”(LNK, 2015). This ideology is a core principle in the creation of the regime and has heavily influenced the decisions of the regime in today’s society. Currently, the North Korean regime is controlled Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un, grandson of Eternal President Kim Il-sung. The current policies of the regime reinforce the nations autonomy by isolating the nation from the rest of the world and implementing self-sustaining practices. These self-sustaining practices have been detrimental …show more content…

In the late 1990’s, North Korea experienced a severe economic collapse, which left the nation unable to feed its civilians (LNK, 2015). During this time, the food available was reallocated to the Core class, leaving the wavering and hostile classes with out food. Estimations report, “ One million, or 5% of the population died from malnutrition” (LNK, 2015). The regime affirms the belief in self-sustainability; however, the current population growth rate of the lower and middle class will not support the regime indefinitely. The growth rate of the regime is heavily influenced by the malnutrition and human rights abuses occurring within the regime. Thus, if the regime wishes to continue, it will need to consider implementing more humane practices and improving the quality of life for the middle and low class North Korean …show more content…

For decades, the North Korean government has prioritized military expenditures over the needs of civilians. Currently, the North Korean government primary focus is building a nuclear weapon program. Kim Jong-un’s 2017 new year's address, “focused on building a nuclear missile capable of reaching the United States” (Pasick, 2017). This has been the regime's goal since 2011; however, two nuclear tests conducted in 2016 revealed the progress and capabilities the program has reached. While the program may be advancing, the quality of life for North Korean civilians continues to regress.

The 2016 Freedom House Report ranked North Korea the fourth worst state for political rights and civil liberties. The current regime has continually suppressed the population’s civil liberties and has enforced them through, “public executions, arbitrary detention, and forced labor” (HRW, 2017). As a result of these human right atrocities, in 2016 the Obama Administration placed North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on a list of sanctioned individuals. The North Korean government responded to the sanction by, “ informing Washington that they had ‘crossed the red line’ and effectively declared war on the United States” (AP, 2016) While the tensions between the United States and North Korea are growing, there is little indication that United States or United Nations led sanctions will improve the treatment of North Korean

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