North Korea

A Closed, Controlled Society

North Korean society is organized around small locales known as Inminban, which are controlled and run by local cadres. Life for North Koreans is centered upon their home location. People meet while working on communal farms or through work units. These networks also provide for traditional social functions such as marriage introductions. In times of scarcity, they are a conduit for the sharing of resources and ultimately survival.

One important network operating outside the state system are the backstreet markets. These provide opportunity for purchasing food supplementary to the meager state rations and for making additional money. These marketplaces provide a place for communities to assemble and exchange news and information.

Social networks are also created and supported through the payment of bribes and the transfer of money. This can assist in the introduction of contacts outside one's own locale or region. This is important for activities like smuggling and for those who are trying to leave North Korea. The commonality of educational background or regional origins cements such social networks and creates an environment of trust.

Other important networks in the DPRK include the military and the Korean Workers' Party—the ruling party of North Korea. Membership of these groupings provides status and opportunity within the nation's hierarchy. [Page 670]Many party and military elites are able to secure benefits such as a home in the capital city Pyongyang or the assignment of a prestigious job. Defense is organized on a regional basis. Soldiers located in any particular region are drafted from the local community. This is an important element of the social network that allows operations such as the black market to proceed undisturbed.

The late “eternal president” Kim Il Sung (Kim Jong Il's father) is portrayed as a warm, deity-like figure in many prominent murals to reinforce his “Juche Idea,” the official ideology stressing self-reliance. However, the country's survival depends on massive foreign aid.

Although North Korean society is relatively homogenous in terms of culture and ethnicity, there are small communities with their own individual networks. These include ethnic Koreans who migrated from Japan to North Korea. Chongryon is an organization based in Japan with ties to the North Korean government that facilitates the relationship between Japanese Koreans in Japan and their families in the DPRK. Other groupings include North Koreans with relatives in eastern Russian or China. Other networks include the party networks involving overseas diplomats and officials. North Korea also has a significant overseas Chinese community.

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