[Jangmadang Generation]⑤ Experts Say "They Will Bring Down Kim Jong-un's 'Theater'"

Analysis of the 'Jangmadang Generation' by Security, Unification, and Human Rights Experts
The Uncontrollable Generation, Kim Jong-un's 'Achilles' Heel'
Young Generation's Turmoil... Military Deployment Emerges as a 'New Variable'

Editor's NoteKim Jong-un, Chairman of the State Affairs Commission, is continuously building walls, turning North Korea into his own fortress. However, a more powerful crack has already begun from within. The younger generation, who grew up during the collapse of the rationing system, no longer believes that the 'Supreme Leader' will protect the people. These youths, who choose to live for 'themselves' rather than sacrifice for the party, crave freedom instead of loyalty. We explore the potential for change that could shake the Kim family's dictatorship, which has been entrenched for over 70 years, focusing on the Jangmadang generation.

Professor Park Won-gon, Department of North Korean Studies, Ewha Womans University; Senior Research Fellow Cho Han-beom, Korea Institute for National Unification; Lee Young-hwan, Representative of the Transitional Justice Working Group (TJWG)

Kim Jong-un, Chairman of the State Affairs Commission, created the so-called 'Three Great Evil Laws' to control the Jangmadang generation, whose regime compliance is low. Instead of openness and change, he has intensified the idolization of himself. Several experts have evaluated this choice as a blunder. They analyze that the Jangmadang generation will become 'Kim Jong-un's Achilles' heel.'

In recent years, North Korean authorities have enacted harsh laws to control the population. These include the 2020 Anti-Reactionary Thought and Culture Rejection Law, the 2021 Youth Education Guarantee Law, and the 2023 Pyongyang Standard Language Protection Law, collectively called the Three Great Evil Laws of the Kim Jong-un era. They represent cultural and ideological oppression unprecedented even in the Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il eras.

Park Won-gon: "The Evil Laws of the Kim Jong-un Era Indicate a Regime Crisis"

A reenactment of the Chinese government's forced repatriation of North Korean defectors at a rally held in Seoul in 2008. [Image source=AP Yonhap News]

Professor Park Won-gon of Ewha Womans University’s Department of North Korean Studies pointed out that the mere promulgation of these evil laws signals that Chairman Kim Jong-un has failed to control the Jangmadang generation. He explained, "In North Korea, where the leader's word is more powerful than the constitution, laws are often enacted without separate public announcements," adding, "Announcing a law reveals the problems the authorities are facing."

In a rule-of-law country, the constitution is the highest standard. However, in North Korea, the Workers' Party Charter stands above the constitution, and above that is the leader's directive. Thus, the enactment or amendment of laws is merely symbolic. For example, when a law is announced stating that distributing South Korean dramas will be punishable by death, residents realize, 'I'm not the only one watching South Korean dramas; everyone is doing it.'

Professor Park describes North Korea's governance method of controlling and blocking all external ideologies as a 'theater state.' It means forcing everyone into a theater and only allowing them to watch the videos shown inside. This illustrates how the regime blocks all external influences to inject a single ideology into the people.

He analyzed, "North Korea's strict information control stems from a fear of 'the formation of shared knowledge.'" He added, "With the emergence of the Jangmadang generation, 'Kim Jong-un's theater' is shaking. The young generation, who are challenging and have strong cultural desires, will pose a greater challenge to Kim Jong-un."

Cho Han-bum: "A Threatening Challenge, Simply Put, an Achilles' Heel"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Oppression and control of residents were also present during the Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il eras. Cho Han-bum, Senior Research Fellow at the Korea Institute for National Unification, predicted that despite the similarity in control, the consequences would be incomparable. He analyzed that the young generation, whose cultural needs remain unmet, will become a 'threatening challenger.'

Cho introduced the characteristics of the Jangmadang generation through the case of a young woman who defected last October. He said, "(This defector) used to dye her hair in North Korea and, after arriving in South Korea, asked about the last episode of the dramas she watched in North Korea," pointing out, "The same kind of 'control' as before will not work."

He continued, "Instead of cultural openness, the regime is making a blunder by strengthening socialist control over the Jangmadang generation, who prioritize their own interests over loyalty to ideology or the regime," and evaluated, "They are the generation that will become 'Kim Jong-un's Achilles' heel.'"

However, he warned that we should not expect the Jangmadang generation to bring about radical changes such as an immediate 'regime collapse' in the near future. The manifestation of potential should be observed from a mid- to long-term perspective.

Cho analyzed, "North Korean residents have never experienced 'civil society' in their closed society," adding, "Because they lack political experience, even if the regime collapses, democracy will not be established immediately." He continued, "South Korea still experiences political turmoil despite having a very successful democratization case," and "Germany's reunification was also the result of waiting and preparing for changes among East German residents from a long-term perspective."

Lee Young-hwan: "The Jangmadang Generation and Beyond... Ideological Control Impossible"

Recently, reports have frequently emerged that the dispatch of troops is intensifying unrest among the young generation in North Korea. Although soldiers were sent without informing their families about the deployment, rumors have gradually spread, increasing concerns about additional troop dispatches. While Kim Jong-un has shaken the international community with troop deployments, some analyses suggest that the low regime compliance of the Jangmadang generation may work against him.

Lee Young-hwan, head of the Transitional Justice Working Group (TJWG), focused on the Jangmadang generation and the generation that will follow. This refers to teenagers in their late teens who have just enlisted in the military, representing the upcoming youth generation.

Lee evaluated, "While the Jangmadang generation experienced capitalism and became economically separated from the authorities, today's teenagers have achieved a firm separation in ideological and cultural aspects as well." He added, "For example, in the past, because the military conditions were poor, weak soldiers took leave to 'go home, eat well, and recover,' but nowadays, young soldiers take leave to watch South Korean dramas all night at home."

Leaving aside the physical and fitness disadvantages of the Jangmadang generation, sending young soldiers, who are ideologically completely broken, to the battlefield means 'Kim Jong-un is shortening his own lifespan.'

Lee said, "Watching Kim Jong-un build walls along the border between South and North Korea recently, I think, 'There really is no way now,'" adding, "He is accelerating the collapse timetable with the worst possible choice."

Series Order

①People at the Center of Change: 'North Korean MZ Generation'
②'Fragile Regime' - This Could Lead to a Different North-South Ethnicity
③A Former Security Officer Who Dreamed of the 'National Army' After Defecting
④Beards and Torn Jeans, North Korean Girls in Turmoil
⑤Expert Recommendations: The Potential of the Jangmadang Generation