Hello and welcome back to Life's Biggest Questions, I'm Ron McKenzie-Lefurgey.
Well, here we are again.
North Korea.
The enigma.
Some of us know very little about the country, and some of us know far more than we would
have liked.
It's a country of strife and struggle, largely due to its shady political past (and terrible
political present).
But what would have happened if the communism that brought North Korea to ruin had never
been taken up?
Let's explore.
Make sure to throw us a thumbs up if you enjoy this video, and subscribe to Life's Biggest
Questions for more like this!
Now get ready, it's time to answer the question, what if North Korea Wasn't Communist?
Before we get into the changes that could occur without communism, we should probably
go over the political landscape and history in North Korea.
Due to the Soviet occupation of the northern part of Korea at the end of World War 2, communism
was quite popular in the area, and became the predominant ideology in the North when
it split from the South.
While for some years they used a more classical version of communism, they slowly began shifting,
using the term "Juche" (jew-cheh), meaning "self reliance".
This referred to a rather creative application of Marxism-Leninism, used unofficially from
the 50s to the 80s, before being officially instated in 1982 by Kim Jong Il.
Juche put a great deal of importance on the individual and the nation as distinct from
others, and contributed to North Korea's stubborn refusal to engage positively with other countries.
This idea of Juche was used to justify many of the policies and actions of the North Korean
government, and contributed greatly to the iron hold they currently have over the population.
The supposed goal was to gain independence, national economy, and self defense, in order
to establish socialism.
Unfortunately, this self-sufficiency led to the people of North Korea being neglected.
They were expected to overcome nature itself and somehow grow food where it wasn't possible.
This caused a dwindling of a number of resources, with many going hungry, particularly those
outside of the city's capital, who generally had first dibs on the food.
The North Korean brand of socialism was very different from other kinds, like that found
in Soviet Russia.
They maintained family lineage and nationalism, putting that above class struggle, allowing
for a social hierarchy that would not be cool under Stalin.
Stalin would not have approved with the nationalism of the country, and particularly the ironically
fascist elements of it.
This leads many to claim that while North Korea may seem Stalinist, in reality it's
much more similar to nationalist ideologies, or even a monarchy.
So now that we have an idea of the political situation in North Korea, we can discuss what
would change.
Well first of all, we could get into annoying technicalities and argue that it already is
far enough from classic communism that it isn't communist.
Many see North Korea as essentially a monarchy at this point.
But that's no fun.
So, let's look at what would happen if North Korea never took on the tenets of communism,
and never used Juche to their advantage?
Without communism, it's arguable that Kim Jong Il wouldn't have had enough power over
the people to begin his family's reign over the country, and couldn't instate Juche.
Juche was a significant factor that allowed Kim Il Sung to develop a cult of personality
around his family, similar to the rulers of the ancient world who were regarded by their
subjects as Gods.
It allowed power to be passed onto his son Kim Jong Il, and later Kim Jong Un, and permitted
the government to gain absolute control over the people, using propaganda and strict laws
to keep them ignorant and in line.
Without communism, and the Juche ideology that came from it, there's a chance that North
Korea would not be led by the brutal dictatorship we know.
If this was the case, things could look a lot better for the North Koreans.
Without Juche, no longer would the people be starving, relying on foreign aid to survive.
The supposedly communist government made enemies of its farmers in the 90s when it cut their
own food rations in favour of those in Pyongyang and the military.
Under, say, a capitalist democracy, it's possible that content farmers, along with trade with
other countries, would allow them to import food from other areas, up their economy, and
thrive, rather than simply surviving.
We need only look to South Korea for a decent look at how the North could have been had
they not split off and created their own communist nation.
Despite the fact that the South lived under various brutal regimes themselves for many
decades, their people are doing far better now than the North Korean people.
Life expectancy in the north is 69.5 years, compared to 81.37 years in the South.
The GDP per capita in the North Is $1800, compared to over $35,000 in the South.
People in South Korea are even 3-8 cm taller on average, due to the malnutrition of their
Northern brethren.
Clearly, if you're a North Korean, the grass really is greener on the other side.
It could also be that without the tension brought about by communism, and the later
domination of the Kims, North Korea would be more willing to reunify.
South Korea is in favour of peaceful reunification, and if the people of the North weren't captives
being kept in the dark by an evil dictator, they may share the same views.
The Korean war may have never even happened without the influence of Stalin and communism.
And now we return to our question: What if North Korea Wasn't Communist?
Well, one could make a very good argument that it ISN'T communist anymore, rather a
dictatorial monarchy with complete control of its citizens.
However, if it NEVER had Communism or the influence of Juche, it could be that the Kim
family would not have been able to develop the cult of personality, and may not have
instituted their dynasty.
This would lead to a much healthier relationship with other countries, happier and healthier
lives in its citizens, and could even open the gates to reunification with the South.
Thank you for watching Life's Biggest Questions, I hope this was interesting and informative,
and maybe even inspired you to look into it further on your own.
If you liked this video, please thumbs up and subscribe to the channel down below.
While you're down there, let me know what changes you think would happen if North Korea
was never communist.
Until next time, I'm Ron McKenzie-Lefurgey with Life's Biggest Questions, wishing you
the best of luck, on your quest for answers.
Foreign aid often needs to be sent in, simply because the rulers are too stubborn to change
their ways.
One important thing to note is that North Korea is not a classic communist country.
There are certain difference between the communism seen in North Korea and that of, say , Soviet