[Anchor]
Let's talk more about North Korea with reporter Kim Ayeong.
Reporter Kim, North Korea defines inter-Korean relations as two hostile states, and is it true that it is erasing the concept of "minjok" (one nation/ethnicity)?
[Reporter]
Yes, I think we should start with National Foundation Day, Gaecheonjeol.
October 3 is the day Dangun is said to have founded Gojoseon.
Not only South Korea, but North Korea also calls this day Gaecheonjeol and sometimes holds small commemorative events.
The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported that a Dangun ritual was held on October 3, stating that an agency called the "Historical Heritage Protection Bureau" delivered a commemorative report.
As recently as late July in another report, this agency was named the "National (Minjok) Heritage Protection Bureau."
They changed the signboard in the meantime.
They removed "minjok" and replaced it with "history."
North Korea defined inter-Korean relations as two hostile states in late 2023, and Kim Jong Un, General Secretary of the Workers' Party, later stated that he would also erase the concept of "minjok."
Follow-up measures appear to be continuing even now.
[Anchor]
Then is North Korea no longer using the term "minjok" at all?
[Reporter]
Expressions such as "minjok" (nation) and "dongjok" (compatriots) are disappearing from party bylaws and the constitution.
Does that mean they do not use the term "minjok" at all? That is not necessarily the case.
General Secretary Kim Jong Un visited Kim Il Sung University on September 30 to mark the 80th anniversary of its founding and delivered a speech, which included this expression.
[Kim Jong Un / General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea (September 30) : "Eighty years ago, this day was a historic occasion that brought forth the parent institution for fostering our own precious national cadres alongside the birth of a new democratic Korea."]
It can also be observed that the Rodong Sinmun has continued to use terms such as "Joseon minjok" (Korean nation) and "minjokseong" (national character) until recently.
In the past, North Korea frequently used expressions like "Uriminzokkiri" (By Our Nation Itself).
The word "minjok" was primarily used as an overarching concept encompassing both North and South Korea in the context of countering foreign forces.
These types of expressions have now disappeared.
Instead, it seems North Korea has not been able to eliminate the word "minjok" entirely.
North Korea is presumed to be at a stage of contemplating how to define and use this word, showing what appears to be a transitional phase.
However, the frequency of using the expression "minjok" itself tends to have decreased.
In contrast, moves to assign meaning to their existence as a "state" are becoming more frequent.
Video by Jeon Mingyu
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