About the Author
Fyodor Tertitskiy
Fyodor Tertitskiy is a lecturer at Seoul’s Korea University. He is the author of "Accidental Tyrant: The Life of Kim Il-sung" and several other books on North Korean history and military.
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Analysis Songbun and the five castes of North KoreaSource indicates that social classification system has more classes – and criteria – than previously thought
The most important element in the social structure of Kim Il Sung’s North Korea was the infamous songbun system. This system was established in the late 1950s and came into full power somewhere around 1967. It divides the population into groups, according to the actions and status of their paternal ancestor (and themselves, depending on their age) during the Japanese colonial period and the Korean War. Songbundetermined, among other things, whether one was allowed to live in the capital or in special cities like Kaesong and later Rason, the workplace one is allocated and what kind of education one © Korea Risk Group. All rights reserved. |