Ideologically induced biases against and in favor of particular age groups have been a stable part of North Korean culture since the country’s very beginning.
North Korean ageism has vacillated between two opposites: the disparaging of older people as alleged bearers of outdated mentalities while holding up the progressive youth, and the devaluation of the young for lacking the mountains of wisdom and loyalty of the elderly.
These changes have correlated with the overall goals of North Korean propaganda, such as legitimizing the country’s leaders.
AGE IN THE CHOLLIMA ERA[/p
Ideologically induced biases against and in favor of particular age groups have been a stable part of North Korean culture since the country's very beginning.
North Korean ageism has vacillated between two opposites: the disparaging of older people as alleged bearers of outdated mentalities while holding up the progressive youth, and the devaluation of the young for lacking the mountains of wisdom and loyalty of the elderly.
Tatiana Gabroussenko obtained her PhD in East Asian Studies at the Australian National University. She is currently a professor of North Korean studies at Korea University, Seoul. Her latest book, "Soldiers on the Cultural Front: Developments in the Early History of North Korean Literature and Literary Policy," was included in the Choice magazine list of Outstanding Academic Titles of 2012.