Being while on my holiday in one of the post - socialist countries, Poland, I visited a regional park of leisure and recreation with many attractions.
During the conversation I had, everything here was praised and people talked about how the country cares about the living and recreation conditions of its employees. Unfortunately this is only partially true. The recreation park itself is truly wonderful and was even more so several years ago before private companies divided it into development and profit - making zones, while all those who praised the current Polish government forgot that ... this park, as well as the entire recreation complex, was built and remained after a distinguished political and communist activist of the locally district, a party, state, social and military activist. Brigadier General of the Armed Forces of the Polish People's Republic. Member of the Central Committee of the Polish United Workers' Party ( 1964 - 1981 ), chairman of the presidium of the Provincial National Council in Katowice ( 1964 - 1973 )
It was his decision, out of concern for the working people of this heavy industry district, to create a central centre for the region in areas devastated by the mining and metallurgical industry, on post - mining waste heaps, sinkholes, swamps and metallurgical slag dumps, as well as agricultural wastelands with an area of approximately 640 ha. A recreation and leisure centre with a zoo, an amusement park, greenery with gardens and a valley of artificial dinosaurs and a planetarium. It should be emphasized that the construction of this facility was carried out largely through social actions on the behalf of the working class itself. Cash donations were also collected from employees, and the decision - maker, mentioned General Jerzy Ziętek, worked in its construction himself. It was he who made the decision to build this facility, and he himself visited it often, supervising the construction and working side by side with the workers. And the fact, that a high party official of that time personally worked many hours on the construction of the park and its planted trees today shield fountains and flower beds with benches for visitors from the sunny spellsof summer days, reminded me of Dear Leader Kim Jong Il, when he travelled hundreds of kilometres of Korea of Juche, being among working people and wherever new investments were made, also for the recreation and leisure of the working class in DPRK.
Already from the first days of his leadership, the emotional and cultural life of the masses as an indispensable aspect of social life, and therefore the life that characterizes man as a social being in the Juche philosophy - was particularly emphasized. This was expressed in many of his studies and articles, such as 'On Making the Cultural and Emotional life Prevail Throughout the Society' where he stressed that 'The cultural and emotional life is a sphere of social life that makes people live a cheerful, beautiful and elevated life with great cultural attainments. It is a real life of an independent man who wants to lead a free and happy life as the master of the world and his own destiny, unshackled by any subjugation or restriction. Independence, creativity and consciousness are the essential qualities of man; thanks to these qualities, man leads an independent and creative life as the master of the world and of his own destiny. As a social being with independence, creativity and consciousness. Man does not feel contented with merely eating and having clothing and housing, but demands a beautiful, elevated and civilized life. What precisely satisfies this demand of the people is the cultural and emotional life.'
(‘On Making the Cultural and Emotional life Prevail Throughout the Society' Talk to Senior Officials) of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea January 5, 1989)
Great Leader Kim Jong Il, saw the need to properly organize rest and recreation for the working class and all citizens of the state who began to create prosperity and strength in the new socialist state: 'Working people should be encouraged to take their families to parks, recreation grounds and zoos on national and other holidays, sightseeing, picnicking and spending their leisure time cheerfully. Strolling about in parks or along promenades together with their families after leaving office is good. It is ideal to go fishing in rivers or lakes on holidays or after work. This is good both for enjoying a life of leisure and for adding charm to the scenery. Looking around Pyongyang today, I have found many people fishing in Pothong River. This adds beauty to the scenery of the river'
and also: 'Party and working people's organizations must regularly organize cultural and leisure activities within their units and make the broad masses of people take an active part in them, so that Party members and other working people devote their all to the prosperity of their motherland, cherishing deep in their minds the pride and self-confidence that they are living and carrying on the revolution under the most advantageous socialist system in the world, faithfully following the great leader.'
(‘On Making the Cultural and Emotional life Prevail Throughout the Society' Talk to Senior Officials of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea January 5, 1989)
A peculiarity that took place in the town where I live, was during the rampant increases in electricity prices when one of the centres announced, that they were closing their swimming pool for an indefinite period of time due to high maintenance costs of paying for electricity. The leisure company that operated the swimming pool, was unable to maintain maintenance costs due to the too expensive price of electricity and too low profits from the sale of admission tickets to the swimming pool.
Such situations and such troubles have no place in DPRK, where working people come first, not profits. State policy to ensure good recreation for the working class is an important part of general policy and industry programs of both central state bodies and local authorities.
By studying the wonderful history of the development of socialist construction in DPRK, one can trace how new problems and issues arise and how the main tasks of the development of a new socialist culture in connection with the legacy of the Japanese occupation are combined: the issue of democratization, the expansion and reform of the education system and the system of dissemination of culture, the issue of explaining and practically defining the attitude towards tradition and the mutual relations of new art and culture with the cultural heritage of exploiting societies, the issue of planned and comprehensive shaping of forms functioning in everyday life to correspond to the new tasks of building a single-hearted society.
The socialist state of Juche Korea, taking the first steps under persistently difficult conditions after the Japanese occupation and the early start of building the foundations of socialism and available by the American imperialists, which occurred with time and means to maintain the new cultural aspirations of society born of the revolution. It is precisely in these first issues, also in the fierce ideological struggle against sectarianism and revisionist opportunism, that the criteria and hierarchies of values that currently constitute the socialist policy of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea are defined.
The victory of the revolution and the long struggle against the Japanese invader by General Kim Il Sung in September 1948 and the establishment of a people's state, which is also a new chapter in the history of cultural development. On the one hand, the approach of writers and artists fighting for progress, action and humanistic values towards the state authorities changed, which now, for the first time in history, fully represented the nation and guarded its interests. On the other hand, a new mass audience is emerging and at the same time a co - creator of culture. The popular masses, aroused by the revolution and developed in the course of their own social activity, demanded not only bread, land, justice and peace. They also demanded new art and co - created a new culture. Already in the first period of the new government under the leadership of Kim Il Sung, revolutionary activists and former guerrillas of the Korean People's Army faced tasks that would henceforth set the direction of cultural activities for the future under the banner of the idea of Juche and its immortal values.
These were also practical tasks of democratization, expansion and reform of the education system and the culture dissemination system. Then there remains the issue of clarifying the practical definition of the attitude towards tradition and the issue of mutual relations between new trends in revolutionary art and old forms and contents constituting the cultural heritage of the eras of exploitation. The issue of using the latest technological achievements in the shaping and transmission of cultural goods for the needs of educating the masses and large numbers of peasants in rural areas, as well as aesthetic education and ideological struggle.
Finally, for the first time, the issue of planned and comprehensive shaping of forms functioning in everyday life, constituting architecture, industrial design and the immediate material environment of humans, was raised to such a large extent.
In 1948, after the establishment of the socialist government of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Kim Il Sung insisted that literature and art that were remnants of bourgeois and foreign Korean traditions, Japanese idolatrous epics and accounts of the oppressive excesses of the Japanese occupation forces, be eliminated and countered with literature and art that were actually revolutionary in essence and historically Korean, and therefore openly associated with the proletariat and other popular masses. Yes, and it happened. Socialist culture and art grew on the bases of revolutionary stories and tales, from revolutionary heroes grows from ordinary people. These postulates remained fully valid and were developed in the cultural and ideological activities of Kim Jong Il. Thanks to the development of the new socialist culture, new, broader forms of art also appeared, creating not only the heroism of revolutionary struggles and figures originating from the poor social classes who fought and gave their lives for liberation from the oppression of the Japanese occupiers, but also the socialist work ethos and competition in how best and disciplined work for the socialist Korean motherland.
In the process of building a socialist state in the first period of building the foundations of socialism in the DPRK ( 1948 - 1970 ), which was briefly interrupted by the Fatherland Liberation War in ( 1950 - 1953 ), apart from the technological and ideological revolution, the problem of the educational and cultural revolution appeared, which On the basis of structural socio-economic changes, it changed the scale and hierarchy of needs of the working masses, activated creative communities and enriched the scope of their cultural activity, and accelerated the formation of a new work ethic in the sense of liberated workers.
Thus, the Korean Revolution abolished bourgeois restrictions on the perception of the tradition and present of human intellectual and artistic culture. It raised the working class from the position of a layer that, according to the old revisionist reformists, would only prove powerful in the future, to the position of the current hegemon and defender of basic human values. What was a prophetic vision contained in the 'Communist Manifesto', although based on scientific premises, became a reality from the first days of the people's power of the new Korean state. The position of the new state, which became an inspiration for other Asian countries in the fight against social, national, racial and religious oppression, later developed by Kim Jong Il in the Songun policy, gave new meaning to the cultural values of socialist society on a global scale.
The theory and practice of Juche philosophy, causing a previously unknown scale of cultural changes, set a new perspective on art also for other nations and all eras. The perception of the heritage and present of culture has developed thanks to the Juche philosophy in depth and breadth, according to the principle of the practical and ideological application of culture and art in its universal, mass dissemination to the masses of the people to meet human needs.
Above all, however, the Korean Revolution in the field of culture and art marked a transition in the field of culture from purely theoretical activity or the bourgeois decline of imperialist culture, to an active and fully revolutionary culture. As Lenin once wrote, '...that culture should not be taken over passively, it should be taken over in the course of continuous, active creation. The more actively certain values are acquired, the more closely it is related to creative work, the more it is the more conscious it becomes, the more clearly it is felt.' This postulate of cultural activity and shifting attention to the issues of the transformative and educational function of art meets the aspirations and feelings of the masses shaped by the revolution and shaping its further paths in socialist construction.
This is what happened when the young people's Korean state was assigned also to such existing Leninist directions, creating the basis for the development of a new liberated socialist culture in certain non-existent conditions and a certain political situation of DPRK.
Also, with the establishment of the DPRK, a new period of consciously directed, planned activity in the cultural life of the Korean nation began, aimed at creating a new organization of cultural institutions, recreation, raising cultural aspirations and civic social activity, and shaping incentives for the development of artistic creation, referring in content to the problems of the socialist homeland, arising from the struggle against Japanese colonialism and imperialism as example brilliant Revolutionary Opera 'The Women of Namgang Village' and having educational effects in the spirit of and having educational effects in the spirit of socialism, anti-imperialism and internationalism. By creating a system of social organisms and ideological and political inspirations to ensure the implementation of these tasks, the people's government in DPRK advantage of the instructions of the Great Leader Kim Il Sung. During this period, the Worker's Party of Korea, under leadership of Great Leader Kim Il Sung, fought against dogmatism, the petty - bourgeois leftism of prolecult theorists and forms of right - wing opportunism, the principles that constitute the basis of the party's management of cultural affairs, implemented by Marxist - Leninist parties from the countries of the socialist camp this time, but with a new original and dependent on Korean specific conditions. These principles include, firstly, Lenin's definition of the inextricable connection between politics, economics and culture and the indication of the uniformity of management of development processes in these three spheres of social life by the communist party, as the vanguard of the working class. Second: Lenin's indications of the leading role of the educational revolution in the realization of democracy in culture and the cultural development of the entire society, which were developed in the cultural revolution of the Korean Revolution. Thirdly: Lenin's view of the relationship between the humanistic values of science and culture, which is a product of exploitative societies and national achievements in the sphere of culture, with the newly built socialist culture, i.e., the Leninist view of both the continuity of development and the necessity management of cultural affairs under central planned stated organisation.
Great tasks determine the cultural policy of DPRK. First, full democracy in the field of culture and a conscious effort to create conditions for making available all lasting, humanistic values of the current achievements of Korean national culture and the cultural achievements of all progressive humanity, rejecting the poison and morally corrupting Western trends. By ensuring that the great treasures of art and culture, previously available only to a handful of privileged people, become the true property of working people and serve to raise socialist consciousness to a new moral and ethical level, remodelling society along the lines of Kimilsungism - Kimjongilism. This task is, of course, related to raising the level of general education, increasing the standard of living of working people and the amount of free time, as well as the massification of cinema, radio, television, large circulation press and digital services.
The second basic task implemented by the social policy in the sphere of culture of the DPRK, is to create the best possible conditions for the development of artistic creativity, resulting from the ideological inspirations of socialism and Juche idea, from a patriotic, conscious connection with the issues of building a socialist homeland and with the struggle of working people around the world for justice, progress and peace with particular emphasis on the anti - imperialist struggle. If DPRK is there to the great achievements of revolutionary traditions in the fight against the Japanese oppressors, then the closest art is directly related to both these beautiful values in connection with modernity and today's anti-imperialist struggle. It is therefore a sphere of cultural management in which political and ideological inspiration plays a fundamental role, connecting artistic circles with live social and political issues, connecting these circles with the issues of life and work of the progressive masses of the nation.
Another great task of the socialist government of the DPRK in the field of culture is to stimulate the cultural activity of society. It is not only about awakening higher and richer cultural and artistic needs. It's also about cultural issues were part of mass social activity, so that the idea of people's government and single - hearted unity, implemented through the development of socialist democracy, was also present in matters of artistic culture. The basic area of this activity is the socio - cultural movement. The basis for the development of this movement is the massification of new features of communist morality of a working man, a man who is a 'world master' according to the Juche idea for transform the world, combined with the basic moments of structural and class changes in society in the Korean Revolution. Especially with the quantitative growth and social advancement of the working class, the change in the social attitudes of the working masses in the city and the countryside's, the cultural integration of the nation based on Juche idea, and finally with the change in the attitude of working people towards spiritual and artistic goods.
In Democratic People's Republic of Korea, it can be safely said that a new, socialist universal culture is being created, which, guided by the postulate of constantly raising the level of spiritual and artistic needs of the widest the remains of society are united by the postulate of cultural activity related to intellectual, political, social and productive activities. That is why the Worker's Party of Korea devotes so much space and attention to all forms of cultural activation of working people and forms of cultural development. This is about conscious, directed acceleration of movement, which manifests itself in the transition from a passive attitude to an active attitude towards the content of culture and to active participation in the cultural life of one's environment. In this way, Lenin's old ideas live and develop while solving ever new tasks of cultural life. Also in this field, in the great field of art and culture, it is proven that the unshakable ideological basis of the party's policy is the Juche idea and Songun policy.
Due to this epochal philosophy, Juche idea in the conditions of a developed socialist society at a high level of development as DPRK is today, introduced pro - workers and pro - social changes for the benefit of the working class, some of which are worth mentioning as example policy that for good rest after work and to take care of the health of the working class in the socialist DPRK system, a system was established of 8 hours shift, 8 hours of rest and 8 hours for education. In heavy industry sectors where people work in difficult and harmful conditions, sometimes dangerous to life and health, such as metallurgy or mining, working time has been shortened to 6 or 7 hours. This achievement of working people in the socialist system was known in the former bloc of socialist countries, led by the USSR before the collapse of Eastern bloc socialism. However, it did not remain the same everywhere and only the stronger trade union organizations of heavy industry in these countries managed to leave this provision in the policies of collective employee agreements in heavy industry plants that were privatized and bought by foreign capital. It is also worth emphasizing that in this system of society, time for education and self - education is not included in time off from work, as in capitalist countries. In capitalism, an employee's free time includes everything that the employee needs in his or her life outside of work, including regeneration of strength and rest. In the socialist work system of the DPRK, time allocated for education and self- education is separate time and proves high respect for intellectual needs and care for its development and education on the part of the socialist state.
In the system of the socialist state of DPRK and the planned ordering of all institutions, striving for good recreation of working people in one direction - the best possible satisfaction of these needs according to the principle of 'people in the centre of attention', it is the satisfaction and happiness of ordinary workers that is the goal of these activities, not capitalist profit, through lavish recreation centres only for selected rich people. The importance and concern of the DPRK state, for social and living conditions, along with ensuring proper rest for the working class, was reflected in the 'Socialist Constitution of DPRK' in the article 25 and 71 as follows: 'The Democratic People's Republic of Korea regards the steady improvement of the material and cultural standards of the people as the supreme principle of its activities. The increasing material wealth of society in our country, where taxes have been abolished, is used entirely to promote well - being of the working people [ ...].( 'Socialist Constitution of DPRK' Article. 25 )
And also: 'Citizens have the right to relaxation. this right is ensured by the established of working hours, and the provision of holidays, paid leave, accommodation at health resorts and holiday homes at State expense and by a growing network of cultural facilities'
‘Socialist Constitution of DPRK' Article. 71
Also, the current leader, beloved Marshal Kim Jong Un, follows in the footsteps of his predecessor Kim Jong Il, and is carefully attentive to matters of rest and recreation, leisure of the working class. He always participates in the commissioning of recreation facilities and their technical condition. it is the focus of his attention. As example, the report of the guidance of respected Marshal Kim Jong Un to the Mangyongdae Fun Fair on the 9th of May 2012, it was reported as follows:
'weeds grown in between pavement blocks in the compound of the funfair, he, with an irritated look, plucked them up one by one. He said in an excited tone that he has never thought that the funfair is under such a bad state and a proverb that the darkest place is under the candlestick fits the funfair. He scolded officials, saying why such things do not come in their sight and querying could the officials of the funfair work like this, had they had the attitude befitting master, affection for their work sites and conscience to serve the people. Plucking up weeds can be done easily with hands as it is different from updating facilities, he added. Saying that the amusement facilities have been put into operation with the paint scraped off, he noted that the officials and care-takers of the funfair have below-zero spirit of serving the people. This is not just
a business issue but an issue concerning ideological viewpoint, he said in a serious tone' In socialist Korea, where human needs come first, the issues of rest and recreation of working people occupy a very important place in the social policy pursued by the DPRK government. The list of wonderful recreation and leisure centres built for the working class of Korea of Juche is impressive, it is worth mentioning a few of them, 'Pyongyang Gold Lane' ( international bowling ), 'The Yonphung Scientists Holiday Camp' on Lake Yonphung called: 'golden cushion' ( cultural welfare and life ), 'The Munsu Water Park' ( comprehensive and multifunctional cultural resort ).
All recreational facilities for the working class in socialist Korea have free admission or a very low, even symbolic fee. In relation to the situation in capitalist countries, this is a very bitter comparison. The working class in the capitalist system is often too poor to use private leisure and recreation facilities such as swimming pools or rich SPA centres. Thus, recreation in centres such as swimming pools or amusement and recreation parks with restaurants, coffee - shops etc., remains unattainable for ordinary working people and is available only to rich social classes.
Workers Party of Korea, the party of the working class, takes into account the issues of workers' recreation in its activities and this was the case in many party documents and resolutions issued both in previous years when socialist Korea was achieving its wonderful shape of a state friendly to people and for people, and at the present time, when the WPK is headed by the beloved Marshal Kim Jong Un. for example, in party work issued from 2022 titled: 'The Worker's Party of Korea is a Party that makes selfless, devoted efforts for the people' 'Our people exercise their rights as masters in all spheres of state and social life, and the politics of respecting and loving tem, that of giving top and absolute priority to their demands and interests, is administered in the country ...' (‘The Cause of the Great Party of Comrades Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il is Ever - Victorious'. 'On the 70th Anniversary of the Founding of the Worker's Party of Korea' October 4, Juche 104 [ 2015] )
Absolute priority to the requirements and interests of the working class also includes ensuring the best possible recreation conditions for the working class has been always stressed in social policy in the DPRK. Such achievements as socialist Korea is not, and will never be achievable in a system of capitalist exploitation, where profit comes first and not human needs. Thus, the emotional and cultural life in capitalist countries as linked to good leisure and well - being of the working class, differs greatly from the high quality and morality of citizens' lives in socialist Korea than in countries of capitalist system, as Great Leader Kim Jong Il emphasized.
"In a capitalist society, the working masses cannot enjoy the cultural and emotional life in the true sense of the word. It is a reactionary society in which a handful of capitalists and other privileged classes violate the independence of the masses and oppress and exploit them. It is a rotten and degenerate society that is exclusively based on egotism and in which fraudulence and trickery immorality and depravity, and decadent culture are rampant set ruled by the law of jungle. The exploiting class, for their own rapacity, are perpetrating murder, extortion and all sorts of inhuman uncivilized actions without hesitation, enjoying pleasure in such behaviour. The working masses in a capitalist society are objects of exploitation and oppression. They are not provided with even the basic conditions for human life. In such a reactionary capitalist society, in which the independence of the masses is infringed upon and a small minority of the exploiting class lords it over the society. The cultural and emotional life is inconceivable for the working people." ( 'On Making the Cultural and Emotional life Prevail Throughout the Society' Talk to Senior Officials of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea January 5, 1989 )
So, as we see two political, social and economic systems, capitalism in its unconditional greed for profit even in the sphere of services for create emotional and cultural with leisure and recreation for ordinary working people who, often due to too high prices, cannot enjoy these important spheres of social life, as the provision recreation and leisure, culture and art is traded and sold for profit. And the socialist Korea of Juche, where the same topic is the subject of constant concern and active, planned action to ensure the best possible conditions for the culture, well - being and rest of working people from the central state budget, where ordinary people do not have to pay for it, because it is man and his needs that come first place, not profit as in capitalism.
A l a n B o l o n
Organization Secretary / Chairman of the West of England Branch,
(This article originally appeared "People's Korea Today " Issue 36 December 2023)
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