Saturday 19 October 2024

Answers from Dr Dermot Hudson to the 13th Joint Songun-Juche Study Session and Q and A


How can someone apply to study at KIM IL SUNG University? Is that how you gained your PhD?


Yes foreigners can study at KIM IL SUNG University, this started back in 1955.


The major course for foreign students is currently a Korean language course. But recently the Information Science Department of the Faculty of Information Science, Modern Physics Department of the Faculty of Physics and Modern Mathematics Department of the Faculty of Mathematics have been fully prepared to provide satisfactory education for foreign students.


Two members of KFA Spain ,Lorenzo and Yuri, studied at KIM IL SUNG University . 


KFA Members with a proven record of activity and who work very hard may be recommended to study at KIM IL SUNG University .



My PhD is not from KIM IL SUNG University but from the Korean Association of Social Scientists, although I had to defend my dissertation in front of Professors from KIM IL SUNG University and other DPRK universities.


It was suggested in a discussion with Professor Kim Chang Gyong in October 2015 that I write a thesis , originally it was planned to be an MA but was upgraded to a Doctorate . I submitted a paper and then in April 2016 I had to defend the dissertation in front of 15 professors.







What magazines and newspapers are most popular in the DPRK on a national and regional scale? What do they write about in the DPRK press? Are there any specialized scientific magazines and women's magazines about fashion and lifestyle?


In the DPRK newspapers and magazines are distributed to every household.



The main daily newspapers are “Rodong Sinmun “(roughly translated that is Daily Worker or Labour Daily , the daily organ of the central committee of the Workers Party of Korea , Minju Choson (Democratic Korea ) the organ of the government of the DPRK  and Joson Immingun (People’s Army ) which is the organ of the KPA . These are the main daily papers of the DPRK and the most read. Most people read Rodong Sinmun . At workplaces each morning the party secretary will read out articles from Rodong Sinmun.


Additionally there are the following daily newspapers  “Chongnyon Jonwi” (youth vanguard ) the daily paper of the Socialist Patriotic Youth League  and  Rodongjia Sinmun, which is the paper of the General Federation of Trade Unions of Korea , and the Pyongyang Sinmun which is an evening paper for the city of Pyongyang .


Some cities and regions of the DPRK, for example Kaesong, have their own daily or weekly newspapers . Also factories and universities have their own newspapers . I actually met someone who was the editor of a university newspaper .


As to periodicals there is “Kulloja “ , the theoretical magazine of the Workers Party of Korea. There is the magazine “Chollima “ and of course KOREA pictorial .



Organisations like the Socialist Patriotic Youth League and the Union of Agricultural Working People publish their own journals.


There are specialist journals for example  Kyowon Sinmun for teachers and educators as well as journals for metallurgy and social science.





Usually the DPRK media carries articles on socialist construction in the DPRK , on the implementation of party policy , on ideological and theoretical issues  but also on sports in the DPRK , health , etc  and international affairs.


As far as I know there are no women’s fashion’s magazines in the DPRK . Similarly there are no magazines on lifestyle but occasionally the press may carry articles on lifestyle issues like diet and exercise. However the Socialist Women’s Union of Korea publishes a magazine called “Korean Women “




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