Ⅰ.
This dissertation aims to study the possibility of cultural integration between South and North Korea by analyzing the educational circumstances of North Korea. The major attention is paid to the intrinsic dimension of cultural unification by criticizing different cultural practices in South and North Korea. That is related to the main approach to unification that enables us to explore the fundamental ways of social and cultural unification as practical nation-unification, not as territory unification or state apparatus unification.
Concerning advanced studies of North Korea, it is general to deal with two ways: general approach and new approach. The former includes totalitarian, objective & comparative and unified approaches, and the latter is divided in critically immanent approach and unification-oriented approach.
Ⅱ.
Educational environments in life and in family, school and society have played an important role in finding and keeping the natural values of human beings beyond educational functions. In that point, the educational environment is defined as the integral interaction of inner and external stimulation that have educational influence on the intrinsic characteristic of individuals, including physical and psychological environments.
By education, to be necessary, only human of culture can creatively inherit and develop cultures. In that course, the boundary on which culture and education have had mutual influence is wide and universal, but even in details. Therefore, this dissertation would utilize nation-cultural approach and heterogenic culture-unified approach, not the approach of cultural conflict.
To examine any influence of ideals, goals and systems in education on school education, this dissertation has investigated the comparative aspects of homogeneity and heterogeneity between South and North Korea. However, the most crucial is to establish any clue of recovering educational homogeneity by looking for common characters in both that can make us overcome heterogeneity.
Ⅲ.
Concerning cultural policy of North Korea, there are three steps of Kim's dictatorship: construction, establishment, and Kim Jung Il's regime development. In particular, cultural heterogeneity between South and North Korea, almost rooted in different national systems, is a result of the different orientation of cultural change in modernity, and the different valuation and distortion of traditional culture in the division of Korea. Cultural homogeneity, opposed to cultural heterogeneity, in both is involved into the notion of national consciousness in which the same identities and heritages could be developed under a community of the same fate, relationship, ancestors, etc. This is the main consideration on cultural integration between South and North Korea to accomplish homogeneity in the gradual processes of groping for and activating interchange, and cultural integration.
As process models for cultural integration, there are models of functional/neo-functional/cultural change, absorption, convergence unification, and sequential model of integration. In this dissertation, the main model is procedure integration in which various subfunctions of culture in both can be gradually interacted to protect as well as recover cultural heterogeneity, and futhermore, to intensify its non-political dimension like culture, economy and society of reciprocity between South and North Korea.
Ⅳ.
Juche idea is Juche in the theoretical and narrow sense and is called Kim Ii Sung Juche in the wider sense. In the former, the idea is Juche that consists of philosophical principle, socio-historical principle, and the rule of conduct. Connected with those elements of the idea, in the latter Juche is regarded as the revolutionary idea of Kim Il Sung under the unique system of Juche, revolutionary theory, and leadership. In particular, the notion of the latter has been contributed to justify the monolithic system of North Korea.
In 1990s, however, Juche idea itself has been in trouble, unsatisfied with giving any solutions to overcome economical crisis. At the moment, Kim Jung Il, the son of Kim Il Sung as well as the successor of the dictactorship, suggested specific socialism of North Korea and principal nationalism of Chosen-nation in 1990. Through an idea of red-flag and a spirit of march of hardship, he has made his emphasis on the invincible spirit of revolution to persist socialism centred on his leadership. In 2009 revision of North Korean constitution, as a result, Juche idea and militaryfirst idea has been the main doctrine of lead. But the main problem is that any ideas or theories under Juche cannot assure the crucial foundation of the long-term development of unified Korea by cultural integration
Ⅴ.
According to the article 43 of constitution preamble (revised in April 9, 2010), 'a state is to teach and cultivate the next generation as concise revolutionaries who struggle for society and people and as new men of Juche with the integration of knowledge, virtue, and body, by realizing the principles of socialist education,' the educational idea of North Korea is obviously to upbring new men of communism. The system of educational administration in North Korea has been organized in the triple structure of the communist party, the cabinet, and schools. The party does order and control the overall considerations on education, the cabinet organizes concrete educational policies by following the direction of the part, and schools do education.
In ‘the thesis of socialist education' is described of curriculum and methods in education. The main target of education in schools is to teach political thought, scientific technique, and gymnastics. The education of political thought is to deal with the revolutionary history and activities of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jung Il; and that of scientific technique is to teach science in general and professional skills; finally, in gymnastics, to improve physical strength contributed into labour and national defense. To realize the educational goals, there are five educational methods of socialism: teaching theory and practice, the combination of education with productive labour, the combination of organization life with social education, pre-schooling, schooling, adult education.
This dissertation has considered the particular characteristics of North Korea in educational system, the background of political thought, and the change of compulsory education, which makes it possible to examine the contents of schooling and its unified function in society. However, a relation between educational system and cultural integration has to have the fundamental presumption of the political unification between South and North Korea. In the future of unified Korea, the desirable feature of education is to accept diversity as well as universality, to recover national homogeneity and to recognize heterogeneity, and to establish educational methods considering particularity of North Korean and their society.
Ⅵ.
In schools of North Korea, placement and atmosphere in the classrooms are very rigid and ideological. There are also two extracurricular activities. One is related to activities in student's association, music club, acting club, athletic club as the course of school event and job hunting. The other is connected with formal or informal political organizations. There are no features like extracurricular works of South Korea, but small group activities in young palace after school. The human nature of young students in North Korea has been formed by living in groups, which makes them feel the psychological sense of security and accomplishment in groups or of isolation and deprivation out of groups. Therefore, it is to say that their characteristics in human nature have such features as monistic absolutism, collectivism, authoritarianism, dependency, exclusivism, paternalism, and passiveness.
The first occasion was 'the 13th World Youth Student Festival(1989),' hosted in Pyongyang, that enabled young students in North Korea to change their values and attitudes based on collectivism. Shock in their views was the various and free features and clothes of participants from the world, and the youth of North Korea could reconsider themselves and their practices. The second was economic crisis in 1990s. Therefore, young generations in North Korea have had values of individuals, success, materialism, and mammonism against collectivism.
As results, there has increasingly been violent gangs and deviation influenced by the weakness of norms and the slackness of socialist lifestyle and public order. It is reported that representative cities of violent gangs are Pyongyang, Sinuiju, Hanmheung, Wonsan, Chungjin, and Suncheon or Gaecheon as new developed cities. Against this stream, the North Korean government has criticized any deviation as 'yellow phenomenon' input by imperialism.
Ⅶ.
In a relation between educational environment and cultural integration, difference of school systems in South and North Korea is more remarkable than common points. At that point, it seems that there will be in difficulty to be unified in the dimension of culture. Therefore, more attention to the aspect of the youth culture and traditional culture is to be paid.
By the festival in 1989, first of all, the consciousness and value of the youth have been changed into be interested in free dates and love marriages, which means that individual personality and hobby is more important than the will of family or group. The other feature from cultural yellow phenomenon of liberalism is that they are in favour of eating-out, smoke and drink, leisure, movie stars, and accessories like bracelets and rings. Second, the most important is language and custom for cultural integration and major elements are also arts as the expression of consciousness and religion as the perception of cultural homogeneity.
Therefore, the fundamental tasks are to recognize, inherit, develop and spread traditional culture, to strengthen and keep the feeling of solidarity by sharing it, and to promote cultural interchanges by education.
Ⅷ.
The key notions of this dissertation are educational environment and cultural unification. As general environment in family, school, society, and educational system, contents, process and administration, educational environment is to have positive or negative influence on cultural unification.
To realize cultural unification, as an ideal, the change of cultural structures in South and North Korea is the most important, but this dissertation would accept the view that South Korea leads to be changed in the positive view. That is to say, South Korea has to take the lead in the improvement of cultural structure, because it is little expected that North Korea has any action to change it. Therefore, this dissertation has suggested such tasks as 'the improvement of cultural structure,' 'the extension of cultural share,' and 'the solution of cultural conflict' in the view of cultural unification between South and North Korea; as 'democratic citizenship education,' 're-socialization policy,' 'the extension of cultural interchange,' and 'the support of the cultural movement of unification' in the view of practical policies.