The purpose of this study is to investigate how North Korea recognized and tried to confront the ‘Revolution and Construction’ it faced after the Korean War mainly through the Anti-corruption, Anti-waste Campaign, which was started after the Korea...
The purpose of this study is to investigate how North Korea recognized and tried to confront the ‘Revolution and Construction’ it faced after the Korean War mainly through the Anti-corruption, Anti-waste Campaign, which was started after the Korean Workers` Party Center Committee’s all member conference in April, 1955.
North Korea, after the war, faced two big problems economically and politically. Politically, the problem was how to advance the revolution in the situation where domestic and foreign affairs have suddenly been changed and the division of South and North Korea becomes fixed. Economically, how to progress the restoration of the constructions when everything previously accomplished had been wasted was the problem. After an intense controversy, the final answer North Korea chose was the Socialist Revolution. To the direction of new ‘Revolution and Construction,’ the Socialist Revolution was proposed.
At the time, North Korea was lacking in all resources when problems to solve were heaped up on the other side, and the only thing it could rely on was the people’s power. As a result, North Korea had to drive forward an extensive thought-remolding campaign to make people actively participate in new revolution and construction. In reality as well, the need for a thought-remolding campaign had mainly been brought into relief.
The thought-remolding campaign went on in the form of a literature study project that studies and discusses the three official papers, which was chosen in the ‘April All Member Conference’ from April 1 to 4, 1955. Each of the three papers were about strengthening of the class education on the members of the party, elimination of bureaucracy, and the Anti-corruption, Anti-waste Campaign. In the condition where all three papers were closely related, the literature study project progressed mainly through the Anti-corruption, Anti-waste Campaign. The Anti-corruption, Anti-waste Campaign, at the bottom, was a thought-remolding campaign throughout the whole party, country, and people. Besides, it emphasized on strengthening of the executives’ managing ability and on systems and regulations at the labor field.
The Anti-corruption, Anti-waste Campaign progressed more intensely after August, 1955 when Lee, Hyo-Soon was inaugurated as the minister of national inspection and when confession movement started earnestly. The confession movement was led through education from various media and inspections like disclosure and exposure. Through this process, the ones who confessed their fault were warmly treated, but the ones who tried to hide or reduce were punished strictly. Education and inspection, warm reception and punishment were important principles of the confession movement.
Even though the Anti-corruption, Anti-waste Campaign was the first popular movement that North Korea progressed after the war, it was different from the previous total mobilization campaign of thought for the state building or cholliama movement. When North Korea’s popular movement was generally an aspect-remodeling movement as well as competition campaign for production increase, the Anti-corruption, Anti-waste Campaign was not a movement with strong discussion on the elements of the competition campaign for production increase. It is because the movement was progressed through the transitional period from when North Korea clarified that it would propel Socialist Revolution through ‘April These’ in 1955 to August 1958 when the socialistic production relationship was completed. During the transitional period, or, postwar economy restoration and construction period, to solve the problems with higher priority, the Anti-corruption, Anti-waste Campaign focused more on the thought-remolding campaign. Therefore, in 1958 when North Korea reached to a new level of revolution and construction after the completion of socialistic production relationship, the Anti-corruption, Anti-waste Campaign’s place and role moved down to the cholliama movement.