PYONGYANG — The Kim family regime has been in power in North Korea ever since Kim Il Sung, the country’s founder, took power in 1948. The Kim family created a personality cult for the North Korean people. People are bombarded with propaganda from a very young age.
This propaganda glorifies the Kim family and their regime. They have been taught that they can be masters of their own destiny if they value what is North Korean and ignore Western culture. North Koreans are not to bother their government with their problems, such as the extremities of poverty and malnutrition.
Since 1995, the level of poverty has increased, drastically. The economic decisions made by the North Korean government have put their citizens in a state of devastation and despair. An excess of military spending has drained their funds, and their people are suffering because of it. The politics of poverty in North Korea are unique, as North Korea is one of the few countries that has experienced post-industrialization famine.
North Koreans do not know the true state of their nation. After the death of Kim Il Sung in 1994, he was still revered by the North Korean people. Every North Korean is required to wear a pin with his image and keep a large portrait in their home. This portrait is expected to be spotless, to show respect for their “fearless” leader.
The North Korean people are taught that the Kim family is worth everything they have. The personality cult created by the dictatorship of North Korea is astounding, citizens refer to Kim Jong Un, Kim Il Sung’s grandson, as “The Great Leader”. North Koreans are not aware of what their government is doing to them because they are only ever exposed to propaganda showing how wonderful the Kim family is.
The images of poverty in North Korea that the rest of the world is exposed to are horrifying. In 2012, more than 25 percent of North Korean children (under 5) suffered from chronic malnutrition. This means that over 25 percent of children, under 5, failed to grow to their full potential, mentally and physically, because of a lack of nutrition.
The food distribution program in North Korea is so misaligned that 8 million people (out of 24 million) are poor and hungry. The politics of poverty in North Korea show that the Kim family sacrifices the well-being of their people so they can focus on other aspects of their success.More than 20 percent of their annual GDP is spent on their military.
North Korea is a unique nation, and the poverty seen there  is unlike any other country because it is poverty that is based on little distribution of funding, not lack of it. The politics of poverty in North Korea make it difficult for the standard of living to increase.
The North Korean government cares little for the well-being of its people and cares a lot for the strength of their military and that their people follow blindly.
The personality cult created is effective because the North Korean government is not being blamed for the amount of malnutrition and poverty, it is being revered and worshiped thanks to the excess amount of propaganda. The future for the North Korean people sometimes seems grim.
The good news is that North Korea is being thought of more than ever before. We now have access to information showing the true state of this impoverished country. The more people talk, know and think, the more likely it is that successful change will be made.
– Lucy Voegeli
Photo: Flickr