A “truly folk and revolutionary culture” has been created in the North Korea. The ruling party is waging an uncompromising struggle “against the cultural expansion of imperialism” and for the establishment of a “new, socialist way of life” in all spheres.
The entire education system is aimed at fostering devotion to the “great commander”, his political course and readiness to “protect the commander with his chest.”
Since 1975, universal compulsory 11-year education (including one-year pre-school) has been in effect in the North Korea. There are 10,000 general education schools, 450 technical schools, and more than 200 higher educational institutions in the country. In recent years, due to the acute economic crisis, public spending on education has declined. The most prestigious universities are the State University. Kim Il Sung and the Polytechnic University. Kim Chaka.
The Academy of Sciences was established in the country (1952), there are academies of agricultural, medical, pedagogical sciences, and a whole network of scientific institutions. Not far from Pyongyang, in the city of Pyongsong, there is an academic campus where research institutes of various profiles are concentrated. There are an atomic research center in Nyonbyon, institutes of nuclear energy and radiology, etc.
Literary, theatrical, musical activity in the country is carried out under the leadership of the ruling party through the Association of Literary and Art Workers and its creative unions.
According to topschoolsintheusa, the creative intelligentsia of the North Korea (writers, poets, musicians) went through various political campaigns, “hardened in the struggle against formalism and ideological fuzziness.” The largest ideological campaign in literature and art was the “movement for the establishment of a single ideology of the party”, i.e. Juche ideas.
Kim Jong Il pays great attention to the ideological leadership of the development of literature and art. His speeches contain party guidelines for the establishment of “class and nationality” in artistic creativity.
In the North Korea, the method of “collective creativity” is widely used, when a group of authors write novels and poems dedicated to Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il. Cult themes prevail in all literary work (the novel Immortal History, etc.).
In musical creativity, preference is given to “exemplary revolutionary operas” – “Sea of Blood”, “Flower Girl”, “Tell, Taiga”, “Song of Kymgangsan”, “Faithful Daughter of the Party”.
Cult, revolutionary themes also prevail in cinematography (“Star of Korea”, “Nation and Destiny”, etc.). More than 100 films are released in the country per year, incl. 50 artistic tapes.
Fine art is devoted mainly to the activities of North Korean leaders. Exhibitions held annually on the occasion of their birthdays are designed to reflect the “greatness” of the ideas and characters of the North Korea leaders, their “merits” to the people.
Pyongyang annually hosts the April Spring International Arts Festival and the Non-Aligned States Film Festival.
