Published January 6th, 2007 by Future Atlas
The cult of North Korea
The CSM reviews some of the ways North Korea is as much a fundamentalist theocracy as a communist dictatorship.
Spending on deification of the Kim family is increasing, to counter the scenario that “Koreans will discover the freedoms, glitter, and diversity of the modern outside world, and stop believing the story of idolatry they are awash in.”
Says North Korean expert Brian Myers in the article, “It isn’t quite realized [in the West] how much a threat the penetration of ideas means. They [Kim's regime] see it as a social problem that could bring down the state.”
That danger may be increasing, as North Koreans are being exposed to a growing flow of “CDs and videos, South Korean radio, and cellphone signals from China, new styles and products, and new commercial habits.”
That would seem to hasten the day when North Koreans realize that they are not in fact being ruled by the “Guardian Deity of the Planet”and seek a change. In the wake of such a change, not only massive aid but some kind of cult deprogramming may be required.