North Korea held the Fourth Meeting of Workers’ Party Cell Secretaries in Pyongyang on Monday and Tuesday. The last such meeting took place five years and three months ago in October 2007. According to the North’s official Korean Central News Agency, the two-day meeting closed after adopting a statement vowing loyalty to the party. In his closing address, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said that the country should further bolster the party’s system and ideological basis and also make constant improvement and progress in revolution and construction. Kim also stressed the need to root out bureaucrats within the party. So, what is the “party cell”? Here’s Dr. Oh Gyeong-seop at the Sejong Institute to explain.

The party cell is the smallest or lowest-level organization in the Worker’s Party. The party’s basic organizations include the primary party committee, village party committee, sectional party committee, and the party cell. The party cell, in particular, is the most basic unit designed to muster people around the party. It is a battle group for directly mobilizing party members and laborers and observing the party’s policy lines. A party cell is organized in a unit with five to 30 members. One of its important jobs is to decide to punish members for their misconduct and even cancel their party membership in extreme cases.

The Workers’ Party’s Politburo said in a report that the nationwide party cell secretaries’ workshop in May 1991 would be called the “First Meeting of Workers’ Party Cell Secretaries. Similarly, the following ones in March 1994 and in October 2007 would be called the Second and Third Meeting, respectively. North Korea used to convene this particular meeting of party cell secretaries at historically critical times when the nation felt the need to unite the party from below. Dr. Oh explains that the 1994 meeting was aimed at solidifying the Workers’ Party led by former leader Kim Jong-il, while the 2007 meeting had the purpose of concentrating the party’s efforts for the sake of building a strong and prosperous country.

The 1994 meeting came at a time when North Korea faced mounting pressure from the outside world in the wake of the first North Korean nuclear crisis. Also, food shortages worsened with the economic crisis. Feeling the need of stabilizing society, Pyongyang held the party cell secretaries’ meeting. In 2007, the market was expanding and the government control over society was loosened considerably. With outside information rapidly flowing into the reclusive nation, the anti-government sentiment began to spread among the public. Also, more and more North Korean defectors were escaping from the country. Under the circumstances, North Korea convened the cell secretaries’ meeting in order to strengthen the control over society. On the whole, North Korea held the meeting of party cell secretaries when it was necessary to control society more tightly by reinforcing the roles of the Workers’ Party, to prevent party members from being swayed ideologically and to elicit citizens’ loyalty to their leader.

Notably, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un attended the recent meeting. The cell secretaries’ meetings have been held four times so far, but it was the first time that the nation’s top leader showed up at the meeting.

In previous meetings, former leaders Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il only delivered their letters to the meetings. In contrast, current leader Kim Jong-un attended the gathering himself. This is understood in the context of his consistent emphasis on the party’s roles and functions. He also stressed the importance of the roles of cell secretaries, the lowest-ranking officials of the party who directly contact with ordinary citizens. In doing so, Kim seems to be seeking internal unity and drawing out public allegiance to him. After all, Kim’s most important political purpose in 2013, the second year of his reign, is to stabilize his power.

It is assumed that the latest meeting was about more than just vowing loyalty to the leader, but normalizing the party structure and strengthening its functions. In regards to the normalization of the party structure, there have been two meetings of party representatives since Kim Jong-un came to power. During the meetings, structures of the central party and the provincial party were arranged. Now that the structure of basic organizations of the Workers’ Party has been shaped, the overall party structure has been completed in an orderly fashion.

In the process of preparing for the third-generation power succession, North Korea made consistent efforts to enhance the status of the Workers’ Party. In an opening address at the recent cell secretaries’ meeting, Kim Jong-un said the fourth meeting was convened in line with the wishes left by former leader Kim Jong-il. He said that the late leader had instructed him to hold a larger-scale cell secretaries’ meeting of 10-thousand people and to strengthen the roles of the secretaries. We have to note that the former leader had told his son to reinforce the functions of the party and increase the number of party members. During the era of Kim Jong-il who advocated military-first politics, the military had a great political influence. But the military armed with strong political power could pose a threat to new leader Kim Jong-un. Therefore, in the process of a power transfer and even after the power transition, North Korea has made persistent efforts to boost the status of the Workers’ Party.

North Korea watchers also say the recent party conference has to do with a potential change in the North Korean economy. North Korea began to stay away from military-first politics right before Kim Jong-il’s death and has since focused on constructing a strong and prosperous country centering on the party and the economy. In this year’s New Year’s message, the country stressed the need to improve economic management systems to meet realistic demands. This is interpreted as a sign that North Korea may implement the economic reform measures in earnest this year. The measures have been carried out in some local provinces before. To make the party-led reform measures take firm root, party cells must recognize the situation correctly and the measures should be implemented properly in citizen’s daily lives. Dr. Oh shares his opinion about how the North Korean leader will govern his country down the road.

As Kim Jong-un enters his second-year of rule, his most important goal is to stabilize his power. To this end, it’s crucial to monitor and control party members and citizens more strictly. Therefore, Kim is expected to make various efforts to induce the party and the public to obey him by keeping a tight grip on society. But the biggest threat is, as expected, the military. Like last year, Kim is likely to continue reducing the military’s political influence this year, while expanding the party’s roles and influence.

Kim is strengthening internal unity and expanding the power of the Workers’ Party in an apparent move to solidify his regime. It remains to be seen how the communist regime may evolve, amid the ongoing conflict with the international community over the nuclear issue.


[Interview] Defector Finds New Life as Home Decoration Specialist
With the help of an instructor deftly operating a sewing machine, a creation her student is working on is taking shape little by little. The student is attending a home fashion class at the Gwangmyeong Ha-an Lifelong Culture Center in Gyeonggi Province, which is run by former North Korean defector Park Ji-eun. Park is the founder of this culture center, but she also teaches students herself. Let’s hear from Ms. Park, a home fashion specialist.

I established this culture center in December 2011. I think Gwangmyeong is my second home. Many North Korean newcomers, including myself, live here. As a Gwangmyeong citizen, I decided to nurture my dream and vision here to contribute to the regional community. Currently, about 20 students take private lessons at my culture center.

Park’s hometown is Myeongcheon, North Hamgyeong Province in North Korea. She risked her life to escape from her home country in 1998, believing that where there is no freedom, there is no dream. The following seven years were tough for her. She was caught by the police while she was in Mongolia and China, and she even attempted suicide. Park finally managed to come to South Korea, but again she faced harsh realities. Her educational background and career in North Korea were not recognized here in the South, and she had to do anything she could, working at places like restaurants and gas stations. After marriage, her life stabilized somewhat, but she couldn’t stop her challenge. She was determined to learn more about her longtime interest of home fashion or home decoration, and she wanted develop her own skill.

For North Korean defectors, the most difficult part in resettlement is that they have little or no knowledge about South Korean society. And they don’t have money or a business – they have nothing. I wanted to have my own skill and achieve success with that. I came to a local culture center to get certificates. I also began to work as an instructor. I like to make things with my own hands. Whenever I visited houses or offices, I wondered how I would decorate the place. A home with good interior decoration pleases the eye and makes people feel happy as well. I can also create some art work. It’s good for children and for me. So, I thought about home fashion.

Park obtained certificates in seven areas, including home fashion, ribbon art, and wood art. As soon as she got an instructor’s license, she began to work as a home fashion instructor. Despite the prejudice against North Korean newcomers, Park worked hard for four years, and now produces 80 trained students each year. She is very popular with her students, who express their satisfaction with her easy and detailed explanations, saying her teaching is tailored to their needs.

I’ve attended other classes before, but I think she teaches students very well. She organizes various formulas, including the one needed for cutting cloth, precisely and systematically so students can better understand them. She readily answers questions. Her class is really helpful for me.

I’ve been working with her over a year. She is active in everything and always busy. She takes good care of her students. She is eager to do anything, whatever it is.

Park is a member of the Gwangmyeong Citizens Human Rights Committee. At a lifelong education center, she also learns how to use social network services for public relations and marketing of small shops. Despite her busy schedule, she is always looking for something new. And recently, she has begun to show interest in ‘sharing.’

To be honest with you, I don’t have a lot of things to share. But looking back, I’ve been able to come this far, thanks to people around me. Now that I can support myself, I think I have to contribute to creating a society where everyone is equal and shares something. I wanted to put the spirit of sharing into practice, so I have engaged in volunteer work at welfare centers and facilities for disabled people. I also try to join or lead volunteer groups in local communities.

Park is nurturing her hope in South Korea by taking up new challenges with her own principle. Many North Korean defectors find themselves at a loss when adjusting to an unfamiliar environment here, but they will hopefully take courage from her life.