[Global NK Research] The Purpose and Direction of North Korean Gymnastics

[Editor's Note]

In North Korea, gymnastics has been utilized as a means to cultivate the political ideology of the socialist system. North Korea's artistic performances, often in the form of mass gymnastics involving youth, students, and workers, are staged for domestic governance and to rally public sentiment. The author emphasizes that North Korea's mass gymnastics performances will continue to publicize the Party's line and legitimacy domestically and internationally, and to strengthen the residents' collectivist spirit. The author also expresses a hope that the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics will provide a new opportunity for inter-Korean relations through the formation and participation of a unified inter-Korean team.

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North Korean gymnastics is divided into mass gymnastics under Article 15 of the North Korean Sports Law and popular gymnastics under Article 17.

Mass gymnastics under Article 15 of the North Korean Sports Law are physical activities aimed at emphasizing the collectivist spirit of the socialist system. Representative mass gymnastics include 'Arirang' (2002), 'Shining Fatherland' (2018), 'Land of the People' (2019), and 'Great Guidance' (2020), which combine athletic skill and artistry. Popular gymnastics (daily life gymnastics) activities under Article 17 of the North Korean Sports Law involve gymnastics for health promotion and injury prevention as a form of daily exercise for all age groups, from young children to the elderly (e.g., kindergarten rhythmic gymnastics, youth rhythmic gymnastics, mass rhythmic gymnastics, elderly rhythmic gymnastics). This category also includes 'inter-work gymnastics' performed during breaks in working hours, and sport-specific 'football rhythmic gymnastics,' 'basketball rhythmic gymnastics,' and 'wrestling rhythmic gymnastics.'

North Korea's emphasis on 'gymnastics' began during the Kim Il-sung era. On November 4, 1969, Kim Il-sung delivered a speech at the National Sports Conference, stating:

The continuous promotion of mass gymnastics also has the important objective of fostering the spirit of collectivism among young students... Mass gymnastics is a form of sport that combines high artistry and ideology, so as young students are ideologically tempered through mass gymnastics, their artistic cultivation also improves, enabling them to sing well and dance well... Inter-work gymnastics should be performed by those working in underground mines and pits, as well as those in underground factories. (Rodong Sinmun, November 4, 1969)

While the system of 'gymnastics' in North Korea was established and organized as a systematic physical activity during the Kim Il-sung era, 'gymnastics' during the Kim Jong-il era transformed into mass propaganda gymnastics that skillfully blended high ideology, artistry, and athletic technique. It was used as a means to promote the completion of the communist person, the Juche ideology, and the legitimacy of the Party's line and policies both domestically and internationally.

The development of mass gymnastics holds significant importance in nurturing youth and students into fully developed communist individuals... Mass gymnastics is an important means of strongly arming workers with the Juche ideology and demonstrating the legitimacy and vitality of our Party's line and policies. (Kim Jong-il, "On Further Developing Mass Gymnastics (April 11, 1987)," *Selected Works of Kim Jong-il Vol. 9* (Pyongyang: Workers' Party of Korea Publishing House, 1997))

Since the Kim Jong-il era, mass gymnastics evolved into large-scale mass gymnastics performances that included gymnastics stages, backdrops, and music. The 'Arirang' mass gymnastics performance first appeared in 2002 to commemorate the 90th birthday of Kim Il-sung, the 60th birthday of Kim Jong-il, and the 70th anniversary of the Korean People's Army. The 'Arirang' mass gymnastics performance was staged annually from 2002 to 2013, with the exception of 2006. Its main themes domestically included fostering camaraderie, promoting the concept of the 'Arirang nation,' emphasizing unity of mind, and explaining goals for building a strong nation through modernization and informatization. For the military, it emphasized the 'White Mountain Army' and the 'military-first' policy. For South Korea, it highlighted the connection of railways from Shinuiju to Busan and the three major principles for national reunification. Internationally, it conveyed messages emphasizing independence, peace, and friendship.

The mass gymnastics performances, involving approximately 100,000 artists, youth, students, and workers, were grand spectacles in themselves. However, the issue of human rights violations due to the strenuous efforts of young students has been a persistent problem.

During the Kim Jong-un era, mass gymnastics performances from the Kim Jong-il era were not held from September 2013 to 2017. In September 2018, the 'Shining Fatherland' mass gymnastics performance was resumed after a five-year hiatus to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the founding of the North Korean regime.

The mass gymnastics performance, resumed after five years, featured approximately 100,000 artists, youth, students, and workers, similar to the past 'Arirang' performances. However, with a new composition distinct from 'Arirang,' the 'Shining Fatherland' mass gymnastics performance was presented to promote Kim Jong-un's achievements and North Korea's new leap forward on the world stage, following the 2018 inter-Korean summits, North Korea-China summit, and North Korea-U.S. summit. Key features included emphasizing unity of mind and socialism under the Kim Jong-un regime domestically, highlighting the new era of self-reliant national defense for the military, promoting an era of peaceful prosperity and unification for South Korea, and showcasing North Korea's transformation through diversified foreign relations internationally.

Following the 'North Korea-U.S. Hanoi Summit' in February 2019, which ended without an agreement, North Korea's progress stalled, and international sanctions against North Korea persisted. In this context, North Korea staged mass gymnastics performances such as 'Land of the People' (June 3, 2019) and 'Invincible Socialism' (performed during Xi Jinping's visit, June 21, 2019) in 2019, and 'Great Guidance' (commemorating the 75th anniversary of the Party's founding, October 11, 2020) in 2020. These performances emphasized the political approach of prioritizing the masses over the military-first policy to strengthen domestic unity and the leadership of the supreme leader. For the military, the emphasis shifted to the Party's army rather than the military-first policy. For South Korea, 'Our Nation Together' was emphasized, and internationally, the message 'Let's live our own way' was stressed amidst international sanctions against North Korea.

The mass gymnastics performances during the Kim Jong-un era have continued amidst the strengthening of international sanctions against North Korea in 2018 and the global spread of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. In 2018, performances were held to showcase Kim Jong-un's 'achievements' and 'set goals for future leaps.' In 2019, performances focused on 'reorganizing the socialist system' and 'self-reliance.' In 2020, amidst triple hardships (international sanctions, flood damage, and COVID-19), performances were conducted for domestic governance and public sentiment through 'self-reliance' and 'our own way.'

It is anticipated that North Korea's mass gymnastics performances will continue to publicize the Party's line and legitimacy domestically and internationally, and to strengthen the residents' collectivist spirit. South Korean President Moon Jae-in stated to Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who visited the Blue House on September 15, 2021, that he 'hoped the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics would serve as an opportunity for improving inter-Korean relations.' Foreign Minister Wang Yi responded that 'China will strive to make the Beijing Winter Olympics an opportunity for improving inter-Korean relations.' We look forward to the formation and participation of a unified inter-Korean team at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, facilitated by China's mediation. We hope this effort in inter-Korean exchange and cooperation through sports will provide an opportunity to create a new turning point for inter-Korean relations. a

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■ Author: Heo Jeong-pil_ Research Fellow at the Center for North Korean Studies, Dongguk University. His main research areas are North Korean sports and politics. His recent research includes "Inter-Korean Sports Exchange and Cooperation and North Korea's Sports Politics: Focusing on the Main Characteristics of the Kim Il-sung, Kim Jong-il, and Kim Jong-un Eras (2018)."

■ Management and Editing: Min Ji-yoon Head of EAI External Cooperation Department

Tel: 02 2277 1683 (ext. 203) | jymin@eai.or.kr