The same as religions indoctrinates peoples from early age, North Korea's regime programs it's citizens into a constant mindset of war.

As North Korea was always known for it's communist system and peoples starving, having no proper medical care, now the new leader Kim Jong-un, the son of the former leader Kim Il-sung is threatening the world with a nuclear bomb attack. Propaganda suggests that the US and the West is part of a conspiracy against the communist country.

Day we day we can observe increasing threats, and although the US already knows about the war rhetoric, the difference is, that it came from Kim Il-sung. Kim Jong-un is young, around 30, as it is not clear if he was born 1983 or 1984, and when it became clear that he would follow the footsteps of his father it was adjusted to 8 January 1982. This was maybe done, because the year 2012 was declared the year, where North Korea will become a great and rich nation.
 

The citizens of North Korea, known as one of the most isolated nations in the world, have hardly a chance to observe what is going on in the rest of the world. Due to explanations from peoples who have fled the country, North Korea is in a state of permanent war. Daily life is embraced with fight and war context.
 

Oh Ji Heon, a man who ran from North Korea in 2010 stated: “We are always at war, throughout the year.” He further said: “During spring we had the war of rice sowing. During fall we had the harvest war. Every season we had another enemy we had to defeat.” More statements can be read on the dissidents web site “New Focus International”
 

"Jobs are battlefields, and work strengthens the country for the final victory of the Association”, a statement said by the expert for North Korean propaganda B.R. Myers from the Department of International Politics at the University Dongseo in South Korea. As the vision of a coherent and credible in itself socialist future no longer entangled in the majority of North Koreans who work force will completely occupied ideologically; for the benefit of the military, Mr. Myers told the "New York Times".

Kim Ji-young, who left North Korea in 2011, told the “New Focus International”: “In the season of the ‘compost war’, relations between neighbors turn very sour. Everyone eyes other people’s compost. Families have to stand guard over their excrement at night in case someone comes in to steal it.”

This picture, showing four visual propaganda's is from the web site “New Focus International”

Posters support the permanent state of war. In the picture the first poster shows: “Let’s fight the rice planting war!” The second poster promotes: “Let’s fight the energetic war of winter-time fishing!” The third poster states: “Everyone, let’s fight a war for 150 days! (in mining, farming, construction etc.) The final poster says: “Everyone, let’s fight a war for 100 days, for a strong and prosperous nation!”
 

The majority of the North Korean population therefor trusts, and one can this time even use the word believe in version of their government. The government spreads the myth of North Korea being a chosen racially pure population, that is surrounded by enemies that are lead by the United States of America. Poverty and hunger in the country are explained in a twisted way, telling that this results from the politic of sanctions from the USA, wanting to weaken North Korea.

But some North Koreans have upgraded their house holds. They have a second TV or radio, enabling them to receive South Korean channels. This at least gives some of the countries population a real insight about what is going on outside North Korea. This is a big risk though, as police can always enter peoples homes for inspection. Knowing this, the main TV or radio is always tuned to the North Korean propaganda channels. This situation reminds of how it was in the former GDR. East Germany's citizens were also under permanent observation. Some households had microphones installed and neighbors were hired to spy on their community. Also some areas in the former GDR were able o receive West German TV channels.

The yearly birthday celebrations, honoring the founder of the state Kim Il Sung, are done with huge show and pride, also showing a parallel line with the yearly celebrations in former GDR, where the military with all its weapons like rockets floated through the capital city of East Berlin.

And this is basically how these regimes work. They try to withhold neutral information's from the world, making its citizens paranoid and filled with hate against the outside world. In this way, Pyongyang hold upright a worldview that let themselves be exploited in many ways.

By Thomas Fleckner