Amid ongoing propaganda film study sessions praising the greatness of Kim Jong Un in South Hamgyong province, authorities are treating young people who dozed off during the sessions as serious political issues.
A Daily NK source in South Hamgyong province reported on Jan. 30 that workplaces in Hamhung and other regions have conducted propaganda film study sessions since early January, and authorities are subjecting some young people to ideological struggle sessions for dozing off.
In the past, when people dozed off or chatted with others during study sessions or lectures, lecturers would simply give warnings. However, authorities have recently been responding harshly by treating such behavior as serious political issues and putting offenders on the stage of ideological struggle sessions, the source explained.
Propaganda film study sessions refer to ideological education where participants watch documentary films about the revolutionary activities or accomplishments of the supreme leader while praising his leadership and greatness and pledging loyalty.
The documentary films shown in recent propaganda film study sessions focus on highlighting that Kim is working day and night to improve people’s lives, and that workers are building rural houses and constructing local industrial factories under his guidance.
North Korea requires everyone to participate in such sessions, which serve as powerful tools for regime propaganda and unity. However, people who feel fatigued by the repeatedly glorifying messages only participate in the sessions perfunctorily without concentrating.
Accordingly, authorities have ordered party committees to organize ideological struggle sessions featuring those who show insincere attitudes during study sessions for the purpose of raising vigilance.
Struggle sessions sweep workplaces
In fact, a party committee at a workplace in Hamhung strongly criticized one trade union member and two youth league members for dozing off during a propaganda film study session on Jan. 17, and has announced plans to hold an ideological struggle session featuring them on Jan. 31.
Other workplaces in South Hamgyong province are organizing ideological struggle sessions one after another for similar reasons, and party committees are even instructing members to prepare criticism in advance against those designated as targets of struggle.
This appears to be a follow-up measure after the provincial party committee emphasized the need to “root out the attitude of perfunctory participation where only bodies are present.” Authorities seem to intend to tighten ideological slackness and lax discipline that have become widespread.
“In the past, it was enough just to show up for study sessions, but these days they scrutinize whether you’re watching and listening carefully,” the source said. “If you zone out or doze off even for a moment, they immediately treat it as an ideological problem.”
However, people, especially young people, are showing cynicism behind the scenes while pretending to be tense on the surface.
The source said organizations hold weekly self-criticism sessions every Saturday and monthly sessions on the last week of each month, where members must offer mutual criticism. “The biggest concern every time is who should be the target of criticism,” the source said, adding that sarcastic reactions like “It’s convenient since they’ve designated criticism targets for us” came out among young people.
Meanwhile, some young people are expressing dissatisfaction with the government’s hardline response by joking that “we must drink coffee before entering study sessions.”
“The perception that you just need to show up and sit during study sessions or lectures has long been established,” the source said. “Authorities will find it difficult to elicit sincere participation by giving warnings through things like ideological struggle sessions.”
January 30, 2026 at 07:47AM
by DailyNK(North Korean Media)