Songbun: A North Korean’s Ultimate Value
What is your value to society?
In the west, we often answer that question by pointing to our skills, education and accomplishments. We think about what we can contribute to society. Or we might point out that each person has inherent value, beyond what they can contribute , and should be treated as such.
In North Korea, one’s value is determined by his loyalty to the party.
The system is called songbun, which literally means “ingredient.” In the eyes of the state, the “ingredients” that make up a North Korean are the actions of their family reaching back several generations. If one’s grandfather supported Kim Il Sung in his rise to power, she has good songbun and a chance at high-ranking jobs in the government. If one’s grandparents—or anyone else in his extended family—opposed the creation of the regime, his songbun is bad and he is destined to a life of hard labor as a miner or farmer.
Under this system, each person is methodically tracked and categorized. There are three classes—“core,” “wavering,” and “hostile”—but these divisions are further split into 51 smaller categories. (It should be noted that Kim Jong Un ordered a reorganization of the system to twelve categories in February 2020 but this information is difficult to confirm for those outside the country.) If the recategorization is true, it is certainly not for the benefit of the citizens but rather another way to ensure they remain loyal to the regime.
Hostile Songbun
Numerous factors can affect a person’s songbun. If one’s ancestors worked with the South Korean government or had high positions under Japanese rule, she is considered hostile—and it is almost impossible to improve on this designation. However, it is relatively easy to make it worse. Having relatives in South Korea or other countries is a major sin. And any perception of disloyalty to the party will damage a North Korean’s prospects (and those of their whole family).
Core Songbun
On the other hand, if one’s family has always been loyal to the party, their future can be bright. Those with ancestors who were close to Kim Il Sung and loyal to the revolution have “core songbun.” They are considered elite and given access to good universities, high-paying and important jobs and real healthcare.
Sadly, Crossing Borders has witnessed how this plays out in the lives of North Korean refugees in South Korea and China. Refugees from Pyongyang (often from the core songbun) often treat refugees from other regions in North Korea with disdain.
Wavering Songbun
Most North Koreans occupy the middle category. Those with “wavering songbun” are those without a family history of disloyalty but without any reason to be favored by the regime. While they aren’t targeted like those in the “hostile” group, they also don’t have access to the privileges of the elite. Frequently, there is no way for them to advance in society or in a career.
Songbun and the North Korean Famine
Nicholas Eberstadt, a political economist at the American Enterprise Institute, states that “North Korea weaponizes hunger as a way to control its population.” Eberstadt talks about how deep the influence of songbun runs in North Korea as it relates to even access to food. North Korea already controls farmers and the food distribution system. Food rationing is also tightly controlled by the regime and how much a person gets is determined by a family's perceived loyalty to the state. Given this system, "it's hardly surprising that there should be rampant malnutrition in North Korea," Eberstadt says. The impact of songbun was undoubtedly amplified during the famine of the late 90’s when rationing peaked in North Korea.
Songbun and Life
Songbun affects every aspect of North Korean life. Since citizens’ occupations are determined by the regime, songbun will determine what jobs one can hold (and whether they’ll be shipped to a remote province to do them). Loyalty to the party, not skill, training or aptitude determines career paths. Those with low songbun find it impossible to get into a good university, further damaging their prospects. And good medical treatment is only available for the elite.
Some North Koreans have managed to work around the system, improving their prospects and providing for themselves and their families. During the famines in the 1990s (caused by major government mismanagement), many turned to the black market. Private market activities were illegal—but in the face of widespread famine, controls were relaxed. In 2003, the government officially sanctioned some of these markets. Through their own work and creativity, many North Koreans have improved their lives beyond what should have been possible for their level of songbun.
However, work and creativity only go so far against a government-sanctioned destiny. Songbun still determines many aspects of life in North Korea, and in a country where even receiving medical care depends on government favor, the system is impossible to escape. Some North Koreans leave the country because their low songbun makes it utterly hopeless to improve their life. Those who remain suffer the effects of this all-consuming caste system their entire lives, and pass their own songbun down to succeeding generations.
