| 선전선동부 | |
 Emblem of the Workers' Party of Korea | |
 | |
| Agency overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | 1945; 80 years ago (1945) |
| Jurisdiction | Propaganda in North Korea |
| Headquarters | Pyongyang, North Korea |
| Agency executives |
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| Parent agency | Central Committee |
ThePropaganda and Agitation Department (PAD,Korean:조선로동당 선전선동부[1]),[a] officially translated as thePublicity and Information Department,[3] is a department of theCentral Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) tasked with coordinating the creation and dissemination ofpropaganda in North Korea. It is the highest propaganda organization in the country.
The history of the department can be traced back to theSoviet Civil Administration following thedivision of Korea in 1945. Agitation operations by the department reached their height in the years after theKorean War.
Although nominally under theCentral Committee of the WPK, the department reports directly to Supreme LeaderKim Jong Un. The department is currently under the effective guidance of its deputy department directorKim Yo-jong, sister of Kim Jong Un, while its nominal head isRi Il-hwan. The department has various bureaus and offices under its control.
The department sets guidelines for all propaganda materials produced and allNorth Korean media is overseen by it. However, in order to maintain its clandestine nature, actions relating to repression of the media are nominally attributed to theMinistry of Culture [ko]. When newspapers are published in North Korea, they go through three rounds of censorship. The first is handled by the editors of the paper. The second and third levels are taken care of by the department.
The department also translates foreign works, which are censored from the public, for the use of the country's political elite.[4]
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The Propaganda and Agitation Department (PAD) is under the supervision of the Secretariat of theCentral Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK).[5] It is the highest propaganda organization in the country. The PAD formulates propaganda policy, controls cultural life, and produces propaganda materials.[6] It disseminatesJuche,Songun, "Strong and Prosperous Nation",[7] andsocialist ideologues andindoctrinates both party members and ordinary citizens with them.[6][8][9] The PAD uses both formal and informal settings to achieve these goals.[10] Because the WPK has a rich history in propaganda, the PAD is quite influential within the party structure.[6] Along with theOrganization and Guidance Department, with which it cooperates,[9] it is one of the most important departments of the WPK.[6] Although nominally under the Central Committee of the WPK, the PAD reports directly toSupreme LeaderKim Jong Un.[3] The PAD's headquarters are in the center ofPyongyang.[3] The PAD is roughly analogous to thePublicity Department of the Chinese Communist Party.[7]
All propaganda materials are produced in accordance with guidelines set by the PAD,[11] and all media is overseen by it.[12] Limits set for content by the PAD are strict.[13] The PAD controls the press in North Korea, but in order to maintain its behind-the-scenes nature, actions relating to repression of the media are often publicly attributed to theMinistry of Culture [ko] instead.[14] When newspapers are published in North Korea, they go through three rounds of censorship. The first is handled by the editors of the paper. The second and third levels are taken care of by the PAD. Its General Bureau of Publication Guidance reviews both newspapers and other types of publications and broadcasts. The PAD's Newspaper Administration is the final level of press censorship.[15] Likewise, radio and television broadcasts and theKorean Central News Agency are also under supervision of the PAD through theKorean Central Broadcasting Committee, to which it appoints personnel; only theVoice of National Salvation [ko] is controlled by theUnited Front Department of the party instead.[16] The PAD cooperates with theState Security Department andMinistry of Social Security to curtailinternational broadcasting into North Korea.[7] TheGeneral Propaganda and Agitation Department of theMinistry of Defense maintains a separate structure, but the PAD cooperates with it. Other partners include theParty History Institute and theKorean Documentary Films Studio.[5]
The PAD has numerous bureaus and offices under it.[7] For instance, theApril 15 Literary Production company is directly under the PAD and the company often supplies the department with executives.[17][5] TheWorkers' Party of Korea Publishing House,Foreign Languages Publishing House,Workers' Publishing House, andKumsong Youth Publishing House [ko] are also under its control.[5] The PAD also translates otherwise forbidden foreign works for the use of the country's political elite.[4] TheKorea Film Studios and the25 April Film Studio are under the Ministry of Culture, but the PAD controls them and their staff.[5]
The history of the PAD can be traced back to theSoviet Civil Administration following thedivision of Korea in 1945. Agitation operations by the PAD reached their height in the years after theKorean War. They includedspeed campaigns such as theChollima Movement andPyongyang Speed [ko], labor methodologies like theChongsan-ri Method [ja] and theTaean Work System, and theThree Revolutions Movement [ko].[7]
Kim To-man was the chief of the PAD until his involvement with theKapsan faction incident that sought to oustKim Il Sung in 1967.[18] Kim To-man had commissionedAct of Sincerity – described variously as either a film or a stage play[19] – about the life ofPak Kum-chol without the approval of Kim Il Sung. In North Korean society, this was an inexcusable offense, and Kim To-man was forced to go.[20]Kim Jong Il probably helped in purging him.[21] After this and related purges the PAD shaped the societal landscape of North Korea to allow Kim Il Sung to cement his rule and become the supreme leader of North Korea.[7]
Kim Jong Il had entered service of the PAD in February 1966.[22] He was appointed the head of the PAD's Guidance Section of Culture and Art and Publication and Press section in September 1967 after a meeting in which Kim Il Sung criticized those who were associated with the Kapsan faction incident.[23][6] In 1969, Kim Jong Il was promoted the deputy chief of the entire PAD. During this time, he not only designed and issued party IDs and oversaw the handling ofportraits of Kim Il-sung. In practice, Kim Jong Il ran the entire department because his nominal superiorKim Kuk-tae suffered from ill health andYang Hyong-sop, who was tasked with ideological affairs, was engaged with science and education policy instead of propaganda.[24] In September 1973, Kim Jong Il became the chief of the PAD, a position which he held until 1985.[6]
Kim Jong Il's years in the PAD were marked by his effort to become an expert in the field of propaganda,[6] as well as him developing his charisma.[25] Kim Jong Il's main contribution in the department was to devise the "monolithic ideological system", later codified as theTen Principles for the Establishment of a Monolithic Ideological System. Kim's various efforts greatly benefited theNorth Korean cult of personality.[24] During this time, the film directorChoe Ik-gyu, a close confidant of his, also rose in the ranks of the PAD, becoming its vice director in 1972.[26] Choe developedmass games that would evolve into theArirang Festival,[27] the organizing of which he is still overseeing.[28] Choe fell in and out of favor repeatedly,[29] and finally resigned from the PAD for good in 2010 after being briefly its director.[30][31] The department was important because of role in mass mobilization.[32] Kim Jong Il was known as a great fan of music, film, and theater since young age and his position within the department was natural fit.[33]
The PAD helped to create a cultural milieu in which Kim Jong Il was named his father's successor at theSixth Congress of the Workers' Party of Korea in 1980.[7] When his succession became urgent in the 1990s, the PAD fabricated a convincing personal history for him because he lacked any true military credentials.[34] He continued to influence the daily affairs of the PAD after his succession.[5]
Before thedeath of Kim Jong-il, it was already speculated that the imminent succession would employ the PAD.[35]Kim Jong Un's sisterKim Yo-jong became thede facto leader of PAD when she was appointed its first deputy director and put in charge of "idolization projects" of Kim Jong Un.[36][37] The nominal director isPak Kwang-ho.[3][38]
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