Process Paper
In choosing this year’s topic for the theme of Rights and Responsibilities, we decided on North Korea and the Juche ideology because of its prominence in American media. Although constantly discussed and debated in the media, little is known about the Kim regime and the country it rules. We were interested in researching the philosophies of North Korea because of the unique historical conditions that brought about such an isolated and recondite country.
To develop our thesis, we began by researching the Arduous March and learning how Juche played a significant role in the regime ascertaining its position of power. We continued to research at the San Diego Public Library, dividing work among our group members. After conducting interviews with distinguished professors of Korea-Pacific studies and scouring primary and secondary sources for information on the Juche ideology, we developed and restructured our thesis, keeping in mind this year’s theme. One of our most important sources, The Impossible State by Victor Cha, contained primary source quotes that were beneficial in explaining the human rights violations in the DPRK which helped to shed light on the inner workings of the Korean political and economic situation. Another work, “On Juche in our Revolution” by Kim Il-Sung, helped us understand the country from the perspective of its founder. One difficulty in conducting our research was avoiding the bias of Western sources. To confront the bias, we utilized sources from all points of view, and synthesized all the viewpoints to understand the country as a whole. For example, we interviewed Mr. Spackman, who provided us with a South Korean viewpoint on the North Korean regime. He shed light on the fact, that each nation wants a unified Korea yet, each goes about in a different way.
Our group has three years of experience making websites. We decided to construct another website because we have grown familiar with how to produce a strong website. We love that a website allows us to blend media and writing with a perfect balance that allows readers to navigate our website at their own pace. We divided the pages by topics in which each individual member specialized.
All these topics, however, fell under the umbrella of Juche. Preaching self-reliance, this philosophy dominates the political and social environment of the nation. Due to its flexibility and the mass following of this ideology, the Kim regime has been able to maintain its power, even through devastating events like the Arduous March. The issue in North Korea raises numerous moral questions in the international community. The world is simultaneously concerned about North Korea’s starving masses, but also does not want to support a regime that precipitates mass famines. The increased nuclear belligerence further complicates the matter, as most countries are unwilling to support such a portentous nation which threatens to use its nuclear arsenal. Our project attempts to directly address all of these issues and more, exploring the rich plethora of rights and responsibilities present in North Korea and the Juche philosophy.
To develop our thesis, we began by researching the Arduous March and learning how Juche played a significant role in the regime ascertaining its position of power. We continued to research at the San Diego Public Library, dividing work among our group members. After conducting interviews with distinguished professors of Korea-Pacific studies and scouring primary and secondary sources for information on the Juche ideology, we developed and restructured our thesis, keeping in mind this year’s theme. One of our most important sources, The Impossible State by Victor Cha, contained primary source quotes that were beneficial in explaining the human rights violations in the DPRK which helped to shed light on the inner workings of the Korean political and economic situation. Another work, “On Juche in our Revolution” by Kim Il-Sung, helped us understand the country from the perspective of its founder. One difficulty in conducting our research was avoiding the bias of Western sources. To confront the bias, we utilized sources from all points of view, and synthesized all the viewpoints to understand the country as a whole. For example, we interviewed Mr. Spackman, who provided us with a South Korean viewpoint on the North Korean regime. He shed light on the fact, that each nation wants a unified Korea yet, each goes about in a different way.
Our group has three years of experience making websites. We decided to construct another website because we have grown familiar with how to produce a strong website. We love that a website allows us to blend media and writing with a perfect balance that allows readers to navigate our website at their own pace. We divided the pages by topics in which each individual member specialized.
All these topics, however, fell under the umbrella of Juche. Preaching self-reliance, this philosophy dominates the political and social environment of the nation. Due to its flexibility and the mass following of this ideology, the Kim regime has been able to maintain its power, even through devastating events like the Arduous March. The issue in North Korea raises numerous moral questions in the international community. The world is simultaneously concerned about North Korea’s starving masses, but also does not want to support a regime that precipitates mass famines. The increased nuclear belligerence further complicates the matter, as most countries are unwilling to support such a portentous nation which threatens to use its nuclear arsenal. Our project attempts to directly address all of these issues and more, exploring the rich plethora of rights and responsibilities present in North Korea and the Juche philosophy.