The League was founded on 17 January 1946 as the Democratic Youth League of North Korea. It became the youth wing of the Workers' Party of North Korea. Six months after its foundation in June 1946, the League joined the World Federation of Democratic Youth, establishing international relations with other Marxist–Leninist and anti-imperialist youth movements.[3] In 1949, it was renamed the Democratic Youth League of Korea and in May 1964 renamed as the League of Socialist Working Youth of Korea.[4] It assumed the name Kim Il Sung Socialist Youth League on its 50th anniversary in 1996.[5]
The 8th congress of the youth league was held in February 1993, after a 12-year lapse since the 7th congress, held in 1981. The last conference was held on 12 July 2012, after ten years since the previous one, held on 21–22 March 2002. The 9th congress has been convened for January 2016, after 23 years since the previous one.[citation needed]
On 4 January 2007, in Pyongyang, Kim Song-chol, the First Secretary of the Pyongyang Municipal People's Committee of the KSYL gave a speech at a mass rally, with other high government officials, praising Songun Korea.[6] During the speech, Kim Song-chol said that the country should bolster "death-defying corps" and create a "youth vanguard faithfully following the Party's Songun politics."[6]
The 47th plenary meeting of the Central Committee of the KSYL was held, in Pyongyang, on 22 March 2012. At the meeting, former First Secretary Ri Yong-chol was relieved of his post due to his age and Jon Yong-nam was elected to the post.[citation needed] The current head of the league is Chairman of the Central Committee Pak Chol-min [ko].[7]
Recently, Choe Ryong-hae has been replacing military officials with KSYL members.[8]
The Kim Il Sung Socialist Youth League was renamed as the Kimilsungist-Kimjongilist Youth League at its 9th Congress held on 27–28 August 2016.[9] It was renamed as the Socialist Patriotic Youth League at its 10th Congress held on 27–28 April 2021,[10] with the aims of reflecting its nature as a reserve force to socialist construction.[11]
Duties
Within the government, the league coordinates the national youth policy of North Korea together with other youth-serving ministries, such as the Ministry of Education.[12] The league plays an important role in the planning, implementation and evaluation of this national youth policy and serves as a national youth platform to link both the governmental and nongovernmental youth-related organizations and activities in this over-all national youth policy.[12] The league is the party's most important ideological and organizational training ground, with branches and cells wherever there are regular party organizations.[12] "Youth league cells exist in the army, factories, cooperative farms, schools, cultural institutions, and government agencies."[12]
The youth movement shifted its focus after Kim Il Sung's death and expanded its ideological indoctrination to include the "revolutionary accomplishments" of Kim Jong Il and the "brilliance" of Songun.[12]
"The KSYL, by restricting the ideological culture and organized groups of all youths, monitors any changes in the society’s way of thinking that may happen with the change of generations. It also organizes all youths to be actively involved in production, construction, and military service. The KSYL plays the important role of restricting any form of opposition groups or actions among the youth of North Korea", according to Ken E. Gause.[12]
^Lankov, A. N., Kwak, I., & Cho, C. (2012). The organizational life: Daily surveillance and daily resistance in north korea. Journal of East Asian Studies, 12(2), 193–214,309–310. doi:10.1017/S1598240800007839
^Sung-wook, Nam; Sulan, Chae; Ga-young, Lee (October 2020). "The Beauty Culture and Perspective of North Korean Women". Beautiful Pyongyang: Cosmetics, Beauty Culture and North Korea. Singapore: Springer. ISBN978-981-15-7702-4.
^Lee, Chong-Sik (1982). "Evolution of the Korean Workers' Party and the Rise of Kim Chŏng-il". Asian Survey. 22 (5): 434–448. doi:10.2307/2643871. JSTOR2643871.
