Defense Ministry Updates Military Ideology Textbook: “Internal Threat of North Korean Supporters”

The South Korean Ministry of National Defense has revised its mental strength training textbook explicitly labeling forces that follow North Korea as an ‘internal threat.’

According to Yonhap News on the 25th, the textbook obtained by the office of Democratic Party lawmaker Jung Sung-ho stated “The North Korean regime and its military are clear enemies of ours.” It further identifies forces that “shake the foundation of our free democratic system by following North Korean ideology and system against the Constitution” as an internal threat.

The textbook further explains “According to North Korea’s Southward unification scheme there are forces within our society that deny the legitimacy of the Republic of Korea and its free democratic system. These forces remain silent about the North’s three generations of hereditary rule, the worst human rights abuses, and severe economic difficulties, and uncritically follow North Korea.”

The textbook cites “the case of the United Revolutionary Party, the case of the National Democratic Revolutionary Party, and the case of the Central Regional Party of the Workers’ Party of Korea” as representative examples of North Korea’s efforts to build underground parties. It also mentions cases discovered in the 2000s such as the “Unity Club case” and the “Wang Jaesan spy group case,” and that “in 2014, there was an unprecedented situation where a political party was disbanded due to a member of the National Assembly’s charge of inciting insurrection.”

The textbook goes on to say, “Even recently investigations and trials are ongoing as anti-state organizations are being formed and espionage activities are being carried out in various parts of the country violating the National Security Law. These internal threats constantly advocate for North Korean-style federal unification, the withdrawal of U.S. forces from South Korea, and the overthrow of anti-communist regimes, thereby fostering an anti-American atmosphere.”

Such content did not exist in the previous version of the mental strength training textbook.

The textbook also portrays former President Syngman Rhee as a “leader who blocked the spread of communism with foresight and political determination.” It does not include content that evaluates the demolition of the Han River Bridge during the Korean War, the March 15th rigged election, and the constitutional amendment as mistakes of former President Rhee.

In describing modern history the textbook only states that “some mistakes were made in the process of promoting government-led economic growth” during the authoritarian government period before democratization.

The revised mental strength training textbook will be distributed to the entire military by the end of this month.

By. Moon Jung Kang