Chondoist Chongu Party
Encyclopedia
The Chondoist Chongu Party (an approximate translation into English
could be "Party of the Young Friends of the Heavenly Way") is a united front
party in North Korea
and is labeled as democratic by the government of the country. The party was founded on February 5, 1946, by a group of followers of the Chondogyo (or Ch'ŏndogyo) religion
. The founder-leader of the party was Kim Tarhyŏn.
missionary activities in Korea
in the end of the nineteenth century. The Chondogyo movement became a hotbed of Korean nationalism
, and Chondogyo farmers took active part in the rebellion in 1894 and the movement played an important role in the anti-Japanese
struggle in 1919. The communist parties of the Soviet Union
and Korea perceived Chondogyo as an ‘utopian peasant movement’.
By 1945 Chondogyo was the second largest religion in Northern Korea, with 1.5 million believers. The Chondoist Chongu Party assembled 98,000 members after a few months of existence, and was larger (in membership) than the Communist Party. In December 1946 it had 204,387 members.
On July 22, 1946, the Democratic Front for the Reunification of the Fatherland
was formed as a united front. The Chondoist Chongu Party was one of the four parties included in it. Thus the subordination of the party under the leadership of the Communist Party (later the Workers' Party of Korea
) was formalized.
In the 1946–1947 elections to people's committees, village people's committees and myŏn people's committees about 5.3% of the 70,454 elected deputies belonged to the Chondoist Chongu Party. Kim Tarhyŏn became one of two deputy chairmen of the People's Assembly (the national parliament). During the first session of the People's Assembly a Chondoist Chongu Party deputy, Kim Yun'gŏl, held a critical speech against the non-compliance with laws passed by the people's committees during the land reform process. Kim Yun'gŏl was fiercely attacked, and he retracted his statement. It was however historic, as it was perhaps the only critical comment ever made in the North Korean parliament.
When DPRK was formally constituted in 1948, the Chondoist Chongu Party obtained 16.5% of the seats in the Supreme People's Assembly.
However, the situation for the party would soon turn difficult. Large sectors of the Soviet and North Korean communist leaderships did not trust the party, and saw it as a potential nest for counterrevolutionaries. The most troublesome issue was that the North Korean Chondogyo movement continued to have contacts with the leadership of the religious group in Seoul
. In South Korea the Chondogyo leadership was anticommunist and supported the administration of President Syngman Rhee
. In January 1948, the Chondogyo leadership based in Seoul made a decision that a massive anticommunist demonstration would be held on March 1 in Pyongyang
. For obvious reasons, this put the Chondist Chongu Party in the North in a precarious situation. Kim Tarhyŏn refused to follow the orders from Seoul, but others in the party leadership wanted to go ahead with the plans. The result was a massive purge of party members throughout North Korea. In its aftermath, the anticommunist sections of the movement initiated an underground resistance movement and tried to launch guerrilla warfare.
Kim Tarhyŏn and the people around him reaffirmed their loyalty to the DPRK. In 1950 the Chondoist Chongu Party in the South (but not the religious movement) united with the Northern party under his leadership. During the Korean War
the headquarters of the party was shifted to a town near the border with China
. The party leadership actively supported the DPRK war efforts, but many party cadres migrated to South Korea
during the war. Many sided with Seoul during the war. In the aftermath of the war, the idea of the united front was increasingly unpopular in the North Korean government circles and many wanted the non-communist parties banned. In the end the united front was maintained, but the possibility for the Chondoist Chongu Party to conduct political activity was severely curtailed.
In 1954 the government subsidies to the party were cancelled. By 1956 there were approximately 1,700–3,000 members left (out of 10,000–50,000 remaining Chondogyo believers). At the same time about 200 persons were full-time employees of the party. In order to finance the party, it ran an iron foundry and a printing house.
In September 1957 Kim Tarhyŏn became a minister without portfolio
.
In 1958 the party was purged again. In November of that year, sources alleged that it had, together with the Democratic Party, conspired against the DPRK leadership. Kim Tarhyŏn and his closest associates were arrested. By February they had pleaded guilty, and on February 16, 1958 their parliamentary immunity was revoked. Most probably they were executed, but their exact fate is not known.
By this time the party had effectively ceased to function as an independent entity. No provincial organization of the party existed, just a formal central nucleus. Pak Sindŏk, previously the head of the Organizational Department of the party, took over the party leadership. The party still exists, but has been reduced to a letter-head. It conducts no activities except for those directed by the government and takes no independent positions on any political matters. The current chairperson of the party is Ryu Mi Yong
.
According to the CIA, the party remains under the control of the Workers Party of Korea.
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
could be "Party of the Young Friends of the Heavenly Way") is a united front
United front
The united front is a form of struggle that may be pursued by revolutionaries. The basic theory of the united front tactic was first developed by the Comintern, an international communist organisation created by revolutionaries in the wake of the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution.According to the theses of...
party in North Korea
North Korea
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea , , is a country in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer zone between North Korea and South Korea...
and is labeled as democratic by the government of the country. The party was founded on February 5, 1946, by a group of followers of the Chondogyo (or Ch'ŏndogyo) religion
Religion
Religion is a collection of cultural systems, belief systems, and worldviews that establishes symbols that relate humanity to spirituality and, sometimes, to moral values. Many religions have narratives, symbols, traditions and sacred histories that are intended to give meaning to life or to...
. The founder-leader of the party was Kim Tarhyŏn.
History
The Chondogyo movement was founded in response to the ChristianChristianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
missionary activities in Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
in the end of the nineteenth century. The Chondogyo movement became a hotbed of Korean nationalism
Korean nationalism
Korean nationalism refers to nationalism among the Korean people. In the Korean context, this encompasses various of movements throughout history to maintain the Korean cultural identity, history, and ethnicity.-History:...
, and Chondogyo farmers took active part in the rebellion in 1894 and the movement played an important role in the anti-Japanese
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
struggle in 1919. The communist parties of the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
and Korea perceived Chondogyo as an ‘utopian peasant movement’.
By 1945 Chondogyo was the second largest religion in Northern Korea, with 1.5 million believers. The Chondoist Chongu Party assembled 98,000 members after a few months of existence, and was larger (in membership) than the Communist Party. In December 1946 it had 204,387 members.
On July 22, 1946, the Democratic Front for the Reunification of the Fatherland
Democratic Front for the Reunification of the Fatherland
The Democratic Front for the Reunification of the Fatherland, formed on 22 July 1946, is a North Korean united front led by the Workers' Party of Korea. It was initially called the North Korean Fatherland United Democratic Front...
was formed as a united front. The Chondoist Chongu Party was one of the four parties included in it. Thus the subordination of the party under the leadership of the Communist Party (later the Workers' Party of Korea
Workers' Party of Korea
The Workers' Party of Korea is the ruling Communist party of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea , commonly known as North Korea. It is also called the Korean Workers' Party...
) was formalized.
In the 1946–1947 elections to people's committees, village people's committees and myŏn people's committees about 5.3% of the 70,454 elected deputies belonged to the Chondoist Chongu Party. Kim Tarhyŏn became one of two deputy chairmen of the People's Assembly (the national parliament). During the first session of the People's Assembly a Chondoist Chongu Party deputy, Kim Yun'gŏl, held a critical speech against the non-compliance with laws passed by the people's committees during the land reform process. Kim Yun'gŏl was fiercely attacked, and he retracted his statement. It was however historic, as it was perhaps the only critical comment ever made in the North Korean parliament.
When DPRK was formally constituted in 1948, the Chondoist Chongu Party obtained 16.5% of the seats in the Supreme People's Assembly.
However, the situation for the party would soon turn difficult. Large sectors of the Soviet and North Korean communist leaderships did not trust the party, and saw it as a potential nest for counterrevolutionaries. The most troublesome issue was that the North Korean Chondogyo movement continued to have contacts with the leadership of the religious group in Seoul
Seoul
Seoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world...
. In South Korea the Chondogyo leadership was anticommunist and supported the administration of President Syngman Rhee
Syngman Rhee
Syngman Rhee or Yi Seungman was the first president of South Korea. His presidency, from August 1948 to April 1960, remains controversial, affected by Cold War tensions on the Korean peninsula and elsewhere. Rhee was regarded as an anti-Communist and a strongman, and he led South Korea through the...
. In January 1948, the Chondogyo leadership based in Seoul made a decision that a massive anticommunist demonstration would be held on March 1 in Pyongyang
Pyongyang
Pyongyang is the capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, commonly known as North Korea, and the largest city in the country. Pyongyang is located on the Taedong River and, according to preliminary results from the 2008 population census, has a population of 3,255,388. The city was...
. For obvious reasons, this put the Chondist Chongu Party in the North in a precarious situation. Kim Tarhyŏn refused to follow the orders from Seoul, but others in the party leadership wanted to go ahead with the plans. The result was a massive purge of party members throughout North Korea. In its aftermath, the anticommunist sections of the movement initiated an underground resistance movement and tried to launch guerrilla warfare.
Kim Tarhyŏn and the people around him reaffirmed their loyalty to the DPRK. In 1950 the Chondoist Chongu Party in the South (but not the religious movement) united with the Northern party under his leadership. During the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
the headquarters of the party was shifted to a town near the border with China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
. The party leadership actively supported the DPRK war efforts, but many party cadres migrated to South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
during the war. Many sided with Seoul during the war. In the aftermath of the war, the idea of the united front was increasingly unpopular in the North Korean government circles and many wanted the non-communist parties banned. In the end the united front was maintained, but the possibility for the Chondoist Chongu Party to conduct political activity was severely curtailed.
In 1954 the government subsidies to the party were cancelled. By 1956 there were approximately 1,700–3,000 members left (out of 10,000–50,000 remaining Chondogyo believers). At the same time about 200 persons were full-time employees of the party. In order to finance the party, it ran an iron foundry and a printing house.
In September 1957 Kim Tarhyŏn became a minister without portfolio
Minister without Portfolio
A minister without portfolio is either a government minister with no specific responsibilities or a minister that does not head a particular ministry...
.
In 1958 the party was purged again. In November of that year, sources alleged that it had, together with the Democratic Party, conspired against the DPRK leadership. Kim Tarhyŏn and his closest associates were arrested. By February they had pleaded guilty, and on February 16, 1958 their parliamentary immunity was revoked. Most probably they were executed, but their exact fate is not known.
By this time the party had effectively ceased to function as an independent entity. No provincial organization of the party existed, just a formal central nucleus. Pak Sindŏk, previously the head of the Organizational Department of the party, took over the party leadership. The party still exists, but has been reduced to a letter-head. It conducts no activities except for those directed by the government and takes no independent positions on any political matters. The current chairperson of the party is Ryu Mi Yong
Ryu Mi Yong
Ryu Mi Yong is the current chairwoman of the North Korean Chondoist Chongu Party. She is known as a defector from South Korea to the North. She and her husband Choe Deok-sin defected to the North in 1986. In 2000 she led a delegation of defectors to the South on an officially sanctioned reunion...
.
According to the CIA, the party remains under the control of the Workers Party of Korea.