North Korea’s language control seen through the ‘Pyongyang Cultural Language Protection Act’

This study examined what the enactment of the Pyongyang Cultural Language Act(평양문화어보호법), adopted on January 18, 2023, means in North Korea from the perspective of language control. Through this, we hope to be able to look critically at the language reality in North Korea. Chapter 2 examines the background of the enactment of the Pyongyang Cultural Language Act. It explores the trajectory of North Korea's language policy aimed at "building a socialist national language," the status of Pyongyang Cultural Language, and the ideology of establishing a "refined and civilized language lifestyle" under the Kim Jong Un regime. Chapter 3 delves into the specific contents and social implications of the Pyongyang Cultural Language Act. It compares the Act to the Reactionary Ideology and Culture Rejection Act(반동사상문화배격법) and the Youth Education Guarantee Act(청년교양법) in relation to foreign culture, analyzing the characteristics of its structure, provisions, and examples. The social implications of the enactment of the Pyongyang Cultural Language Act in North Korea are as follows: First, changes in the scope of the national language were revealed through the legislation. Previously, North Korea's national language encompassed both "North and South Korea," with Pyongyang Cultural Language at its center. However, the Pyongyang Cultural Language Act excludes "South Korean language" from the scope of the national language, explicitly designating Pyongyang Cultural Language as the sole national language of North Korea. Second, North Korea uses the preservation of Pyongyang Cultural Language as another ideological foundation and means to unchangingly maintain the state and regime by safeguarding the national language. Third, the level of language control reflected in this law is unprecedented. Such strict language control ultimately risks extending its influence to limit human thought itself, making it a matter of significant concern.