[남북의 창] 청년동맹 띄우는 북한…“500만명 노동력 동원하려고” [클로즈업 북한] / KBS 2026.05.23.

From a young age, North Korean residents are compulsorily required to join various organizations based in schools, workplaces, and local communities. Among these, the Youth League is considered a key peripheral organization of the Workers' Party that binds the youth to party discipline. Recently, North Korean authorities held the 11th Congress of the Youth League for the first time in five years, encouraging young people to implement party policies and participate in construction and national defense sites. North Korea emphasizes patriotism and loyalty while promoting the Youth League. We analyzed the reaction of the youth. [Report] On April 30, as darkness descended upon Kim Il Sung Square in Pyongyang. Amidst fireworks exploding high into the sky to commemorate the 11th Congress of the North Korean Youth League, the nighttime event kicked off. [Korean Central Television: "A sea of ​​joyful dance unfolded to meaningfully commemorate the grand gathering of the youth."] North Korean youths, who packed the square to capacity, danced to the music, while young students performed various acts, further elevating the atmosphere. As the event reached its climax, the lights went out, and people holding light sticks in both hands moved in perfect unison to form the North Korean flag. [Korean Central Television: "The torch march has begun."] The torch march by the Youth League, which could be considered the highlight of this night event, has begun. Young people holding torches in both hands crossed the square, successively forming letters ranging from Chairman Kim Jong Un's name to "Patriotic Youth" and "Defense of the Fatherland." ["Let us unfold the era of state supremacy and the new era of a revitalized powerful nation under the leadership of the Great Party! Let us unfold! Let us unfold! Let us unfold!"] This demonstrated their determination to faithfully follow the orders of Chairman Kim and the Party. The North Korean authorities also encouraged their loyalty and emphasized the achievement of the new five-year plan presented at the 9th Party Congress. [Korean Central Television: "The faith and will of the successors who will fulfill their honorable mission and duties as the Party's reserve, vanguard, and flanking force in the struggle to realize the new visionary goals presented by the 9th Party Congress..."] Two days later, Chairman Kim Jong Un personally met with the participants of the 11th Congress of the Youth League. Chairman Kim also extended congratulations to the newly elected Youth League cadres and urged the youth to play a role in national development... [Korean Central Television: "The reality that new and vast struggle tasks are emerging before our Party and revolution demands a more active advance and a role filled with courage from the youth..."] Subsequently, the North Korean authorities boosted the solidarity and morale of the youth by even proceeding with a large-scale commemorative photo session with Chairman Kim Jong Un, known as the "No. 1 Photo." This move is analyzed as being aimed at mobilizing the manpower necessary to achieve national tasks. This is because the labor force of the Youth League, numbering nearly 5 million, is virtually essential. [Oh Deok-yeol / Senior Researcher at Yonsei University Institute of Education: "In the context of the upcoming (North Korean Workers' Party) Five-Year Plan, the efforts of the Youth League are naturally necessary to implement these plans. Furthermore, since many construction sites are underway, if the Youth League is well-organized, it can be deployed on a large scale to construction sites without requiring large capital investment, thereby playing a sufficient role in building and establishing national development."] Established in 1946, the Youth League is a mass political organization that North Korean residents aged 14 to 30 are required to join, and it is one of the Workers' Party's core peripheral groups. While there are various organizations in North Korea, the Youth League holds special significance among them. This is precisely because it plays a key role in supplying labor. During the so-called "Arduous March," the construction of various roads and provincial power plants was accomplished through the blood and sweat of youths, and youths have also been deployed in large numbers to build residential housing and new streets in the recently developed Pyongyang New City. [Korean Central Television: "The youth vanguard of the entire nation inscribed the noble calling card of 'honorable veterans of the new era of Pyongyang's prosperity' in the autobiography of their youth, proudly erected the people's new streets and symbols of socialist development and the future."] Youth organizations capable of securing high-quality labor without incurring significant costs. Chairman Kim Jong Un has also consistently emphasized the importance of youth since the beginning of his rule. On Youth Day in 2012, he invited over 10,...