A Study on Socialization of Fear Emotion in North Korea: Based on Attachment Theory

Abstract

This study analyzes the socialization of fear emotion in North Korea according to the attachment theory, paying attention to the fact that North Korean residents form attachments to their ‘parently leader’. To this end, we searched North Korean literature and conducted content analysis along with review of related theories. The results of the study are as follows. First, the North Korean media does not deal with the feelings of fear among North Korean groups at all. Fear is an emotion that appears only in enemies, failed socialist countries, and capitalist countries. Second, the North Korean media sensitively deals with the fear of out-of-groups according to the situation abroad, indirectly exposing them to the residents, and reinforcing secondary emotions that have converted fear into hatred and aggression. Third, North Korean education emphasizes emotional organization, a psychological process that organizes emotions, and through this, emotional socialization. This study enhances the understanding of North Korean society and people’s emotions by examining the characteristics of socialization of fear emotions in North Korean society based on the attachment theory.