North Korea promotes 'Paektu Spirit' and trekking to the mountain as 80th anniversary of Korean liberation approaches

North Korea is urging its citizens to channel the “Paektu Spirit” and trek to Mount Paektu — a sacred symbol of revolutionary grit and a centerpiece of state propaganda.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un tours “revolutionary battle sites” in the Mount Paektu area with his wife, Ri Sol-ju, in this photo released by the Korean Central News Agency on Dec. 4, 2019. [YONHAP]

North Korea is urging its citizens to channel the “Paektu Spirit” and trek to Mount Paektu — a sacred symbol of revolutionary grit and a centerpiece of state propaganda — where leader Kim Jong-un famously rode a white horse up the snow-covered peak alongside top military officials in 2019.

The campaign coincides with the 80th anniversary of Korea’s liberation from Japanese colonial rule.

In a front-page article on Tuesday with the title loosely translated to “Let’s complete the Korean revolution to the end with the Paektu Spirit!” the ruling Workers’ Party’s official newspaper, the Rodong Sinmun, said, “the great spirit that guarantees the eternal vitality of our revolution is the Paektu Spirit created by the anti-Japanese revolutionary forerunners in the biting cold and fierce snowstorms of Paektu.” (translated)

“By arming ourselves more firmly with the Paektu spirit created by the revolutionary forerunners and showing absolute loyalty to the ideas and leadership of our respected General Secretary [Kim Jong-un], we can vigorously advance toward greater victories,” the newspaper added.

North Korea’s ruling party newspaper Rodong Sinmun reported on Aug. 11 that youth and students from across the country toured ″revolutionary battle sites″ in the Mount Paektu area and held resolution meetings from Aug. 4 to 10. [NEWS1]

On page three the same day, in a separate piece titled “Important issues in revolutionary tradition education at present,” the paper again stressed the significance of “education through visits to revolutionary historic sites in the Mount Paektu region.”

The Rodong Sinmun wrote, “One must always be aware that there is no graduation certificate from ‘Paektu University,’ and the march to Mount Paektu must continue in spring, in summer and throughout one’s life.”

Pyongyang has long promoted Mount Paektu as a key revolutionary site, portraying it as the base of Kim Il Sung’s anti-Japanese struggle and the birthplace of Kim Jong-il. The regime created the “Paektusan Secret Camp,” claimed to be a former military base and the claimed birthplace of Kim Jong-il, and refers to the mountainous regions as “Paektu University" where the revolutionary spirit is learned.

North Korea often likens its economic struggles and U.S. sanctions to the hardships of the anti-Japanese fight, calling on citizens to overcome them with the “Paektu Spirit.”

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un rides a white horse up Mount Paektu in this photo released by the Korean Central News Agency on Dec. 4, 2019. [YONHAP]

After the collapse of the 2019 Hanoi summit with the United States, Kim’s horseback ascent of the mountain was broadcast by state media as a display of resolve. Since then, the ideological promotion of the “Paektu Spirit” has intensified.

Today, the doctrine remains a central part of ideological training, with visits to the mountain’s sites touted as revolutionary by the regime conducted year-round.

This month, groups including the national women’s union’s chief instructors, junior propaganda officials, youth and students and trade union leaders and members have climbed Mount Paektu despite the summer heat.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom staff. BY HAN YOUNG-HYE [kim.juyeon2@joongang.co.kr]