North Korea is starting new year with ‘Recitation contest’, which is an annual event that has been regularly held by North Korean government. Participants have to recite the whole texts of new year’s address delivered from their leadership. If one fails to attend such an event, there is a chance that the person will be disadvantaged, so many of them are participating in the event against their will.

On first day of 2015, Kim Jong Eun, Chief secretary of the North Korean Party officially announced this year’s message. The message includes a large stock of words: total 10,694 words, and the manuscripts are 54 pages, on 200 square writing paper. Such events are conducted by the authorities, in order to promote the idolization of their supreme leader, Kim Jong Eun and to use it as a brainwashing tool.

One defector, named ‘A’ revealed to The Daily NK on 18th, “Recitation competition have been held in mines, factories, and schools as an individual unit. Those who win the competition in their unit will participate in city and provincial tournament, and are exempt from working.” Since visiting other region is certainly a privilege for people in that residents are strictly prohibited to leave their country without official permission in North Korea, many people are encouraged to participate in the contest.

According to the Internet news media ‘Newfocus’, “People were reportedly unimpressed by the words, saying things such as, ‘economic development’,‘efforts to rehabilitate the economy’, facing up to the reality.”

[Source: NK chosun]