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Here Are 7 of the Weirdest North Korean State Slogans

2 minute read

The North Korean leadership published a list of more than 300 slogans in state media on Thursday ahead of the 70th anniversary of the founding of the country’s Workers’ Party this year.

The lengthy list, comprising some 6,000 words in English translation, provides an often comical sense of some of the priorities of the government. Some of the statements are typical of the bellicose rhetoric North Korean directs toward South Korea and the United States, while others are more general declarations for improving different aspects of life, ranging from food production to the style of school uniforms.

An English translation was posted by the KCNA Watch, a website that monitors the North Korean official news agency. Here’s seven of the more bizarre slogans on the list:

  • “Let us build a fairyland for the people by dint of science!”
  • “More stylish school uniforms and quality school things for our dear children!”
  • “Should the enemy dare to invade our country, annihilate them to the last man so that none of them will survive to sign the instrument of surrender!”
  • “Let the wives of officers become dependable assistants to their husbands!”
  • “Let us turn ours into a country of mushrooms by making mushroom cultivation scientific, intensive and industrialized!”
  • “Launch more cutting-edge sci-tech satellites and applications satellites of our style!”
  • “Make fruits cascade down and their sweet aroma fill the air on the sea of apple trees at the foot of Chol Pass!”
  • See the full list here

    Take an Inside Look at North Korea

    Aug. 26, 2011. A North Korean woman looks down at the city of Pyongyang from the top of the Tower of the Juche Idea.
    Aug. 26, 2011. A North Korean woman looks down at the city of Pyongyang from the top of the Tower of the Juche Idea.David Guttenfelder—AP
    Journey into North Korea
    April 12, 2011. Central Pyongyang at dusk through a hotel room window.David Guttenfelder—AP
    North Korea
    Jan. 16, 2012. Light shines through a window on to a tank filled with goldfish inside an office at the Korean Central News Agency building in Pyongyang.David Guttenfelder—AP
    NORTH KOREA
    April 11, 2012. Under a North Korean flag, residents of Pyongyang wait for public transportation.David Guttenfelder—AP
    APTOPIX NORTH KOREA
    Feb. 26, 2008. North Korean commuters are seen riding a bus in central Pyongyang.David Guttenfelder—AP
    North Korea
    April 12, 2012. A pedestrian walks past a large apartment block in Pyongyang.David Guttenfelder—AP
    North Korea Daily Life
    Feb. 12, 2012. A North Korean man rides a bike along the banks of the Pothong River in Pyongyang.David Guttenfelder—AP
    APTOPIX North Korea Kim Il Sung Birthday
    April 14, 2011. North Koreans pay their respects before a monument of Kim Il-Sung at Mansu Hill in Pyongyang.David Guttenfelder—AP
    North Korea
    Sept. 17, 2008. North Koreans school girls walk hand in hand past a monument in Pyongyang.David Guttenfelder—AP
    North Korea Building On the Past
    Oct. 11, 2011. North Korean construction workers labor in the Mansudae area of Pyongyang.David Guttenfelder—AP
    North Korea Daily Life
    April 9, 2012. North Korean women are pictured working in a thread factory in Pyongyang.David Guttenfelder—AP
    APTOPIX North Korea Daily Life
    April 3, 2012. A North Korean student learns to drive a tractor on a computerized driving simulator at the Samjiyon Schoolchildren's Palace in Samjiyon, North Korea.David Guttenfelder—AP
    North Korea Kim Jong Il Making the Myth
    Oct. 9, 2011. A man walks past a building in Pyongyang where a picture of North Korea's late leader Kim Il-Sung hangs on its outer wall.David Guttenfelder—AP
    Journey into North Korea
    April 22, 2011. A woman looks at monkeys behind a glass enclosure at the central zoo in Pyongyang.David Guttenfelder—AP
    Journey into North Korea
    April 13, 2011. Workers carry painted doors along a road in Mangyongdae, North Korea.David Guttenfelder—AP
    North Korea Kim Jong Il Making the Myth
    April 14, 2011. Portraits of North Korea's late leaders Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il hang on a wall at a children's school of performing arts in Pyongyang.David Guttenfelder—AP
    YE North Korea
    March 10, 2011. Children look through a subway car window in Pyongyang.David Guttenfelder—AP
    North Korea Rocket Launch
    April 8, 2012. A North Korean soldier stands at a check point seen from a train heading to North Phyongan Province, about 50 kilometers (35 miles) south of the border town of Sinuiju along North Korea's west coast.David Guttenfelder—AP
    North Korea Kim Il Sung Birthday
    April 13, 2011. North Korean soldiers tour the grounds of the birthplace of the late President Kim Il-Sung at Mangyongdae, North Korea.David Guttenfelder—AP
    North Korea Mount Paektu
    April 2, 2012. The hoof of a deer used as a door handle hangs on the door of the small cabin that is said to have been the home of the late North Korean leader Kim Il-Sung, and the birthplace of his son and late leader Kim Jong-Il at what was a secret military camp during the fight against the Japanese at the foot of Mount Paektu, North Korea.David Guttenfelder—AP
    APTOPIX North Korea Mount Paektu
    April 4, 2012. a North Korean soldier working as a guide walks through a forest at the foot of Mount Paektu, North Korea.David Guttenfelder—AP
    North Korea Mount Paektu
    April 3, 2012. A man clears snow from the base of a monument at the Samjiyon Grand Monument area in Samjiyon, North Korea at the base of Mount Paektu.David Guttenfelder—AP
    North Korea
    Feb. 11, 2012. Snow blankets farm fields on the outskirts of Pyongyang.David Guttenfelder—AP
    North Korea Feeding the People
    April 17, 2011. People work in a field outside of Kaesong, North Korea.David Guttenfelder—AP
    APTOPIX North Korea
    April 10, 2012. A North Korean man rides a bicycle on the grounds of a communal apple farm on the outskirts of Pyongyang.David Guttenfelder—AP
    APTOPIX North Korea Hunger
    Oct. 8, 2011. A North Korean man rests near a farm field along a highway outside the eastern coastal city of Wonsan, North Korea.David Guttenfelder—AP
    APTOPIX North Korea
    April 15, 2011. A young North Korean dancer leaps by as North Korean girls put on panda bear costumes as they prepare to perform at a gathering at a park to celebrate the 99th anniversary of the late leader Kim Il-Sung's birthday in Pyongyang.David Guttenfelder—AP
    APTOPIX North Korea
    April 15, 2011. A North Korean girl uses her digital camera to take a photograph of her friend dancing at a gathering at a park to celebrate the 99th anniversary of the late leader Kim Il-Sung's birthday.David Guttenfelder—AP
    Journey into North Korea
    April 14, 2011. A young girl stands on floral-print carpet inside the Pyongyang Children's Palace in Pyongyang.David Guttenfelder—AP
    North Korea Mobile Phones
    Feb. 26, 2008. A North Korean woman peers out of an elevator while speaking on an in-house phone at a library in Pyongyang.David Guttenfelder—AP
    North Korea Daily Life
    Feb. 12, 2012. A bouquet of flowers sits on a table in front of a painted mural on the wall of a restaurant in Pyongyang.David Guttenfelder—AP
    North Korea NY Philharmonic
    Feb. 26, 2008. North Korean ushers peer into the concert hall before the start of a performance by the New York Philharmonic in Pyongyang.David Guttenfelder—AP
    APTOPIX North Korea NY Philharmonic
    Feb. 26, 2008. North Koreans look through the performance program before the start of a concert by the New York Philharmonic in Pyongyang.David Guttenfelder—AP
    APTOPIX North Korea
    Feb. 27, 2008. North Korean girls sing a song entitled "Generalissimo Kim Il Sung Danced With Us" at the Mangyongdae Schoolchildren's Palace in Pyongyang.David Guttenfelder—AP
    North Korea in Autumn
    Oct. 11, 2011. North Korean soccer fans react after their team missed a goal during a World Cup qualifying match between North Korea and Uzbekistan, in Pyongyang.David Guttenfelder—AP
    Journey into North Korea
    April 15, 2011. Women perform a dance routine with badminton rackets at an event to mark the birthday of Kim Il Sung at a park in Pyongyang, North Korea.David Guttenfelder—AP
    Sept. 16, 2008. A guide gives a lecture in front of a diorama showing the Korean War's 1950 battle of Taejon as she gives a tour of the War Museum in Pyongyang.
    Sept. 16, 2008. A guide gives a lecture in front of a diorama showing the Korean War's 1950 battle of Taejon as she gives a tour of the War Museum in Pyongyang.David Guttenfelder—AP
    North Korea
    Feb. 16, 2012. Fireworks explode over the heads of North Korean soldiers lined up in formation at Kumsusan Memorial Palace in Pyongyang during a parade of thousands of soldiers commemorating the 70th birthday of the late Kim Jong-Il.David Guttenfelder—AP
    APTOPIX North Korea Venerating Kim
    Feb. 14, 2012. A North Korean stands at attention as others cheer during the unveiling of a new bronze statue depicting the late leader Kim Jong-Il and his father Kim Il-Sung at Mansudae Art Studio in Pyongyang.David Guttenfelder—AP
    North Korea
    Feb. 16, 2012. A large screen shows video, recorded during the period of mourning following the death of late North Korean leader Kim Jong Il, during a concert in Pyongyang to commemorate his death and what would have been his 70th birthday.David Guttenfelder—AP
    North Korea Lost in Pyongyang
    April 12, 2012. North Korean residents of the capital city mingle on the side of the street in Pyongyang.David Guttenfelder—AP
    North Korea
    Jan. 15, 2012. A song and video showing the launch of the North Korean "Unha-2" rocket plays on karaoke stage inside a restaurant in Pyongyang.David Guttenfelder—AP
    APTOPIX North Korea Rocket Launch
    April 8, 2012. A group of journalists walk down a road in front of North Korea's Unha-3 rocket, slated for liftoff at Sohae Satellite Station.David Guttenfelder—AP
    APTOPIX North Korea
    April 15, 2012. North Koreans, lit with red light, look on with delight as they watch a fireworks display along the Taedong River in Pyongyang to celebrate 100 years since the birth of the late North Korean founder Kim Il-Sung.David Guttenfelder—AP
    APTOPIX North Korea
    April 15, 2012. North Korean civilians, some weeping, wave flowers as they look up at North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un, unseen, at the end of a mass military parade in Pyongyang's Kim Il Sung Square to celebrate 100 years since the birth of the late North Korean founder Kim Il-Sung.David Guttenfelder—AP
    North Korea
    April 12, 2012. A North Korean woman with a pin of the late leader Kim Il Sung attached to her dress sits with fellow audience members at the "World Congress on the Juche Idea" in Pyongyang.David Guttenfelder—AP
    APTOPIX North Korea
    April 15, 2012. North Korean soldiers ride by on horses in front of flower waving civilians during a mass military parade in Pyongyang's Kim Il-Sung Square to celebrate 100 years since the birth of the late North Korean founder Kim Il-Sung.David Guttenfelder—AP
    APTOPIX North Korea
    April 13, 2012. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, far right, applauds with senior military officials as citizens wave flowers at an unveiling ceremony for statues of the late leaders Kim Il-Sung and Kim Jong-Il in Pyongyang.David Guttenfelder—AP
    North Korea
    April 15, 2012. Two North Korean officials look up at a crowd of military members seated in a stadium in Pyongyang during a mass meeting called by the Central Committee of North Korea's ruling party.David Guttenfelder—AP
    North Korea
    April 16, 2012. Images of the late North Korean leader Kim Il-Sung and Mt. Paektu appear on a screen behind a choir during a concert in Pyongyang.David Guttenfelder—AP
    North Korea Portraits
    April 17, 2012. A man and a boy pose for a picture in front of portraits of the late leaders Kim Il-Sung and Kim Jong-Il at a festival for the "Kimilsungia" flower to mark 100 years since the birth of North Korea's late leader in Pyongyang.David Guttenfelder—AP
    North Korea Daily Life
    Aug. 8, 2012. North Koreans gather under a high dive platform to watch as fellow swimmers hesitate to try a dive at a newly opened swimming pool in Pyongyang, North Korea.David Guttenfelder—AP
    North Korea Daily Life
    Aug. 8, 2012. North Koreans look at a model of an octopus as they tour a dolphin show facility at a newly-built amusement park in Pyongyang, North Korea.David Guttenfelder—AP
    North Korea Forgotten Cities
    Aug. 8, 2012. A woman rides a roller coaster at a newly-built amusement park in Pyongyang, North Korea.David Guttenfelder—AP
    APTOPIX North Korea Daily Life
    Aug. 11, 2012. North Koreans grill barbecue under a tree at Majon Beach near Hamhung, North Korea.David Guttenfelder—AP
    North Korea Forgotten Cities
    Aug. 11, 2012. Two people dance at Majon beach near Hamhung, North Korea.David Guttenfelder—AP
    North Korea Daily Life
    Sept. 8, 2012. A North Korean woman working at a miniature golf facility give guidance to young players in Pyongyang, North Korea.David Guttenfelder—AP
    APTOPIX North Korea Daily Life
    Sept. 11, 2012. North Korean woman walks down stairs at a restaurant meant primarily for tourists in Kaesong, North Korea.David Guttenfelder—AP
    North Korea Daily Life
    Sept. 13, 2012. North Korean children lift toy barbells during play time at a school for the performing arts in Pyongyang, North Korea.David Guttenfelder—AP
    APTOPIX North Korea Daily Life
    Jan. 10, 2013. North Korean men shovel snow from the roof of a building in Pyongyang, North Korea.David Guttenfelder—AP
    APTOPIX North Korea
    Feb. 16, 2013. Female North Korean traffic police officers gather in front of bronze statues of the late leaders Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il to pay their respects in Pyongyang, North Korea.David Guttenfelder—AP
    North Korea
    Feb. 17, 2013. North Korean soldiers ride an escalator past a model of their country's Unha Rocket as they enter an exhibition in Pyongyang, North Korea.David Guttenfelder—AP
    North Korea Daily Life
    April 11, 2013. North Koreans visit the Pyongyang Folk Park on the outskirts of Pyongyang, North Korea.David Guttenfelder—AP
    APTOPIX North Korea
    April 11, 2013. North Koreans dance together beneath a mosaic painting of the late leader Kim Il Sung during a mass folk dancing gathering in Pyongyang to mark the anniversary of the first of many titles of power given to leader Kim Jong Un after the death of his father Kim Jong Il.David Guttenfelder—AP
    North Korea Pyongyang Marathon
    April 14, 2013. Runners rest inside Kim Il Sung Stadium in Pyongyang. North Korea hosted the 26th Mangyongdae Prize Marathon to mark the upcoming birthday of the late leader Kim Il Sung.David Guttenfelder—AP
    APTOPIX North Korea Koreas Tension
    April 15, 2013. A North Korean child covers the eyes of her father as she sits on his shoulders watching mass folk dancing in front of Pyongyang Indoor Stadium in Pyongyang, North Korea.David Guttenfelder—AP
    North Korea
    April 16, 2013. A North Korean soldier races another man on a go cart track at the Fun Fair in Pyongyang, North Korea.David Guttenfelder—AP
    North Korea
    April 18, 2013. North Korean children work at easels during a drawing class at Mangyongdae Children's Palace in Pyongyang, North Korea.David Guttenfelder—AP
    APTOPIX North Korea Daily Life
    April 24, 2013. A North Korean boy rides in a bicycle basket on a road north of Kaesong, North Korea.David Guttenfelder—AP
    North Korea Daily Life
    April 24, 2013. A North Korean man checks his bicycle next to a painted exclamation point on a propaganda billboard in Kaesong, North Korea.David Guttenfelder—AP
    APTOPIX North Korea Daily Life
    April 24, 2013. A North Korean boy on rollerblades is pulled by a woman on a bicycle on a road south of Kaesong, North Korea and north of the demilitarized zone which separates the two Koreas.David Guttenfelder—AP
    North Korea Military
    April 25, 2013. North Korean soldiers and civilians stand on a foot bridge to look at goldfish in a moat as they tour the grounds of Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, the mausoleum where the bodies of the late leaders Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il lie embalmed, in Pyongyang, North Korea.David Guttenfelder—AP
    APTOPIX North Korea Military
    April 25, 2013. North Korean soldiers and civilians pose for souvenir photos in front of a fountain as they tour the grounds of Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, the mausoleum where the bodies of the late leaders Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il lie embalmed, in Pyongyang, North Korea.David Guttenfelder—AP

     

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