--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: To identify and isolate his perceived…" description: "\"“To identify and isolate his perceived political enemies, Kim Il Sung created a neofeudal, blood-based pecking order in 1957. The government classified..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/68d/blaine-harden-21436_caste-system_to-identify-and-isolate-his-perceived-po_845577.jpg" --- # To identify and isolate his perceived political enemies… ![“To identify and isolate his perceived political enemies, Kim Il Sung created a neofeudal, blood-based pecking order in 1957. The government classified and, to a considerable extent, segregated the entire North Korean population based on the perceived reliability of an individual’s parents and…” quote by Blaine Harden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/68d/blaine-harden-21436_caste-system_to-identify-and-isolate-his-perceived-po_845577.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/68d/blaine-harden-21436_caste-system_to-identify-and-isolate-his-perceived-po_845577.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/68d/blaine-harden-21436_caste-system_to-identify-and-isolate-his-perceived-po_845577.jpg) > ““To identify and isolate his perceived political enemies, Kim Il Sung created a neofeudal, blood-based pecking order in 1957. The government classified and, to a considerable extent, segregated the entire North Korean population based on the perceived reliability of an individual’s parents and grandparents. North Korea called itself the Worker’s Paradise, but even as it professed allegiance to communist ideals of equality, it invented one of the world’s most rigidly stratified caste systems.”” [Blaine Harden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaine-harden/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Kim Il Sung built a hereditary caste system that ranked citizens by family background, contradicting proclaimed communist equality. **In simple terms:** North Korea used family lineage to create a rigid social hierarchy. Key Takeaway Recognize how ideology can mask systemic oppression. Themes politics social stratification authoritarianism ideology history Mood critical somber analytical Type historical political sociological When to use this quote - policy analysis - human rights advocacy - educational curricula - media reporting Key Concepts caste system state control propaganda collectivism Questions to Reflect On - How do inherited social statuses affect individual agency? - Can propaganda ever fully conceal systemic inequality? A Different Perspective Such systems can be difficult to dismantle due to entrenched bureaucracy and fear. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Caste system](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/caste-system/) [Enemies Kim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enemies-kim-691514/) [Il Sung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/il-sung-456520/) [Kim il sung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kim-il-sung/) [Korea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/korea/) [Korea Called](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/korea-called-691515/) [North korea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/north-korea/) [North korean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/north-korean/) [Parents and grandparents](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parents-and-grandparents/) [Pecking order](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pecking-order/) [Political enemies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/political-enemies/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) ## Related quotes > [“If you took some North Korean songs and replaced Kim Il Sung with God or Jesus it would sound exactly like a Christian hymn.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-kim/if-you-took-some-north-korean-songs-and-replaced-kim-il-sung-with-god/) [Mike Kim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-kim/) > [Think hard about it: I'm running out of demons. I'm running out of villians. I'm down to Castro and Kim Il Sung.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-powell/think-hard-about-it-i-m-running-out-of-demons-i-m-running-out-of/) [Colin Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-powell/) > [Kim Il Sung University is the central base for training national cadres and the highest institute of Juche-based science and education.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-jong-un/kim-il-sung-university-is-the-central-base-for-training-national/) [Kim Jong-un](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-jong-un/) > [“Nobody knows how many North Koreans have died or are dying in the famine—some estimates by foreign-aid groups run as high as three million…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/nobody-knows-how-many-north-koreans-have-died-or-are-dying-in-the/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [The great Comrades Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il, putting forward the development of sports as a matter that has an important bearing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-jong-un/the-great-comrades-kim-il-sung-and-kim-jong-il-putting-forward-the/) [Kim Jong-un](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-jong-un/) > [“Stalin has died. The ardent heart of the great leader of progressive mankind has ceased to beat. This sad news has spread over Korean…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/stalin-has-died-the-ardent-heart-of-the-great-leader-of-progressive/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The great Comrade Kim Jong Il provided energetic guidance to defend and honour Comrade Kim Il Sung's idea of and exploits in socialist rural…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-jong-un/the-great-comrade-kim-jong-il-provided-energetic-guidance-to-defend/) [Kim Jong-un](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-jong-un/) > [Comrade Kim Jong Il energetically led the work of defending and honouring Comrade Kim Il Sung's ideas of and exploits in the Juche-oriented women's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-jong-un/comrade-kim-jong-il-energetically-led-the-work-of-defending-and/) [Kim Jong-un](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-jong-un/) > [ North Korea is a necrocracy, or a mauselocracy or a thanatocracy in which the one \[Kim Il-sung\] is diffused into being with the other… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/north-korea-is-a-necrocracy-or-a-mauselocracy-or-a-thanatocracy-in/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [Kim Il Sung prepared Kim Jong Il for decades to be his successor and made it very clear from the beginning, 'This is my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/park-yeon-mi/kim-il-sung-prepared-kim-jong-il-for-decades-to-be-his-successor-and/) [Park Yeon-mi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/park-yeon-mi/) > [“Obviously, there must be some connection between the subordination of actual individuals and the grotesque exaltation of symbolic ones like Kim Il Sung.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/obviously-there-must-be-some-connection-between-the-subordination-of/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [Comrade Kim Jong Il, who was faithful to Comrade Kim Il Sung's ideas and cause, led our revolution along the glorious road of victory,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-jong-un/comrade-kim-jong-il-who-was-faithful-to-comrade-kim-il-sung-s-ideas/) [Kim Jong-un](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-jong-un/) > [We considered the Dear Leader our god. That's huge. He's more than our parents. I thought all of the world respected Kim Il Sung.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-hyeon-seo/we-considered-the-dear-leader-our-god-that-s-huge-he-s-more-than-our/) [Lee Hyeon-seo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-hyeon-seo/) > [“The fervor and single-mindedness of this deification probably have no precedent in history. It's not like Duvalier or Assad passing the torch to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/the-fervor-and-single-mindedness-of-this-deification-probably-have-no/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [“The North Korean state was born at about the same time that Nineteen Eighty-Four was published, and one could almost believe that the holy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/the-north-korean-state-was-born-at-about-the-same-time-that-nineteen/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) ## More by Blaine Harden > [“Kwon Tae-jin, a specialist on North Korean agriculture at the Korea Rural Economic Institute, which is funded by the South Korean government, told me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaine-harden/kwon-tae-jin-a-specialist-on-north-korean-agriculture-at-the-korea/) [Blaine Harden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaine-harden/) > [“Shin’s story of survival is different. 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Sometime I try to cry and laugh like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaine-harden/i-am-evolving-from-being-an-animal-he-said-but-it-is-going-very-very/) [Blaine Harden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaine-harden/) > [“Once the imperialist ideological and cultural poisoning is tolerated, even the faith unshakable before the threat of a bayonet will be bound to give…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaine-harden/once-the-imperialist-ideological-and-cultural-poisoning-is-tolerated/) [Blaine Harden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaine-harden/) > [“It is difficult to overstate the importance of rice in North Korean culture. It signifies wealth, evokes the closeness of family and sanctifies a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaine-harden/it-is-difficult-to-overstate-the-importance-of-rice-in-north-korean/) [Blaine Harden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaine-harden/) > [“Freedom, in Shin's mind, was just another word for grilled meat.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaine-harden/freedom-in-shin-s-mind-was-just-another-word-for-grilled-meat/) [Blaine Harden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaine-harden/) > [“As contemporaries, Shin and Kim Jong Eun personify the antipodes of privilege and privation in North Korea, a nominally classless society where, in fact,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaine-harden/as-contemporaries-shin-and-kim-jong-eun-personify-the-antipodes-of/) [Blaine Harden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaine-harden/) > [“His teachers, as a result, could shape the minds and values of their students without contradiction from children who might know something of what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaine-harden/his-teachers-as-a-result-could-shape-the-minds-and-values-of-their/) [Blaine Harden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaine-harden/) > [“Anyone who steals or conceals any foodstuffs will be shot immediately.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaine-harden/anyone-who-steals-or-conceals-any-foodstuffs-will-be-shot-immediately/) [Blaine Harden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaine-harden/) > [“There are six camps, according to South Korea’s intelligence agency and human rights groups. The biggest is thirty-one miles long and twenty-five miles wide,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaine-harden/there-are-six-camps-according-to-south-korea-s-intelligence-agency/) [Blaine Harden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaine-harden/) > [“9. Prisoners must genuinely repent of their errors. Anyone who does not acknowledge his sins and instead denies them or carries a deviant opinion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaine-harden/9-prisoners-must-genuinely-repent-of-their-errors-anyone-who-does-not/) [Blaine Harden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaine-harden/) > [“Like Nazi concentration camps, labour camps in North Korea use confinement, hunger and fear to create a kind of Skinner box: a closed, closely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaine-harden/like-nazi-concentration-camps-labour-camps-in-north-korea-use/) [Blaine Harden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaine-harden/) > [“And so Shin’s misery never skidded into complete hopelessness. He had no hope to lose, no past to mourn, no pride to defend. He…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaine-harden/and-so-shin-s-misery-never-skidded-into-complete-hopelessness-he-had/) [Blaine Harden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaine-harden/) [Explore all 29 Blaine Harden quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaine-harden/) ## More Caste system quotes > [Class - or the economic status of individuals - is evident in all societies, some very well stratified by a rigid caste system determined…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-sionil-jos/class-or-the-economic-status-of-individuals-is-evident-in-all/) [F. Sionil Jose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-sionil-jos/) > [The mass incarceration of poor people of color, particularly black men, has emerged as a new caste system, one specifically designed to address the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/the-mass-incarceration-of-poor-people-of-color-particularly-black-men/) [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) > [Many immigrants do not talk about what they endured back home. They were fleeing that world, and when they left they didn't want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabel-wilkerson/many-immigrants-do-not-talk-about-what-they-endured-back-home-they/) [Isabel Wilkerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabel-wilkerson/) > [“A new civil rights movement cannot be organized around the relics of the earlier system of control if it is to address meaningfully the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/a-new-civil-rights-movement-cannot-be-organized-around-the-relics-of/) [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) > [“The impact of the new caste system is most tragically felt among the young. In Chicago (as in other cities across the United States),…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/the-impact-of-the-new-caste-system-is-most-tragically-felt-among-the/) [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) > [“there is no inconsistency whatsoever between the election of Barack Obama to the highest office in the land and the existence of a racial…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/there-is-no-inconsistency-whatsoever-between-the-election-of-barack/) [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) > [“B.R. 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He saw clearly that men are distinguished by natural evolution…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paramahansa-yogananda/the-origin-of-the-caste-system-formulated-by-the-great-legislator/) [Paramahansa Yogananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paramahansa-yogananda/) > [Because of the caste system, because of the fact that there is no social link between those who make the decisions and those who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/because-of-the-caste-system-because-of-the-fact-that-there-is-no/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [“You do not win by struggling to the top of a caste system, you win by refusing to be trapped within one at all.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-wolf/you-do-not-win-by-struggling-to-the-top-of-a-caste-system-you-win-by/) [Naomi Wolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-wolf/) [Browse all 100 Caste system quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/caste-system/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“To identify and isolate his perceived political enemies, Kim Il Sung created a neofeudal, blood-based pecking order in 1957. 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