Ten Principles for the Establishment of a Monolithic Ideological System

The Ten Principles for the Establishment of a Monolithic Ideological System are ten principles and sixty five subordinate clauses that function as North Korea's de facto supreme law, ranked above the country's written constitution. First proposed in 1967 by Kim Yong-ju in the aftermath of the Kapsan faction incident and publicly announced by Kim Il Sung on December 16, 1967, the principles were rewritten by Kim Jong Il in 1974 and given official ruling-party status, mandating absolute loyalty and obedience to the ideas of Kim Il Sung and, later, his successors. They were amended in August 2013 to add Kim Jong Il's name alongside Kim Il Sung's and to incorporate newer concepts such as nuclear statehood. Every North Korean citizen is required to memorize the principles, and they are enforced nationwide through mandatory self-criticism sessions held in workplaces and schools. Their core demands are to unify society around the leaders' ideology, to obey the leaders' instructions absolutely, and to perpetuate the Kim family's rule across generations through hereditary succession.