On the Spot Guidance

On the Spot Guidance or Field Guidance is a term used chiefly by the North Korean mass media to describe advice and suggestions by North Korean dictators Kim Il-sung, Kim Jong-il, and Kim Jong-un^[1] in a given time and place, usually in areas and events related to the military and industry.^[2] On the Spot Guidance has long been a notable aspect of leadership style in North Korea. Initially, this referred to the activities of Kim Il-sung implying that he carried out verbal guidance at a particular site, such as factories or military installments. Such lectures by the Kim family are denoted colloquially as "Business Inspections".^[3]

Initially, Kim Jong-il was reluctant to follow his fathers footsteps in the art of field guidance, but he was reported to have given field guidance for various postal and business sites in April 1988. The use of propaganda in North Korea will frequently propagate the latest field guidance on television and radio, and it is generally expected that the management of factory and military installations will act upon the field guidance received, for fear of reprisals. Upon a dwelling receiving field guidance, it is commonplace to install a plaque or monument commemorating the field guidance given, usually written with a quote from the guidance.^[4]

See also

• North Korea's cult of personality

References