Oath of Allegiance (Menghe)

The "Suk Star Flag" (Suksŏnggi), adopted in 1988.

The Oath of Allegiance of Menghe, formally the Oath to the National Flag (Menghean: 국기에 대한 맹세 / 國旗에 對한 盟誓, Gukgi-e Daehan Maengse) is an official oath of allegiance addressed to the national flag in the Socialist Republic of Menghe. The current version was enshrined in law in 1995, though it was based upon an earlier version composed in 1929. It is recited at all official flag-raising ceremonies after the national anthem, and in all schools at the beginning of the day. In some cases, it may also be recited at the beginning of sporting events and other public performances.

History

The Federative Republic of Menghe, established in 1901, had a variety of specialized oaths of allegiance for soldiers, civil servants, and elected officials, but it lacked a single standard oath for all citizens. Representatives of the Menghean Nationalist Party proposed a bill to create such an oath in 1910, modeling it after similar oaths in Casaterran states. The Federal Assembly debated the measure but ultimately turned it down, on the basis that it had overly monarchic overtones.

Following Kwon Chong-hoon's February Coup in 1927, the new government ordered the composition of a universal pledge in keeping with the nationalists' wishes. The winning version was composed in 1929 and given official status in 1930 after winning a competition against several alternatives. Under the Law for the Oath to the National Flag, citizens were required to recite the oath during the raising of the national flag, and it made a regular appearance at rallies and speeches by the military government. The text was altered after the escalation of the Pan-Septentrion War to include references to "military victory," but the remainder of the oath remained the same.

After Menghe's surrender in 1945, the Allied Occupation Authority abolished the Oath of Allegiance and made it a crime for any citizen to recite it in public. The AVA-backed Republic of Menghe continued this policy, and even refrained from creating oaths for soldiers and government officials. At the end of the Menghean War of Liberation, members of the Nationalist faction proposed reinstating a version of the oath, but the Menghean People's Communist Party did not move ahead with such a measure, instead focusing its ideological training on loyalty to the Party.

The current version of the Oath to the National Flag was reinstated in 1995, during the Disciplined Society Campaign, as part of a wider effort to inculcate national loyalty in the population. The basic format of the 1930 version was retained, but "Great Meng Flag" was replaced with "Suk Star Flag," "victory of the Menghean Empire" was replaced with "eternal glory of the fatherland and its people," and a new modifier, "with my full body and mind," was added to the text. The 1995 law also spelled out new regulations on the oath's usage and procedure.

Regulations and Usage

Flag regulations in Menghe state that during official flag-raising ceremonies, the national anthem must be played as the flag is being hoisted; after the first verse has ended, all citizens present must recite the Oath to the National Flag. At flag-lowering ceremonies, the order is reversed, with the oath recited while the flag is still aloft, and the flag subsequently lowered with the anthem playing. While reciting the oath, citizens must stand straight at attention with their heads raised and their arms at their sides, facing toward the flag. Military personnel must stand at attention and perform a salute. At large events, a speaker may read the oath line by line and wait for the audience to repeat it in tandem, while at small events the entire assembled group may recite it at once; both procedures are legal.

At the beginning of every school day, students in both public and private schools must recite the oath of allegiance, standing at attention and facing the flag. This ceremony can be performed either within the classroom or at an outdoor flag raising ceremony. As Choe Sŭng-min's portrait must also be prominently displayed at the front of every classroom, this serves a dual role as an oath of political loyalty.

Some public events, such as concerts, sports games, and movie screenings also require that visitors recite the Oath to the National Flag before proceedings begin. The Ministry of Culture made this practice mandatory during the Disciplined Society Campaign, but it became less common during the 2000s and 2010s.

By law, citizens can be arrested for engaging in "disrespectful conduct" during the Oath to the National Flag, with punishments ranging from fines to imprisonment based on the severity of the offense. The definition of "disrespectful conduct" was never clearly spelled out in the original law, and it remains ambiguous. During the 1990s, when the ceremony was still relatively new and the Ministry of Justice was pursuing a hard anti-crime policy, citizens were routinely arrested and fined for forgetting to stand and face the flag, or for failing to recite the oath. Enforcement of this law relaxed in the 2000s, though it is still rigorously enforced at high-profile events like the National Day flag ceremony. Over the last ten years, the law against disrespectful conduct has mainly been used to target dissidents who sit or face away from the flag in protest. Those who are unable to stand due to an injury or disability are exempt from the requirement.

Current (1995) version

나는 자랑스러운 숙성기 앞에
조국과 인민의 무궁한 영광을 위하여
몸과 마음을 바쳐
충성을 다 할 것을 굳게 다짐 합니다.

nanŭn jarangsŭrŏun suksŏnggi ap-e
jogukgwa inmin-e mugunghan yŏnggwang-ŭl wihayŏ
momgwa maŭm-ŭl bachyŏ
chungsŏng-ŭl da hal gŏsŭl gudge dajim habnida.

Translation:
"I proudly stand in front of the Suk Star Flag and firmly pledge to loyally devote my body and mind to the eternal glory of the fatherland and its people."

Wartime (1939) version

나는 자랑스러운 대멩기 앞에
영걍한 대멩제국의 전승을 위하여
충성을 다 할 것을 다짐 합니다.

nanŭn jarangsŭrŏun daemenggi ap-e
yŏnggwanghan daemengjeguge jŏnsŭng-ŭl wihayŏ
chungsŏng-ŭl da hal gŏsŭl dajim habnida.

Translation:
"I proudly stand in front of the Great Meng Flag and pledge to loyally devote myself to the military victory of the glorious Greater Menghean Empire."

See also

• Politics of Menghe
• Let Morning Shine on These Mountains and Rivers
• Choe Sŭng-min's cult of personality
• Flag of Menghe