North Korea's official newspaper on Friday urged young people to tighten their ideological discipline, expressing concerns that "bourgeois" culture and "individualism" could make it hard to safeguard socialism.

"In a country where younger people stay morally sound and civilized, the country would not wobble under any circumstances but if younger people go corrupt, there would be no future," the Rodong Sinmun, the organ of the North's ruling party, said.

The paper stressed that a lack of education on morality led youngsters in some socialist countries to be contaminated by "bourgeois" culture and "individualism," which caused them to believe that protection of socialism is out of their responsibility.

"Youngsters (in those countries) eventually applauded schemes by reactionaries to divide and destroy communist parties and turn socialist countries into capitalistic states," the paper said.

The paper urged younger people to stay on alert against anything that "runs counter to socialism morality and outdated and reactionary lifestyles."

North Korea has recently called for ramped-up efforts to close ranks and stay "ideologically pure" especially among younger people apparently as it is under growing pressure from the fallout of global sanctions and the coronavirus pandemic.

In December, the North reenacted a law that toughens punishment for possession of videos made in South Korea as part of efforts to prevent inflow of outside culture that could influence its people's ideology. (Yonhap)