Culture of North Korea
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The contemporary culture of North Korea is based on traditional Korean culture, but has developed since the division of Korea in 1945. The Juche ideology conceived by Kim Il Sung (1948–1994) asserts Korea's cultural distinctiveness and creativity, as well as the productive powers of the working masses.[1]
Kim Il Sung has been described as a writer of "classical masterpieces" during the anti-Japanese struggle. Novels created under his direction include The Flower Girl, The Sea of Blood, The Fate of a Self-Defense Corps Man, and The Song of Korea; these are considered "prototypes and models of Juche literature and art." A 1992 newspaper report describes Kim in semi-retirement as writing his memoirs—"a heroic epic dedicated to the freedom and happiness of the people."[1]
The general population has little or no exposure to foreign cultural influences apart from performances by song-and-dance groups and other entertainers brought in periodically for limited audiences. These performances, such as the Spring Friendship Art Festival held annually in April, are designed to show that the peoples of the world, like the North Koreans themselves, love and respect the country's leader. During the 1980s and the early 1990s, the North Korean media gave Kim Jong Il credit for working ceaselessly to make the country a "kingdom of art" where a cultural renaissance unmatched in other countries was taking place. Kim Jong Il was supposedly personally responsible for cultural policy.[1]
North Korean society and culture through the lens of theater, film, and everyday performance make up an ideology-shaping matrix that not only entertains but also organizes and mobilizes society. The culture has a tremendous influence on the daily lives of people in North Korea.[2]
Guidance and control
The state and the
Cultural expression
The general theme of cultural expression is to take the best aspects from the past while discarding capitalistic elements. Popular vernacular styles and themes in literature, art, music, and dance are esteemed as they are seen as expressing the unique spirit of the Korean nation. Ethnographers restore and reintroduce cultural forms that have a proletarian or folk spirit and that encourages the development of a collective consciousness. Lively, optimistic musical and choreographic expressions are emphasised. Group folk dances and choral singing are traditionally practiced in some but not all parts of Korea and were being promoted throughout North Korea in the early 1990s among school and university students. Farmers' musical bands have also been revived.[1]
Literature, music, and film
Literature is dominated by political themes. A series of historical novels—Pulmyouui yoksa (
Musical compositions include the "
In February 2008, the
Motion pictures are recognized as "the most powerful medium for educating the masses" and play a central role in social education. According to a North Korean source, "films for children contribute to the formation of the rising generation, with a view to creating a new kind of man, harmoniously evolved and equipped with well-founded knowledge and a sound mind in a sound body." One of the most influential films, An Jung-geun Shoots Ito Hirobumi, tells of the assassin who killed the Japanese resident-general in Korea in 1909. The protagonist is portrayed as a courageous patriot, but one whose efforts to liberate Korea were frustrated because the masses had not been united under "an outstanding leader who enunciates a correct guiding thought and scientific strategy and tactics." Folk tales such as "The Tale of Chun Hyang", about a nobleman who marries a servant girl, and "The Tale of On Dal" have also been made into films.[1]
Kim Jong Il showed interest in or perhaps even obsession with cinema. The North Korean leader reportedly had a huge library of Western and Asian movies. In the 1980s, he even ordered the kidnapping of two South Korean movie-makers and forced them to make films for the North Korean state.[10]
Australian filmmaker Anna Broinowski gained access to North Korea's film industry through British filmmaker Nick Bonner, who facilitated meetings between Broinowski and prominent North Korean filmmakers to assist Broinowski with the production of Aim High in Creation!, a film project based on Kim Jong-il's manifesto. Broinowski explained in July 2013, prior to the screening of the film at the Melbourne International Film Festival:
A friend gave me Kim Jong Il's manifesto on how to make the 'perfect socialist film', The Cinema and Directing (1987). I was immediately fascinated by his often counter-intuitive (for a Westerner at least) filmmaking rules. And I began to wonder: what would a film by Westerners, strictly adhering to Kim Jong Il's rules, be like? Could it have the same power over western audiences that North Korean films have over Kim Jong Il's 23 million citizens? ... I wanted to humanise the North Koreans in the minds of viewers constantly bombarded by the mainstream Western media's depiction of North Koreans as victimised, brainwashed automatons.[11]
A version of Broinowski's work was screened in Pyongyang, but the director believes that the documentary version of the film will not be allowed into the country.[11]
A study commissioned by the U. S. State Department shows that, despite extremely strict regulations and draconian penalties, North Koreans, particularly elite elements, have increased access to news and other media outside the state-controlled media authorized by the government.[12] While access to the Internet is tightly controlled, listening to the radio and viewing DVDs is increasing, and receiving television broadcasts from neighboring states is also possible in border areas.[12][13] A South Korean professor claimed that the spread of cheap, Chinese-made "portable TVs" (EVD players) in North Korea is making it harder for authorities to crack down on citizens watching South Korean-made videos.[14][15] Uriminzokkiri is a Korean news website that frequently posts propaganda including the United States attack video published in 2013.[16]
Visual arts
Historically, graphic design in North Korea was influenced by the
Architecture and city planning
The most distinct and impressive form of contemporary cultural expression in North Korea is architecture and city planning. Pyongyang, almost completely destroyed by the United States during the Korean War, has been rebuilt on a grand scale. Many new buildings have been constructed during the 1980s and 1990s in order to enhance Pyongyang's status as a capital.[1]
Major structures are divided architecturally into three categories: monuments, buildings that combine traditional Korean architectural motifs and modern construction, and high-rise buildings of a modern design. Examples of the first include the
The second architectural category makes special use of traditional tiled roof designs and includes the
The third architectural category includes high-rise apartment complexes and hotels in the capital. The most striking of these buildings is the Ryugyong Hotel, unfinished as of now (with construction halted from 1992 - April 2008). Described as one of the world's tallest hotels at 105 stories, its triangular shape looms over north-central Pyongyang. The Koryo Hotel is an ultramodern, twin-towered structure forty-five stories high.[1]
Much construction occurred before celebrations of Kim Il Sung's eightieth birthday, including the building of grand apartment complexes and the
Mass games
North Korea is famous for its "mass games". Mass games are the culminating annual celebrations of the state leader's birthdays and the rituals commemorating the foundation of the state: On the birthdays of Kim Il Sung (April 15, 1912), the founding father of North Korea, and Kim Jong Il (born February 16, 1942), the former leader of the state.[18] These are exhibitions where thousands of North Koreans perform highly choreographed dances, especially traditional dances, and gymnastics, often engaging in simultaneous rhythms of movement. The performers sing and chant their loyalties to Kim il-sung, the KWP, and to the principle of Juche.
See also
- List of museums in North Korea
- List of theatres in North Korea
- List of North Korean operas
- List of North Korean television series
- Culture of Korea - covers the traditional culture of both North Korea and South Korea.
- Korean tea ceremony
- Contemporary culture of South Korea
- Korean shamanism
- Korean Confucianism
- Korean Buddhism
- Korean cuisine
- Mansudae Art Troupe
- Propaganda in North Korea
- The Flower Girl - the most well-known North Korean theatrical opera and film
- Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il badges
References
- ^ ISBN 0-8444-0794-1.
- ^ Kim, Suk-young (2010). Illusive Utopia: Theater, Film, and Everyday Performance in North Korea. University of Michigan Press. p. 4.
- ^ Kang, Ji-Hae. "Recontextualization of news discourse: A case study of the translation of news discourse on North Korea". The Translator 13.2 (2007): 219-242.
- ^ Kang, David C. "They Think They're Normal: Enduring Questions and New Research on North Korea- A Review Essay". International Security. 36 (3): 23.
- ^ Park, Han-na (24 June 2020). "North Korea lauds Harry Potter". The Korea Herald.
- ^ "Americans in Pyongyang Perform". CNN. Archived from the original on 27 February 2008. Retrieved 26 February 2008.
- Huffington Post. Retrieved 1 December 2008.
- ^ "Musical diplomacy as New York Phil plays Pyongyang". Reuters. 26 February 2008.
- ^ "Casting Crowns Performs in North Korea". CMSpin.com. Archived from the original on 28 December 2010. Retrieved 16 November 2010.
- S2CID 57564589.
- ^ a b "Q&A with Anna Broinowski (Aim High in Creation!)". Melbourne International Film Festival. July 2013. Archived from the original on 6 August 2013. Retrieved 29 July 2013.
- ^ a b Kretchun, Nat; Kim, Jane (10 May 2012). "A Quiet Opening: North Koreans in a Changing Media Environment" (PDF). InterMedia. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 January 2013. Retrieved 19 Jan 2013.
The primary focus of the study was on the ability of North Koreans to access outside information from foreign sources through a variety of media, communication technologies and personal sources. The relationship between information exposure on North Koreans' perceptions of the outside world and their own country was also analyzed.
- ^ "Illicit access to foreign media is changing North Koreans' worldview, study says". The Washington Post. Associated Press. 10 May 2012. Archived from the original on 25 December 2018. Retrieved 10 May 2012.
- ^ "Spread of portable EVD players fueling 'Korean wave' in N. Korea". The Korea Observer. 22 October 2013. Retrieved 22 October 2013.
- ^ "North Korea: 80 executed for 'watching illegal television programmes'". The Times, 13 November 2013, Internet copy retrieved with subscription 13 December 2013
- ^ "Video: North Korea video shows US city under attack". The Telegraph. London. 5 February 2013. Archived from the original on 6 February 2013. Retrieved 8 March 2013.
- ^ Dagyum Ji (27 October 2017). "'Made in North Korea': DPRK graphics, from candy to postcards". NK News.
- ^ Kim, Suk-Young (2010). "Illusive Utopia: Theater, Film, and Everyday Performance in North Korea". University of Michigan Press.
Further reading
- Om Hyang Sim (2017). Understanding Korea: Culture (PDF). Vol. 6. Translated by Mun Myong Song; Pak Hyo Song. Pyongyang: ISBN 978-9946-0-1615-3. Archived from the original(PDF) on 2018-09-22. Retrieved 2017-08-06.
- Portal, Jane (2005). Art Under Control in North Korea. Reaktion Books. ISBN 978-1-86189-236-2.
External links
- Macintyre, Donald & Yooseung, Kim (June 21, 2004). "A Literary Thaw in Korea". Time
- Young-min, Kwon "In North Korean Literature Kim Il-sung is Everything"
- Professional photo series of the 2009 "Arirang" Massgames in North Korea