Kim Jong Il was a North Korean politician who was the second supreme leader of North Korea. He led North Korea from the death of his father Kim Il Sung in 1994 until his death in 2011, when he was succeeded by his son, Kim Jong Un. Afterwards, Kim Jong Il was declared Eternal General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK).
The contemporary culture of North Korea is based on traditional Korean culture, but has developed since the division of Korea in 1945. Juche, officially the Juche idea, is the state ideology of North Korea; It is considered a variation of Marxism–Leninism. Juche displays Korea's cultural distinctiveness as North Korea is the creator and sole adopter of the ideology.
The Pyongyang International Film Festival is a biennial cultural exhibition held in Pyongyang, North Korea. Until 2002, the film festival was reserved to "non-aligned and other developing countries".
Korean April 26 Animation Studio, also known as SEK Studio, is a state-owned North Korean animation studio, based in Ot'an-dong, Central District, Pyongyang.
The Game of Their Lives is a 2002 documentary film directed and produced by Daniel Gordon with Nicholas Bonner of Koryo Tours as an associate producer about the seven surviving members of the North Korea national football team who participated in the 1966 FIFA World Cup. Their victory over Italy propelled the North Korean team into the quarterfinal: it was the first time an Asian team had advanced so far in a World Cup.
The Grand Mass Gymnastics and Artistic Performance Arirang, also known as the Arirang Mass Games, or the Arirang Festival is a mass gymnastics and artistic festival held in the Rungrado 1st of May Stadium in Pyongyang, North Korea. The games usually take place in August or September. The Arirang Mass Games were held annually between 2002 and 2013, with the exception of 2006. After a five-year hiatus, Mass Games returned for a performance entitled 'The Glorious Country' in 2018.
Mass games or mass gymnastics are a form of performing arts or gymnastics in which large numbers of performers take part in a highly regimented performance that emphasizes group dynamics rather than individual prowess.
The cinema of North Korea began with the division of Korea and has been sustained since then by the ruling Kim dynasty. Kim Il Sung and his successor Kim Jong Il were both cinephiles and sought to produce propaganda films based on the Juche ideology.
Tourism in North Korea is tightly controlled by the North Korean government. All tourism is organized by several state-owned tourism bureaus, including Korea International Travel Company (KITC), Korean International Sports Travel company (KISTC), Korean International Taekwondo Tourism Company (KITTC) and Korean International Youth Travel Company (KIYTC). The majority of tourists are Chinese nationals: one 2019 estimate indicated that up to 120,000 Chinese tourists had visited North Korea in the previous year, compared to fewer than 5,000 from Western countries.
Historically, North Korea's participation in international sporting events has been hindered by the relations with South Korea. Until the 1990s, North Korea used to host up to 14 international events every year, albeit in small scale. Since the early 1990s, the amount was reduced to just one, the Paektusan Prize International Figure Skating Festival. More recently, since the 2000s, North Korea both participates in and hosts more international competitions.
Daniel Gordon is a British documentary film director known for his documentaries on sports and North Korea.
Crossing the Line is a 2006 British documentary film by Daniel Gordon and Nicholas Bonner. Gordon also wrote the script and produced the documentary.
Unsung Heroes, also known as Unknown Heroes or more literally as Nameless Heroes, is a North Korean war drama mini-series about a spy in Seoul during the Korean War. Over twenty hours long, it was filmed and released in multiple parts between 1978 and 1981. It was the recipient of the Kim Il-sung Medal.
Koryo Tours is an independent British tour operator based in Beijing, specializing in group and private tourism to North Korea. Their tours run throughout the year covering budget to exclusive trips. There are packages for staying in the capital Pyongyang with visits to the DMZ at the border with the Republic of Korea. At different times of year there are other events such as the Mass Games and the Pyongyang International Film Festival which are available as special tours when they are running.
James Joseph Dresnok was an American defector to North Korea, one of seven U.S. soldiers to defect after the Korean War.
Roy Chung, born Chung Ryeu-sup (Korean: 정류섭), was a soldier who is widely believed to be the fifth of seven United States Army soldiers to have defected to North Korea after the Korean War.
Comrade Kim Goes Flying is a 2012 North Korean romantic comedy feature film, set and filmed in Pyongyang, North Korea.
Pyongyang Gymnasium, also known as Pyongyang Indoor Stadium, is an indoor sporting arena located in Pyongyang, North Korea. The capacity of the arena is for 20,100 people and it was opened in 1973.
Yang Yong-hi is a Japanese-born Korean film director. Yang has directed multiple films, particularly focusing on her cultural and familial experiences in modern North Korea.
