Culture of North Korea

Last updated

At the Pyongyang Embroidery Institute North Korea-Pyongyang Embroidery Institute-01.jpg
At the Pyongyang Embroidery Institute
Lapel pins from North Korea Pins aus Nordkorea.jpg
Lapel pins from North Korea

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. Juche displays North Korea's cultural distinctiveness as it is the origin and sole adopter of the ideology. [1]

Contents

Art in North Korea is primarily didactic, where cultural expression serves as an instrument for inculcating Juche ideology and the need to continue the struggle for revolution and reunification of the Korean Peninsula. Foreign governments and citizens, especially Americans[ citation needed ], are depicted negatively as imperialists; while revolutionary heroes and heroines are seen as saintly figures who act from pure motives. The three most consistent themes are martyrdom during the revolutionary struggle (depicted in literature such as The Sea of Blood ), the happiness of the present society, and the genius of the leader. [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]

Due to North Korean Isolationism, the general population has little to 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 credits Kim Jong Il for making the country a "kingdom of art." The North Korean Media claims Kim Jong Il is supposedly responsible for cultural policy. [1]

Pyongyang and other large cities offer the broadest selection of cultural expression. "Art Propaganda squads" travel to production sites in the provinces to perform poetry readings, one-act plays, and songs in order to "congratulate workers on their successes" and "inspire them to greater successes through their artistic agitation." Such squads are prominent in the countryside during the harvest season and whenever "speed battles" to increase productivity are held. [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 Korean Workers' Party (KWP) control the production of literature and art. In the early 1990s, there was no evidence of any underground anti-regime literary or cultural movements such as the samizdat in the Soviet Union or those that exist in the People's Republic of China. The party exercises control over culture through its Propaganda and Agitation Department and the Culture and Arts Department of the KWP's Central Committee. The KWP's General Federation of Korean Literature and Arts Unions, the parent body for all literary and artistic organizations, also directs cultural activity. [1] Due to widespread media control, some analysts have characterized North Koreans as censorees. [3] These media of paintings, songs, movies, and mass games tell the story of Kim Il Sung as the father of the nation and provides guidance on how to behave as "model citizens" of North Korea. [4]

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 emphasized. 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

The Hamhung Grand Theatre, one of the biggest in North Korea, was completed in 1984 in the city of Hamhung. HamhungOpera.jpg
The Hamhŭng Grand Theatre, one of the biggest in North Korea, was completed in 1984 in the city of Hamhŭng.

Literature is dominated by political themes. A series of historical novels—Pulmyouui yoksa ( Immortal History )— depict the heroism and tragedy of the pre-liberation era. The Korean War is the key theme of Korea Fights and The Burning Island . Since the late 1970s, five "great revolutionary plays" have been promoted as models of the party's literature: The Shrine for a Tutelary Deity , a theatrical rendition of The Flower Girl, Three Men, One Party , A Letter from a Daughter , and Hyolbun mangukhoe ( Resentment at the World Conference ). [1]

Korean revolutionary opera, derived from traditional Korean operas, known as ch'angguk, are often variations on Korean folk songs. Old fairy tales have also been changed to include revolutionary themes. As part of the party's policy of preserving the best from Korea's past, premodern vernacular works such as the Sasong kibong ( Encounter of Four Persons ) and the Ssangch'on kibong ( Encounter at the Two Rivers ) have been reprinted with edits to suit that purpose as well. [1]

Musical compositions include the "Song of General Kim Il Sung", "Long Life and Good Health to the Leader", and "We Sing of His Benevolent Love"—hymns that praise the nation's leader. According to a North Korean writer,[ who? ] "Our musicians have pursued the party's policy of composing orchestral music based on famous songs and folk songs popular among our people and produced numerous instrumental pieces of a new type." This music includes a symphony based on the theme of The Sea of Blood, which has also been made into a revolutionary opera. [1]

In February 2008, the New York Philharmonic Orchestra became the first U.S. orchestra to perform in North Korea, [5] albeit for a handpicked "invited audience". [6] The concert was broadcast on national television. [7] The Christian rock band Casting Crowns played at the annual Spring Friendship Arts Festival in April 2007, held in Pyongyang. [8]

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. [9]

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 ponder: 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. [10]

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. [10]

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. [11] 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. [11] [12] 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. [13] [14] Uriminzokkiri is a Korean news website that frequently posts propaganda including the United States attack video published in 2013. [15]

Visual arts

Historically, graphic design in North Korea was influenced by the Soviet bloc and by Korean tradition. It has tended to use a "Korean palette" of bright colours. In around 2005, digital design replaced hand-drawn graphics, and the Western influence became stronger. [16]

Architecture and city planning

The incomplete Ryugyong Hotel in 2011. Ryugyong Hotel 4 Sep 2011.jpg
The incomplete Ryugyong Hotel in 2011.

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 Ch'ollima Statue; a twenty-meter high bronze statue of Kim Il Sung in front of the Museum of the Korean Revolution (itself, at 240,000 square meters, one of the largest structures in the world); the Arch of Triumph (similar to its Parisian counterpart, although a full ten meters higher); and Juche Tower, 170 meters high, built on the occasion of Kim's seventieth birthday in 1982. [1]

The second architectural category makes special use of traditional tiled roof designs and includes the People's Palace of Culture and the Grand People's Study House, both in Pyongyang, and the International Friendship Exhibition Hall at Myohyang-san. The latter building displays gifts given to Kim Il Sung by foreign dignitaries. In light of North Korea's current close relationship to China, and during the Joseon period, it is significant that the section of the hall devoted to gifts from China is the largest. [1]

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 to 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 Reunification Highway, a four-lane road connecting the capital and the Demilitarized Zone. According to a journalist writing in the Far Eastern Economic Review , the highway is "an impressive piece of engineering" that "cuts a straight path through mountainous terrain with 21 tunnels and 23 bridges on the 168 kilometers route to P'anmunjm." As in many other construction projects, the military provided the labor. [1] North Korea has stated its hope that upon eventual reunification the highway will carry back-and-forth traffic.

Mass games

Arirang Festival mass games display in Pyongyang. North korea mass games.jpg
Arirang Festival mass games display in Pyongyang.

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. [17] 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

Related Research Articles

<i>Juche</i> State ideology of North Korea

Juche, officially the Juche idea, is the state ideology of North Korea and the official ideology of the Workers' Party of Korea. North Korean sources attribute its conceptualization to Kim Il Sung, the country's founder and first leader. Juche was originally regarded as a variant of Marxism–Leninism until Kim Jong Il, Kim Il Sung's son and successor, declared it a distinct ideology in the 1970s. Kim Jong Il further developed Juche in the 1980s and 1990s by making ideological breaks from Marxism–Leninism and increasing the importance of his father's ideas.

The music of North Korea includes a wide array of folk, popular, light instrumental, political, and classical performers. Beyond patriotic and political music, popular music groups like Pochonbo Electronic Ensemble and Moranbong Band perform songs about everyday life in the DPRK and modern light pop reinterpretations of classic Korean folk music. Music education is widely taught in schools, with President Kim Il Sung first implementing a program of study of musical instruments in 1949 at an orphanage in Mangyongdae. Musical diplomacy also continues to be relevant to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, with musical and cultural delegations completing concerts in China and France in recent years, and musicians from Western countries and South Korea collaborate on projects in the DPRK.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Korean Central News Agency</span> North Korean state news agency

The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) (Korean: 조선중앙통신) is the state news agency of North Korea. The agency portrays the views of the North Korean government for both domestic and foreign consumption. It was established on December 5, 1946, and now features online coverage.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Down-with-Imperialism Union</span> Political party in Korea

The Down-with-Imperialism Union was allegedly founded on 17 October 1926 in Hwatian County, Kirin, China, in order to fight against Japanese imperialism and to promote Marxism–Leninism. It is considered by the Workers' Party of Korea to be its root and foundation and its creation is celebrated every year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cinema of North Korea</span>

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Korean literature</span>

Reading is a popular pastime in North Korea, where literacy and books enjoy a high cultural standing, elevated by the regime's efforts to disseminate propaganda as texts. Because of this, writers are held in high prestige.

The Mansudae Art Troupe is a North Korean troupe of musicians that create light-classical operas and music, as well as dance pieces.

<i>Sea of Blood</i> North Korean propagandist opera

Sea of Blood is a propagandist North Korean opera credited to Kim Il Sung. It was first produced as an opera by Sea of Blood Theatrical Troupe in 1971. It was then later adapted into a novel by the Choseon Novelist Association of the 4.15 Culture Creation Group in 1973.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Workers' Party of Korea</span> Sole ruling party of North Korea

The Workers' Party of Korea (WPK), also called the Korean Workers' Party (KWP), is the sole ruling party of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, commonly known as North Korea. Founded in 1949 from a merger between the Workers' Party of North Korea and the Workers' Party of South Korea, the WPK is the oldest active party in Korea. It also controls the Korean People's Army, North Korea's armed forces. The WPK is the largest party represented in the Supreme People's Assembly and coexists with two other legal parties that are completely subservient to the WPK and must accept the WPK's "leading role" as a condition of their existence. The WPK is banned in the Republic of Korea under the National Security Act and is sanctioned by the United Nations, the European Union, Australia, and the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Propaganda in North Korea</span> Information dissemination by the North Korean government

Propaganda is widely used and produced by the government of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. Most propaganda is based on the Juche ideology, veneration of the ruling Kim family, the promotion of the Workers' Party of Korea, and hostilities against both the Republic of Korea and the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Korean revolutionary opera</span> Genre of opera in North Korea

Korean revolutionary opera (Korean: 조선혁명가극) is a tradition of revolutionary opera in North Korea inspired by Chinese Revolutionary Opera which blossomed during the Cultural Revolution. It is characterized by a highly melodramatic style and reoccurring themes of patriotism and glorification of Juche, President Kim Il Sung, and the working people, as well as a focus on socialist realist themes. Composers of North Korean revolutionary opera are employed by the North Korean government and the fundamental principles of North Korean revolutionary opera were dictated by Kim Jong Il in his speech On the Art of Opera.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Korean cult of personality</span> Veneration of the ruling Kim family in North Korea

The North Korean cult of personality surrounding the Kim family has existed in North Korea for decades and can be found in many examples of North Korean culture. Although not acknowledged by the North Korean government, many defectors and Western visitors state there are often stiff penalties for those who criticize or do not show "proper" respect for the former leaders of the country, Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il, officially referred to as "eternal leaders of Korea". The personality cult began soon after Kim Il Sung took power in 1948, and was greatly expanded after his death in 1994.

<i>With the Century</i> Book by Kim Il Sung

Reminiscences: With the Century is the autobiography of Kim Il Sung, founder and former president of North Korea. The memoirs, written in 1992 and published in eight volumes, retell Kim's life story through his childhood to the time of Korean resistance. Initially, a total of 30 volumes were planned but Kim Il Sung died in 1994 after just six volumes; the seventh and eight volumes were published posthumously. The work reveals early influences of religious and literary ideas on Kim's thinking. An important part of North Korean literature, With the Century is held as an intriguing if unreliable insight into the nation's modern history under late colonial Korea. The book is considered one of a few North Korean primary sources widely available in the West and as notable research material for North Korean studies.

<i>On the Art of the Cinema</i> 1973 book by Kim Jong-il

On the Art of the Cinema is a 1973 treatise by the North Korean leader Kim Jong Il. It is considered the most authoritative work on North Korean filmmaking.

<i>On the Juche Idea</i> 1982 book by Kim Jong-il

On the Juche Idea is a treatise attributed to North Korean leader Kim Jong Il on the North Korean Juche ideology. It is considered the most authoritative work on Juche.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National symbols of North Korea</span>

Upon its liberation in 1945 and subsequent foundation in 1948, North Korea adopted national symbols distinct from the national symbols of South Korea. The traditional flag of Korea, the Taegukgi, and the symbol Taeguk, were swapped for socialist symbols.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Propaganda and Agitation Department</span> Department of the Workers Party of Korea

The Propaganda and Agitation Department, officially translated as the Publicity and Information Department, is a department of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) tasked with coordinating the creation and dissemination of propaganda in North Korea. It is the highest propaganda organization in the country.

<i>Let Us March Forward Dynamically Towards Final Victory, Holding Higher the Banner of Songun</i> 2012 speech by Kim Jong-un

Let Us March Forward Dynamically Towards Final Victory, Holding Higher the Banner of Songun is a speech by Kim Jong Un on 15 April 2012, given to commemorate the centenary of the birth of Kim Il Sung. It was his first major public speech after succeeding his father Kim Jong Il after his death in 2011. He had given at least one speech, Let Us Brilliantly Accomplish the Revolutionary Cause of Juche, Holding Kim Jong Il in High Esteem as the Eternal General Secretary of Our Party, to party officials the week before.

<i>On the Art of Opera</i> 1974 work by Kim Jong-il

On the Art of Opera is a 1974 treatise by Kim Jong Il on opera. According to Korea University associate professor of North Korean studies Jae-Cheon Lim, it is one of the most important North Korean works on the arts. At the time of writing, Kim had just started his career in the North Korean cultural industry. The piece takes as its framework the Juche ideology and "seed" theory that Kim had previously applied to cinema. Because opera is a mixed art form, Kim finds it particularly revealing of a nation's artistic state and important for the application of his seed theory. Kim finds hierarchies between and within elements of opera, like instruments subordinate to vocals and music over dance. The main thrust of the work is to replace classical – mainly Western but also certain forms of Korean – opera with an allegedly superior Korean revolutionary opera. Kim analyzes various Western operatic forms such as aria, recitative, and leitmotif to reject them. In Kim's view, the ideal revolutionary opera should be based on stanzaic and strophic songs, of which the highest form is a supposedly novel form of offstage chorus called pangchang. The opera that is, according to Kim, most characteristic of his ideas is Sea of Blood, which is to be emulated.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ideology of the Workers' Party of Korea</span> Ideology of the ruling party of North Korea

Officially, the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) – the ruling party of North Korea – is a communist party guided by Kimilsungism–Kimjongilism, a synthesis of the ideas of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il. The party is committed to Juche, an ideology attributed to Kim Il Sung which promotes national independence and development through the efforts of the masses. Although Juche was originally presented as the Korean interpretation of Marxism–Leninism, the party now presents it as a freestanding philosophy of Kim Il Sung. The WPK recognizes the ruling Kim family as the ultimate source of its political thought. The fourth party conference, held in 2012, amended the party rules to state that Kimilsungism–Kimjongilism was "the only guiding idea of the party". Under Kim Jong Il, who governed as chairman of the National Defence Commission, communism was steadily removed from party and state documents in favour of Songun, or military-first politics. The military, rather than the working class, was established as the base of political power. However, Kim Jong Il's successor Kim Jong Un reversed this position in 2021, replacing Songun with "people-first politics" as the party's political method and reasserting the party's commitment to communism.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 PD-icon.svg This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain .Savada, Andreas Matles, ed. (1994). "North Korea: A Country Study". Country Studies. Federal Research Division . Retrieved 27 July 2013.{{cite encyclopedia}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) Fourth ed. Washington: Federal Research Division of the Library of Congress. ISBN   0-8444-0794-1.
  2. ↑ Kim, Suk-young (2010). Illusive Utopia: Theater, Film, and Everyday Performance in North Korea. University of Michigan Press. p. 4.
  3. ↑ 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.
  4. ↑ Kang, David C. "They Think They're Normal: Enduring Questions and New Research on North Korea- A Review Essay". International Security . 36 (3): 23.
  5. ↑ "Americans in Pyongyang Perform". CNN. Archived from the original on 27 February 2008. Retrieved 26 February 2008.
  6. ↑ Ben Rosen (25 February 2008). "Letter From North Korea – Update". Huffington Post . Retrieved 1 December 2008.
  7. ↑ "Musical diplomacy as New York Phil plays Pyongyang". Reuters. 26 February 2008. Archived from the original on February 29, 2008.
  8. ↑ "Casting Crowns Performs in North Korea". CMSpin.com. Archived from the original on 28 December 2010. Retrieved 16 November 2010.
  9. ↑ Kang, David C (2011). "They Think They're Normal: Enduring Questions and New Research on North Korea-A Review Essay". International Security. 36 (3): 142–171. doi:10.1162/ISEC_a_00068. S2CID   57564589.
  10. 1 2 "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.
  11. 1 2 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.
  12. ↑ "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.
  13. ↑ "Spread of portable EVD players fueling 'Korean wave' in N. Korea". The Korea Observer. 22 October 2013. Retrieved 22 October 2013.
  14. ↑ "North Korea: 80 executed for 'watching illegal television programmes'". The Times , 13 November 2013, Internet copy retrieved with subscription 13 December 2013
  15. ↑ "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.
  16. ↑ Dagyum Ji (27 October 2017). "'Made in North Korea': DPRK graphics, from candy to postcards". NK News.
  17. ↑ Kim, Suk-Young (2010). "Illusive Utopia: Theater, Film, and Everyday Performance in North Korea". University of Michigan Press.

Further reading

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.