Menu
close
Home › Forums › Short Online Seminars › Two Koreas, Summer 2020 › Session 5 (July 23) - Depictions of North Korea
Juana Evink.
cgaoHow is North Korea seen by outsiders?
Video: The Two Koreas as Depicted in Film, Literature, and Popular Culture
Readings (use the hyperlinks or download the PDFs below):
Jennifer Jung-KimI also recommend watching Crash Landing On You on Netflix for a very current depiction of North Korea. Althoguh the 16 episodes take about 24 hours, I do recommend watching it. The film does a very good job of depicting North Korea today.
And here's a good analysis of the drama:
Tom MuellerAs I was examining the video and the readings, I started thinking about my own perceptions. I know the show had a lot of problems but MASH really helped me “see” North Koreans, South Koreans and Chinese. This was not a “classic” war show, it brought some humanity to the screen. Of course those of us who remember the show know that even though it was about the Korean War, it really was about the events in Vietnam. My favorite episodes were the ones with interactions between the doctors and the Koreans. I remember one episode when a South Korean military police officer was watching a North Korean soldier. We find out it is his brother. They had not spoken since the beginning of the war, their father had sent one to join the South Korean army and the other went to the North Korean army, so that the family’s name would be preserved no matter who won the war. It is dangerous for both of them if their fellow soldiers find out – possibly labeled as spies. It ends with a touching moment at the end – the doctors fake a blood transfusion, so the two can talk.
When you examine the news media and the Hollywood movies, we see North Korea as a crushing authoritarian government – a mindless machine. Kim Jung Un is a madman bent on destroying the United States. Some of this may be true, but some has been exaggerated. Governments are always looking for the foreign other – an adversary that they can pit their country against. It is used as a rallying call – it is us against them. This type of other helps unite the country against a common enemy. During my childhood, it was the Soviet Union – Hollywood movies portrayed the Soviets as killing machines with only two things on their mind – destroying America and killing as many Americans as possible. They were the ultimate villains - Rocky 4, Invasion USA and of course Red Dawn. Today you would think the Chinese would be on the top of that list, however there is one problem, Hollywood couldn’t sell their movies to the Chinese public if they are the bad guys. The Red Dawn remake was supposed to show China’s invasion, but it was switched to North Korea. https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-et-china-red-dawn-20110316-story.html
After reading The Girl with Seven Names, it sounds like there is a familiar theme going the other way against the United States. As I started this discussion I started by focusing on the need to see the North Koreans as people. We need to separate the government from the people.
There are some differences in how some South Koreans view North Koreans, especially in the movies. Shiri is about North Korean agents invading South Korea to wreak havoc. However the others that were described in the video package seem to show more of a brotherhood between the two. Of course each believes their “brother” has gone down a wrong path (capitalist vs communism), but they can be saved. I watched JSA, so I am going to lift a section from my movie discussion. There are two scenes that stuck with me.
1) When the shooting is over. It is Sgt Oh that tells Lee what to say - he gives him his alibi
2) When Lee and Oh are in the court room. Oh attacks and calls him names, etc. He strangles Lee and Lee looks to become incapacitated. However later we find out that there are no marks on Lee's neck. Lee had faked his "unconsciousness".
They were still brothers.
Meghann SerilThis week's readings remind me of a thread back from session one in which I believe Tom shared that the depictions he grew up with taught him to see the North Koreans as a group and an idea rather than as individual people. Through the different movie and documentary clips I found it difficult at times to distinguish sentiments sincerely held by the North Korean people and those that have been forced by the government. Or maybe this is a "seeing the forest for the trees" situation and they are inseparable from each other. I also watched Hyeonseo Lee's Ted Talk and could sense the conflicting feelings about her upbringing and experience. As Laura shared in another thread, there are so many contradictions in these presentations of North Korea, as there are of South Korea. There are the sequined and flashy musical productions of the Moranbong Band and the stories of ten men sharing one blanket. There is a softness and sweetness of the pink and fuschia colored uniforms for North Korean orchestra and the bright crispness of the red scarves worn by students. I guess in all of these presentations I find hope in the Cranes story by Hwang Sunwon and in JSA that small moments of seeing the humanity in others can overcome deeply entrenched ideologies.
Tom MuellerMeghann - that is great thought..."small moments of seeing the humanity in others can overcome deeply entrenched ideologies."
This is one of my hopes when I teach the World Geography course. I know that some of us get caught up in media representation and / or Hollywood representation. However when we start to see others as human beings, then we can get past those representations. When we can hear their stories, maybe we can better understand their lives and experiences. We do not have to agree with them, but “seeing” things from their point of view maybe we get a better understanding of them. I think the “Hollywoodized” movies are important, because for me I am learning something without realizing I am learning. Maybe my “defenses” are lower when watching movies, etc.
Meghann SerilHi Tom! I love the way you capture the relationship between the two Koreas as two brothers, each wanting to save the other from going down the wrong path. In this way, I can imagine that the two Koreas might maintain the status quo for a long time, maybe forever? It seems that the leaders of both Koreas are not inclined to budge from their ideological stances and I can't imagine other world powers, even China or Russia, being able to break that bond that keeps the two countries tethered.
Meghann SerilHi Tom! This reminds me of a Ted Talk by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie in which she talks about the danger of a single story. If we only see one representation it is understable that we would generalize that representation to the whole group. I agree that in our role as teachers we have a powerful and important opportunity to expose our students to several points of view. Although I teach 3rd grade and most of what we discussed doesn't necessarily fit with my standards, I think that one take away I have is that I can be more intentional in the representations that I do share in the classroom. I need to look beyond the prescribed curriculum to ensure my students are reflected in their instruction.
Kimberly de BerzunzaThat is a great Ted Talk and so relevant to almost any discussion these days! OFF topic- if you have not read Adichie's novels, both Americanah and Half of a Yellow Sun are great.
Kimberly de BerzunzaI really appreciate any films that are appropriate and accurate for classroom use. Visual media is an incredibly powerful tool, and fictional accounts can still help us understand the humanity of many situations. It's always hard to make time for full-length movies, but when it's worth it, it's worth it. I always wish we could read this or that novel- at least a movie can be watched in maybe 3 class periods. I look forward to exploring some of these.
Kimberly de BerzunzaLast year I fell into a trap. I found a couple of video clips about North Korea that I shared with my class. But then they disappeared or were blocked or for some reason I couldn't find them again, and so under pressure I looked up something on the fly and what I found was TERRIBLE. It was super biased, "Evil and Backward North Korea" kind of fare. I was embarrassed as a teacher to have shown something so bad, and tried to spin it as how we evaluate the quality of media... I'm really glad to now have some better options. I teach Medieval World History, but I still like to make connections to modern day. As I said above, I look forward to exploring more of these films. I am currently watching "Crash Landing on You" and really enjoy it, but I'd like to see "Ode to my Father" and "Under the Sun." I saw that PBS documentary before. Are all of these easily available, or how can we find them?
Alyssa YffHow is North Korea seen by Outsiders?
As I watched the video lecture and read the various postings, I came to a few big ideas regarding how North Korea is seen by the outside world. In the film clips, that Dr. Jung-Kim posted, I clearly saw the image of North Korea as isolated and repressed. In the initial film footage from the United States documentaries we see defectors from North Korea and how they have struggled through this experience. The documentary, I am Sun Mu, seems to really illustrate the conflicting feelings of a defector living in South Korea (I believe?). His paintings are done in a pop culture style but have some really intense colors and feelings embedded in them. I have not seen this film, but it seems like it is really illustrating the repression of the North Korean regime on this artist - and how he is dealing with his identity as a North Korean defector. Likewise, the Frontline Episode on North Korea also seems to illustrate a culture that is isolated from the outside world as they stress that we are getting a glimpse into this secret state and repressed by their military. I have seen this frontline documentary and I thought it was very well done, but definitely instills a distrust and fear of North Korea to the American audience. I also felt like a few of the other films mentioned by Dr. Jung-Kim had similar messaging. The essay "Nothing to Envy" hit on many of the same themes of islolation and repression of the North Korean regime, as well as this idea put out by Frontline that the North Korean people have to be "bought in" to the regime to stay in power. The book seems to illustrate the lives of defectors and their experiences in prison or dealing with arrest and interrogation in North Korea. It definitely highlights the struggles of the North Korean people under the regime and the control of the regime. However, I am not sure if Barbara Demrick had interviewed the defectors and retold their stories and if this is through an American lens.
In terms of the depctions by the South Korean films, I had a harder time identifying a common theme. The clip of Shiri in the lecture seemed to be action packed and showed a great deal of fighting. However, i felt that the other films showed loss between the two sides and distrust. The movie about the two brothers really illusrated Loss and the hope of unity. But, it didn't seem that the JSA or Shiri films necessarily showed this, or at least in the clips/trailers. I am curious how others in class interpreted these films or if anyone has seen them.
Finally, I would echo what Tom, Kimberly and Meghann had stated above that we need to not view the North Koreans by their government, but through their people. I think a few of the texts really helped illustrate that view this week. Again, the Demick chapter had many examples of the people of North Korea and their experiences under the regime. I would even state that the Frontline episode and the two documentaries on the defectors illustrate the struggle in North Korean with a more nuanced view. Here we have people in North Korea that are deeply unhappy and looking for an escape. We also see how the regime tries to maintain control over their people to ensure survival.
My big takeaway from the readings and films is that North Korea is a very complex state and there is a great deal of ambiguity. As Dr. Jung Kim stated It is really hard for outsiders to get a feel for what is actually going on. As outsiders we often have to guess or fill in the gaps because their is a lack of information coming out of North Korea. We see the experiences through these films, essays and news sources as all telling unique but very human stories of life in a "Communist Monarchy."
Alyssa YffOne more piece, one thing that I have really enjoyed about Crash Landing on You is how it illustrates the North Korean soldiers. In the first few episodes, you see their youth, inexperience and lack of confidence in action as they try to find Se-Ri. You get the feel that this is not a super well organized system, but just a system built on the use of fear and intimidation. That may be similar to the comedy from 2005 that Dr. Jung Kim referenced, Dongmakgol. I think Crash Landing on You highlights some of the same themes of chance encounters and an army that is lacking experience (and possibly purpose?). I have not seen Dongmakgol, so I am just going off the trailer. But I did see some similarities to Crash Landing on You.
Jasmine WeeksI don’t really know the extent of totalitarian regimes in the former Soviet Union or other communist governments, but from the readings this week I gather that In North Korea, the pressure to conform to the states’ ideal is pretty heavily enforced upon its citizens from day 1. From the reading “The Girl With Seven Names”, the “brainwashing” started in elementary school where students have to practice the unison chants praising their leaders everyday. High school students have to spend a lot of time practicing exhausting mass marches to perform during national events such as the supreme leader’s birthday, Liberation Day, Party Foundation Day etc., all to reinforce the glory of their leader and his effort in building the socialist society. Those performances were highly stressful because a small mistake would ruin the display and so the practices were drilled to perfection (Lee & John, 51). On the other hand, the school textbooks are designed to blend values of communism, Confucianism, and Kim’s ideology, giving credits to no other than their supreme leaders. Propaganda infiltrated into every subject, downplaying their counterparts China, the U.S. and even Russia to portray that “there is no place better than North Korea”. Lee also learned from her Mom that the history book got changed to suit the agenda!
Such an ideal environment with absolute piety pay to Kim and his shrines comes with a great cost. Stories from defector Kim Hyuck eluded that any form of opinion conflicting or downplaying the regime is deemed punishable through labor camp or “enlightenment center” (Demick, 175). Kim witnessed people in the village were just “disappeared in the middle of the night” never to be heard of again. His personal experience as a prisoner had confirmed that many were sentenced to penal servitude for petty offense such as food stealing. One such offender continued to be denied the privilege of receiving food and visit from his family until he died. Although there was execution and physical punishment, most prisoners died of starvation. Under such a fear stricken environment, no wonder those who try to have a different life or even just to survive would have to do things illegally and eventually flee the country. However, patrols were sent on the borders to prevent anyone going across or trading at the border to China and South Korea (Demick,181) Under Kim Jong Ii’s rule, even the homeless were not spared; shelters which run more like prisons were set up to make sure everyone is under control and scrutiny.
The reality of such totalitarianism within North Korea provided by their defectors is difficult to be confirmed. Unlike the performances within North Korea that often “focus on praising the young leader, contain anti-American lyrics and and revolutionary rhetoric, and celebrating recent missile test” (Mixler) , such nationalistic propaganda was not observed by during the performance by North Korean Samjiyon Orchestra at the night before Winter Olympic in 2018 that was attended by over 150,000.. However, it was noted throughout that visit, the Samjiyon Orchestra group was under tight control of the Northern delegation and totally excluded from exposure to South Korea culture and people (Qin, North Korea Orchestra). Other “music diplomacy” used as soft power to send the message “reconciliation” were: in 2000, North Korea’s State Symphony Orchestra held a joint concert with the South’s Korean Broadcasting System Philharmonic in Seoul; in 2008,North Korea hosted the New York Philharmonic; in 2012, North’s Unhasu Orchestra performed alongside the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, in Paris. Ironically, North Korea showed no sign of slowing down its military power after each of such cultural exchanges.
Finally, analysis by Meredith Shaw reveals that North Korean propaganda truly has infiltrated every sector of the media, which includes: state-sponsored Chosun Central TV broadcasts, state-produced films, revolutionary operas and ballads, and the regime’s state-produced fiction, published in monthly literary journals and distributed by the ruling Korean Workers’ Party to select schools and offices around the country. (Shaw, Texas Politics). I am appalled by Shaw's observation that “No other autocratic regime today has such a well-developed stable of artists and writers producing works aligned with the party’s ideological needs. The ruling Korean Workers’ Party has an extensive bureaucracy in charge of training talent, defining standards and commissioning projects in literature and other branches of the arts.The well-planned literature and arts build consistency and reinforce the regime’s ideology.” (Shaw, Reading between the lines at North Korea’s fiction factory”) Kim’s dynasty has achieved his utopian through both military and soft power.
North Korea may be a pariah state due to the military power that it holds tightly, recent movies analysed by Dr, Jung-Kim reflect the nostalgia of the progressive modern Korean may lean towards reunification of the two Koreas as the start of Sunshine Policy in 2000, especially since the American military presence in South Korea is causing some hostility (119).
Tom MuellerI am so sorry Kimberly. I actually fell into the same problem but with a more "neutral" documentary. In the PBS documentary, Secret State, one of the scenes shows the narrator asking North Korean children who they "are killing" in a video game, the kid said Americans. (I think that is the scene). My students immediately latched on to that scene and that is what they wanted to focus on. In fact, I finally got them off of it, by asking what things did they believe or want when they were 10 or 11. I told them that when I was that age, I wanted to find a horse and The Man with No Name (Fistful of Dollars - Clint Eastwood) and ride off into the sunset. It was silly, but I grew up on westerns. Think about what these kids grew up on? The next time I showed the video, I told the students about the scene before they watched it, but asked them to focus on one other scene and be ready to discuss it in class. It helped a little bit. However I think maybe supplementing the documentary with more personal stories from North Korea, etc. would be better for me.
Tom MuellerExcellent points. I think that is why we need more cultural exchanges. I am thinking about my possible curriculum idea for this workshop by using Pulgasari, the Godzilla type movie. I would love to hear any comments or suggestions. So I would have my students watch Pulgasari, the only introduction I would give is that it is a North Korean film. I would also ask them to watch preview of old Godzilla movies, etc. After watching the movie, students would write up a review of the movie and we would discuss it. I personally think it is a fun movie, nothing more and it was not going to win any Oscars (just like my old Godzilla movies). After our discussion, I would then present them with how the movie was created. I would discuss the director Shin Sang-ok, his kidnapping, etc. I am hoping this could lead a discussion to the oppressive regime in North Korea. Then I would discuss the similarities between Pulgasari and other monster movie, Godzilla, etc. I am hoping this could lead to a discussion on similarities between us and North Koreans – the love of monster movies.
I only use Wikipedia to find sources and the one on Pulgasari would be helpful.