Kim Jong-il Moves to Curb Fallout of 'Korean Wave'
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These days, in major North Korean cities such as Pyongyang, young people are freely using South Korean speech mannerisms that have hitherto been unheard of in the North.
Observers interpret the adoption of informal gestures and vernacular changes prevalent in Seoul to a new association among the younger Northern generation of this behavior with high levels of education and culture.
A former high-ranking official who recently entered South Korea as a defector said, "These days, among young North Koreans, South Korean culture is rapidly spreading". He cited the example of lovers and friends tracing heart shapes on the head or chest with their hand to indicate affection, which has now become a universally embraced expression.
Between intimate friends and couples, the term "I love you" is also used unflinchingly, and other expressions previously considered unbecoming are now widely used.
Commenting on these phenomena, the defector said, "They're due to the influence of South Korean dramas and movies". He added that although young North Koreans were physically situated north of the demilitarized zone, their hearts were increasingly migrating South.
An ex-government official of the North who recently visited China said, "Nowadays, there are about 1,000 tapes of South Korean dramas and movies floating around Pyongyang. With interesting shows, there's nothing you can't find, from relatively old programs to recently broadcast TV dramas".
It is said that even up to the mid-1990s, Hollywood movies and Hong Kong action films were the rage among high-ranking North Korean officials, but now, South Korean movies or dramas have come to dominate North Korean living rooms.
A Korean-Chinese who recently came back from North Korea said South Korean television and movies were having a profound impact on the fashion trends of young North Koreans, with Seoul fashion now the vogue.
According to him, second-hand South Korean clothes imported through China or Japan fly off the shelves as locals try and emulate their favorite soap stars. It has reached the point where clothes that don't bear the "Made in Korea" tag don't even merit a second glance from high-end consumers, he said.
The Korean-Chinese official said that along the Sino-North Korean border, mobile phones from the South are recognized as offering the premium quality and denoting the bearer's superior status. Among home electronics' brands, names such as Samsung and LG are also considered peerless.
With the "[South] Korean Wave" sweeping its way through North Korean youth, leader Kim Jong-il is said to have issued a directive in early November demanding that the phenomenon be pulled out by the roots. A joint task force composed of party members, officials from the State Safety & Security Agency, the Ministry of Public Security and prosecutorial personnel were reportedly dispatched to crackdown on the trend.
A former regional party executive who recently defected said vans with loudspeakers could be found all across the nation blaring street propaganda such as, "We must uproot vulgar acts like watching South Korean films or dramas, imitating [their] speech or singing [their] songs".
House raids and crackdowns by a mobile censorship team have also been strengthened. Those selling South Korean goods at markets are fined W100,000, while those found to be watching South Korean videos are subject to forced exile, including hard labor at one of the North's infamous modern gulags.
Citizens who distribute such material receive severe punishments corresponding to those meted out for acts of treason, the defector said.
He added that residents are resorting to subterfuge to avoid being penalized, bundling their VCRs in vinyl and burying them underground while erasing the South Korean trademarks.
Kang Chol-hwan
Observers interpret the adoption of informal gestures and vernacular changes prevalent in Seoul to a new association among the younger Northern generation of this behavior with high levels of education and culture.
A former high-ranking official who recently entered South Korea as a defector said, "These days, among young North Koreans, South Korean culture is rapidly spreading". He cited the example of lovers and friends tracing heart shapes on the head or chest with their hand to indicate affection, which has now become a universally embraced expression.
Between intimate friends and couples, the term "I love you" is also used unflinchingly, and other expressions previously considered unbecoming are now widely used.
Commenting on these phenomena, the defector said, "They're due to the influence of South Korean dramas and movies". He added that although young North Koreans were physically situated north of the demilitarized zone, their hearts were increasingly migrating South.
An ex-government official of the North who recently visited China said, "Nowadays, there are about 1,000 tapes of South Korean dramas and movies floating around Pyongyang. With interesting shows, there's nothing you can't find, from relatively old programs to recently broadcast TV dramas".
It is said that even up to the mid-1990s, Hollywood movies and Hong Kong action films were the rage among high-ranking North Korean officials, but now, South Korean movies or dramas have come to dominate North Korean living rooms.
A Korean-Chinese who recently came back from North Korea said South Korean television and movies were having a profound impact on the fashion trends of young North Koreans, with Seoul fashion now the vogue.
According to him, second-hand South Korean clothes imported through China or Japan fly off the shelves as locals try and emulate their favorite soap stars. It has reached the point where clothes that don't bear the "Made in Korea" tag don't even merit a second glance from high-end consumers, he said.
The Korean-Chinese official said that along the Sino-North Korean border, mobile phones from the South are recognized as offering the premium quality and denoting the bearer's superior status. Among home electronics' brands, names such as Samsung and LG are also considered peerless.
With the "[South] Korean Wave" sweeping its way through North Korean youth, leader Kim Jong-il is said to have issued a directive in early November demanding that the phenomenon be pulled out by the roots. A joint task force composed of party members, officials from the State Safety & Security Agency, the Ministry of Public Security and prosecutorial personnel were reportedly dispatched to crackdown on the trend.
A former regional party executive who recently defected said vans with loudspeakers could be found all across the nation blaring street propaganda such as, "We must uproot vulgar acts like watching South Korean films or dramas, imitating [their] speech or singing [their] songs".
House raids and crackdowns by a mobile censorship team have also been strengthened. Those selling South Korean goods at markets are fined W100,000, while those found to be watching South Korean videos are subject to forced exile, including hard labor at one of the North's infamous modern gulags.
Citizens who distribute such material receive severe punishments corresponding to those meted out for acts of treason, the defector said.
He added that residents are resorting to subterfuge to avoid being penalized, bundling their VCRs in vinyl and burying them underground while erasing the South Korean trademarks.
Kang Chol-hwan
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