Key Takeaways

• As of January 2022, DataReportal estimates that there were over 5.24 million cellular mobile connections in North Korea. For context, North Korea’s population is estimated to be about 25.9 million, therefore cellphone proliferation is about 18%.
• Only about 200,000 homes are reported to own a computer. Detailing the complex buying and ownership process, Comparitech remarks, “Few stores stock them, and a potential buyer has to get clearance from the police before they are even allowed to browse. This permission is only granted after a home visit from the security service and lengthy questioning of all household members.”
• At the beginning of 2022, about 99.9% of North Koreans were offline, and potentially less than 1,000 people have access to international websites. PSCORE asserts that North Koreans have virtually no access to the world wide web. 
• Two North Korean defectors interviewed for Project Reveal spoke of an existing “small hacking culture” within North Korea. These hacks are “extremely specific” to North Korea as they are conducted on local phones and intranet. This is considered a crime by the government and could attract a fine of between 50,000 and 100,000 North Korean won as well as 3 months of “labor education”.

Introduction

Smartphone and Computer Ownership

• The "People for Successful COrean REunification", or PSCORE, a Seoul-based non-governmental organization, states that access to digital technology, like smartphones and computers, is "severely restricted" in North Korea.

• A 2022 report by DataReportal, an organization that tracks the digital activities of countries across the world, states that there were over 5.24 million cellular mobile connections in the country. For context, North Korea’s population is estimated to be about 25.9 million, therefore cellphone proliferation is about 18%. This is also upheld by a research study by the research center at Korea Development Bank (KDB), whose report also states that cellphone proliferation is most prolific in wealthy North Korean cities such as Pyongyang and Rason, where the subscription rate is believed to be over 70%. Reuters, quoting economists, states that “as many as 6 million”, or 25% of North Koreans have mobile phones.

• Comparitech, a website dedicated to cybersecurity, states that it is difficult to access a computer in North Korea. Only about 200,000 homes are reported to own a computer. Detailing the complex buying and ownership process, the site remarks, “Few stores stock them, and a potential buyer has to get clearance from the police before they are even allowed to browse. This permission is only granted after a home visit from the security service and lengthy questioning of all household members.”

• “It is evident that digital life in North Korea is very restricted — however, it is far from nonexistent. Despite the government’s best efforts, a non-negligible part of the North Korean population still has access to phones and laptops as well as foreign media content,” PSCORE concludes.

Access to the Global Web

• The 2022 DataReportal study reports that at the beginning of this year, about 99.9% of North Koreans were offline. The report also adds that potentially less than 1,000 people have access to international websites. PSCORE agrees, asserting that North Koreans have virtually no access to the world wide web. 

• Comparitech asserts that internet access is a reserve of the government, not a public resource. It asserts that North Korea does not have any internet penetration and only about 30 government websites are connected to the global web.

• Kim Yeon-Ri, a North Korean defector interviewed by PSCORE believes, “If the internet worked, it would be difficult to maintain North Korea. […] It would be a mess, for most people their thoughts will change. They will feel betrayed, it is just a matter of time, everyone will change. […] North Koreans who live abroad know the truth. […] The internet plays a major role in the defection of North Koreans. If they use it even once, they find out everything.”

Internet Service in North Korea

• PSCORE states that there are three types of internet access in North Korea. First, there is general population access, which refers to the type of access available to the majority of North Koreans. PSCORE states that the majority of the citizens do not have free access to the state-sanctioned intranet, Kwangmyong, largely due to restricted availability and finances. The second category, referred to as elite access, gives limited intranet access to certain groups, like elite students and IT practitioners, within the population who typically accessed the intranet through institutions. “Hyper elite access” which gives unrestricted access to the intranet, is made available to an “exclusive elite group” believed to be a few select families in the country. VPN Overview states that Kwangmyong only offers access to between 1,000 to 5,000 websites.

• Comparitech also asserts that North Korea’s local intranet is routed through China. All the uniform resource locators (URLs) used on Kwangmyong are identifiable by IPv4 addresses unique to the intranet. Further, the article states, “As Kwangmyong uses the same naming convention as the World Wide Web, the URLs are all written in Latin characters, not the Hangul alphabet used for the Korean language. This makes most URLs incomprehensible to the average user.” A 2020 article by the New York Times states that North Korea opened a new connection with Russia, “avoiding the North’s longtime dependency on a single digital pipeline through China”.

• The country’s internet speed, according to an international internet speed comparison done in 2016, was 2 Mbps. For comparison, the world average at the time was 5.6 Mbps, and in 2022 currently stands at 64.7 Mbps. We did not find an updated record of North Korea’s internet speed in the public domain.

Ways North Koreans Circumvent Government Restrictions

Hacking

• Project Reveal, a 2022 report done by Lumen, a U. S- based organization dedicated to “sharing information to North Korean people through careful research, innovative technologies, and thoughtful partnerships”, interviewed two North Korean defectors who spoke of an existing “small hacking culture” within the state. These hacks are “extremely specific” to North Korea as they are conducted on local phones and intranet. One of the motives for these hacks was to “break the state’s control on unrestricted consumption of illicit media”.

• The project goes on to state that while the hacking activity is small-scale, it was still worrisome enough to trigger changes in North Korean law. The report states that according to the 2020 Reactionary Ideology and Culture Rejection Law, “illegally installing a mobile phone manipulation program” could attract a fine of between 50,000 and 100,000 North Korean won as well as three months of “labor education”.

• One of the defectors was a state software engineer while the other was a Computer Science student at the Kim II Sung University in North Korea. Both were given the following pseudonyms, Mr. Kim and Mr. Park (respectively). Here is how they describe the hacking process in the report, "Smartphones would be connected to a laptop computer via a USB cable to transfer an application onto the phone. If the phone was tricked in the correct way, the application could be transferred and launched without being detected and deleted by the phone’s security software. Once launched, the application provides the user with root access, which gives complete control over the entire phone and the ability to add, modify or delete any file. Mr. Kim described using a Chinese application called “Root 方手,” although he stressed a variety of different rooting applications could be used to accomplish the task. The motivation for doing this was to bypass phone security and be able to install different applications, photo filters, and media files that would otherwise not be permitted".

• Mr. Kim also revealed that while hacking was a technical process, some people offered the service to “non-technical users” to not only circumvent government restrictions but also to increase the phone’s resale value.

• The Daily NK, a news publication focused on North Korea, gives details on Bidulgi 1.01, purportedly North Korea’s “smartphone security bypass program”. According to the article, while North Korean smartphones are designed to automatically delete unauthenticated files, Bidulgi can bypass this. A screenshot of the program is included below.

 

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• Comparitech also believes that the little Tor activity witnessed from North Korea could be a result of hacking research. It contends, as shown in the graph below, that there is “always 1 person connected each day during the year”, and about six using the site every day. The next graph shows America's daily users on Tor, who Comparitech estimates range from anywhere between 275,000 to 550,000.

 

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Research Strategy

Key Takeaways

• Triggered by a natural disaster in 1995, the Arduous March, forever changed the way North Koreans saw the world and themselves. Through short-wave radios and smuggled music and movies, North Koreans finally learned about daily life outside of the country's borders, which "opened the minds of individuals living under the confines of the Kim regime to the outside world, a world that was not as poverty-stricken, nor abusive, as they were once told."
•  Nearly 83% of North Koreans said in 2017 that the "outside world had a greater influence on their lives than North Korean government decisions," and almost 90% felt that information from the outside world was useful.
• With the exposure to South Korean pop culture, also called nampung (Southern Wind) in North Korea, people discovered a lifestyle they didn't even know existed, where people could choose their path and express their opinions and individuality. This awareness is making them question the government's propaganda and risk their lives seeking better opportunities on foreign grounds.
• Most North Koreans surveyed by Beyond Parallel did not see the United States as an enemy. Despite the heightened tension between the countries at the time (2017), only 32% of respondents said the United States was North Korea’s enemy, which surprised researchers given the portrayal of the US by the NK regime at the time.

Introduction

The Arduous March

• The walls separating North Koreans from the outside world started to crack in the 90s, way before the population knew what the internet was. In the mid to late 90s, North Korea endured a long period of widespread famine and poverty known as the Arduous March, a tragedy that forever changed the way North Koreans saw the world and themselves.
• Triggered by a natural disaster in 1995, the famine was the culmination of years of failed economic policies, political isolation, and the “juche” (self-reliance) ideology. North Korea adopts a centralized command economy, in which resources, such as food, are distributed by the government. As a highly urbanized country, most of the population depended entirely on the public distribution system. During the Arduous March, the system completely broke down, leaving millions of North Koreans to starve to death.
• Since the North Korean government could no longer supply the bare minimum for survival, the image of the country as a "socialist paradise on Earth" and the merit of blindly following the leaders started to crumble, ultimately undermining the authorities' control over the population. International trading, smugglers, and illegal markets called Jangmadang started to emerge, changing the country's informal economic structure and way of life, as "the breakdown of social control led to fissures in the blockade on information from outside the country."
• The continuing marketization of the economy "created noticeable changes in popular culture and consumption habits in urban centers. These changes have been funneled through North Korea’s special economic zones." According to the UN, "as many more North Koreans traveled back and forth to China, they were seeing for themselves the relative prosperity of China and received information about the ROK which was vastly different from the official propaganda of the government." (ROK = Republic of Korea/South Korea)
• A significant portion of North Koreans was now aware that the outside world is much different from the idea sold by the government. Through short-wave radios, smuggled music, and movies, North Koreans learned about daily life outside of the country's borders. "It was such banal yet pivotal moments that opened the minds of individuals living under the confines of the Kim regime to the outside world, a world that was not as poverty-stricken, nor abusive, as they were once told."
• Over the following years, the NK government launched aggressive initiatives to stop the spread of external information and foreign media in the country. The UN reports people being publicly executed for distributing foreign movies well into the 2010s. Still, "access to foreign media and awareness of life outside the country has eroded the legitimacy of the regime’s propaganda," fundamentally changing the relationship between the North Korean people and the Kim regime.

 

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The Outside World

• Propaganda "permeates every aspect" of North Korea's life. "It is crumbling slowly but you can’t underestimate the effect of the education that people have had since they were very young. All that propaganda and agitation they’ve received is still deeply ingrained in there."
• "The population is indoctrinated from a young age in accordance with the single state ideology and the Ten Principles as sustained by the Supreme Leader and the Workers’ Party of Korea to such a degree that it not only infringes on the freedom to seek and receive information as, but it also suppresses the emergence and development of free thought and conscience." As a result of indoctrination and isolation, ordinary North Koreans have "very skimpy knowledge about the outside world," NK News report.
• By controlling the entire media ecosystem in the country, the NK government tries to ensure citizens see the picture of the world it wants them to believe. One study analyzed the type of international news fed to North Koreans by the government in 2019:
• Reports about other countries are typically negative. "Foreign news makes up a small part of official media output, but it can be found in newspapers, on the radio, and on television." NK tries to convince people to fear the world by only showing political news, crime, conflict, human suffering, and disasters.
 
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• By subject country, "more coverage was devoted to South Korea than any other nation. The South Korean news items typically covered political scandals, labor unrest, and criticism of the government and politicians. This furthers the State's message that South Korea is not a more desirable place to live. It is a message that the State continually pushes, although, after so much exposure to South Korean television dramas that portray a more stylish, richer lifestyle, the real impact of this negative news is questionable."
• "Reports covering South Korea were subtly different from other foreign news in their almost exclusive use of still imagery to illustrate stories. In contrast, all other foreign news was often accompanied by a video which painted a much more graphic picture of the calamity being reported on," according to a report by the Committee for Human Rights in North Korea.
• Still, former diplomat Thae Yong-ho, one of the most notable NK defectors, noted that more North Koreans are becoming aware of the reality of their living conditions compared to other countries. This information, he says, is beginning to have a real impact in North Koreans. "While on the surface the Kim Jong-un regime seems to have consolidated its power through [a] reign of terror … there are great and unexpected changes taking place within North Korea," he noted in a testimony to the US Congress in 2017.
• In 2017, the Beyond Parallel project collaborated with a non-governmental agency working in North Korea to understand the minds and reality of North Koreans. Due to the limitations, they worked with a very small group of respondents (36), but their findings offer a surprising glimpse into the real lives and opinions of North Koreans.
• Researchers found that 35 out of the 36 respondents said that at least 75% of their household income comes from "unofficial markets, as opposed to official government-sanctioned jobs."
•  Nearly 83% (30 out of 36) said that the "outside world had a greater influence on their lives than North Korean government decisions." Moreover, almost 90% felt that information from the outside world was useful. The researchers pointed out that studies with escapees "indicate that North Koreans do have a fairly keen sense for when they are being fed propaganda. And so they know when to seek alternative sources of knowledge."
• Respondents were also not blind to the government's mistakes and shortcomings. In fact, 35 out of 36 say their family, friends, and neighbors complain or make jokes about the government in private.

Freedom

• Exposure to external information has helped change North Koreans' understanding of the world and their own living conditions, challenging previously-held convictions. "Outside information is not like any other information. It makes you ask questions about your life," one escapee born into a wealthy family noted.
• Defector Ryu Song Hyon believes North Koreans still have a "very limited understanding" of what "freedom" means. He only realized he had no freedom after gaining access to outside information and comparing his situation to the rest of the world. Research suggests many North Koreans share his experience.
• The North Korean elite is not immune to the impact of this realization, regardless of its many privileges. Historically, "the vast majority of North Korean defectors were impoverished citizens from Hamgyong Province, located near the border. In 2010, however, a more diverse range of North Korean residents began to defect including diplomats, soldiers and academics (...) These recent trends in defections, wherein Pyongyang’s so-called “elite” are relinquishing their social status at great risk, indicates a growing and widening discontent with the oppressive regime."
• A former member of North Korea’s political elite explained his decision to defect from the country by saying, "It might be hard to understand why liberty and human rights are valuable because most people, including those of you here, have enjoyed it since you were born," he remarked. "As an analogy, we do not think about the air around us. We breathe it but rarely think about it. But what happens when there’s no air to breathe? Then we realize its true importance."
• "Once something is learned, it cannot be unlearned," argues Edward Howell, a scholar at the Department of Politics and International Relations at Oxford. "Growing access to information – whether through radio programs, Korean dramas, the role of the diasporic community, or even the simplest recognition that the country is not “paradise on Earth” – in cultivating a 'hidden revolution' within the closed society of the DPRK could be one force for small, yet transformative, change in the minds, and attitudes, of North Koreans."

The South Korean Wave

• In 2021, Kim Jong-un called K-pop a "vicious cancer corrupting young North Koreans’ attire, hairstyles, speeches, behaviors," indicating the escalation of a cultural war that has been going on for over 20 years in the country. The popularity of South Korea among North Koreans started in the early 2000s, with illegal copies of movies and soap operas entering the country through the markets that developed during the famine period.
• With the exposure to South Korean pop culture, also called nampung (Southern Wind) in North Korea, people discovered a lifestyle they didn't even know existed, where people could choose their path and express their opinions and individuality. “In North Korean movies,” a defector recently told the NY Times, “it’s all about loyalty to the leader and the party; the state before love. You should be ready to die for the leader, blah blah. In South Korean dramas, it was different. I found a whole new world there.”
• Above all, it exposed the lies of the Kim dynasty propaganda machine, which had long described "South Korea as a living hell crawling with beggars." Through the K-dramas, young North Koreans learned that "while they struggled to find enough food to eat during a famine, people in the South were going on diets to lose weight." As a result, they started to question what the government portrayed as reality. Indeed, defectors surveyed in 2015 said that watching South Korean media made them distrust state propaganda, particularly about the quality of life in other countries.
• During his 2017 testimony, Han Tae-song claimed the regime was extremely worried about the influence of South Korean culture in the country, as Kim Jong-un and the NK regime believed that South Korea was "the biggest threat to the North Korean system itself because Kim Jong-un is very aware that the North Korean population are watching South Korean movies and dramas." Kim Jong-un's actions in the subsequent years have proved Song was right.

The Empire Strikes Back

• Over the last five years, NK has imposed increasingly harsher penalties  to curb South Korea's influence, including 15 years in prison for those caught watching movies or music from South Korea, the United States or Japan, and the death penalty for distributors.
• However, North Koreans and the organizations report that the government is focused on South Korean media. "When it comes to commercial content, the lowest-risk material includes movies from countries such as China, India, and Russia. These pose a low threat as their storylines are rarely political and the countries are not judged to be hostile to North Korea. A step higher are movies and soap operas from the United States and South Korea. As both are judged to be enemy states, the penalties can be higher. "
• Since 2010, several people have been publicly executed for distributing South Korean media. The punishment for consumers, however, has become more strict. The new law imposed calls for up to two years of hard labor for those who “speak, write or sing in South Korean style.” Bribing an official to ignore anything coming from South Korea is much more complex and expensive than for other cultures. In addition, North Koreans say the government is more likely to actively track South Korean media.
• The harsher laws seem to be having an effect in reducing consumption, but many are still willing to take the risk. Media professor Sunny Yoon explains that "North Korean audiences aren’t ignorant and passive consumers of foreign cultural products. But as North Koreans who watch South Korean media are in desperate situations (extreme poverty and no freedom)… it is natural for them to desire a new way of life by watching foreign media."
• Unfortunately, since most of their knowledge about South Korea comes from soap operas and K-pop, they often have a distorted idea of what life is like in the country, especially for North Korean escapees. According to BBC, "they can be disillusioned on arriving in the South, seeing that not everyone is wealthy and trouble-free. The very different gender norms also take some getting used to. There have been challenges for North Koreans integrating into South Korea: the national suicide rate – already high – is three times higher among defectors. Some choose to return to North Korea."
• In addition, K-drama is not enough to offer a well-rounded worldview. "No one is telling about democracy in dramas. They always tell about love." Yet they still have an important role. "Culture is soft, culture is light, but culture has power to distribute information to people," emphases GeumHyok Kim, a NK defector studying politics and international relations in Seoul.
• Apart from South Korea, people in North Korea are mostly interested in the US and China.

Cultures Around the World

• After centuries of domination by foreign countries, North Korean culture, starting in the 1950s, was primarily founded on the "rejection of everything foreign." Foreigners, particularly Americans, are typically presented as "evil or unintelligent in North Korean art." It is not subtle.
 
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• "Interest in China can be pragmatic: those who are interested in defecting are always seeking up-to-date news on China so that they can assure their safe passage through the country," according to a North Korean writer who defected from the country.
• As for the United States, awareness depends on the region and caste. Those who live in Pyongyang are often exposed to some elements of American media, such as Disney animations.
• Most North Koreans surveyed by Beyond Parallel did not see the United States as an enemy. Despite the heightened tension between the countries at the time (2017), only 32% of respondents said the United States was North Korea’s enemy, which surprised researchers given the portrayal of the US by the NK regime at the time.
• Additionally, in 2018, the state intensified its control over American and Chinese media as well. As a result, Indian films suddenly became popular. “Since all other videos are blocked, there are a lot of people watching Indian videos. They’re pretty fun, but because they’re so culturally different, the interest doesn’t last long,” noted a source in Pyongyang, further indicating that North Koreans are looking for more than just entertainment.
• Furthermore, according to Chang Hyok, another NK defector, younger North Koreans, also known as the Jangmadang Generation, want to see more from the outside world than pop culture. "In the past, North Koreans were content simply to enjoy TV shows or films, but now they wonder about new cultures, professions, and economics."

Research Strategy

Key Takeaways

• The Pyongyang International Film Festival offers North Koreans their only chance to watch foreign films from other countries. No films from the US, South Korea, or Japan are screened at this event.
• DVD players are the primary method that North Koreans consume foreign content (92%). Many Koreans have video recorders and DVDs obtained illegally through black markets or Chinese merchants.
• Foreign content from South Korea is perceived as the biggest threat to North Korea and is therefore the most severely punished. According to the law, importing or distributing South Korean movies, TV shows, songs and books will be punished through a period of reform through labor or even death.

Introduction

Availability of Foreign Content

• According to a report from Intermedia, among the most significant trends to emerge under the rule of Kim Jong Un is the shift toward greater media digitization and inter-connectedness. However, the type of media and information consumed by citizens remains tightly controlled by the current regime.
• With a few exceptions, consuming foreign media in North Korea is strictly illegal and offenders are subject to harsh punishments. The report states that "credible and continuous crackdowns on foreign media content have come to define the Kim Jong Un era." For instance, special units such as Group 109 have been formed to enforce bans on illegal content.
• In addition to locally produced TV shows, films, and talk shows, state broadcasters occasionally air foreign-produced content. However, the type of content aired is tightly regulated. For e.g. KCTV's (Korean Central Television) programming schedule must first be assessed and approved by the Propaganda and Agitation Department.
• According to an older article from the Korea Herald, the Pyongyang International Film Festival, which is held every 2 years, offers North Koreans their only chance to watch foreign films from a number of countries such as the UK, Canada, Mongolia, and Iran. It's also the only time that foreigners are allowed to watch movies with the locals. No films from the US, South Korea, or Japan are screened at this event.

 

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• Wealthy residents pay high rates to see "new releases from the government-run Korean Film Studio, as well as Russian and Chinese imports." For people who can't afford to go to the theater, there are other options such as the Mansudae TV channel which "shows mostly Chinese and Eastern European films on weekends."
• The article states that it is rare for North Koreans to be exposed to American media. The one exception is Disney movies which can be found in DVD shops.

Access to Foreign Content

• Despite the illegality, watching foreign films and dramas with trusted friends and family has become a normalized behavior in North Korea. According to survey findings, DVD players are the primary method that North Koreans consume foreign content (92%).
• According to the Sun, since the internet is not available to ordinary people, foreign media is distributed via flash drives and DVDs, which have become popular despite "draconian punishments." Many Koreans have video recorders and DVDs obtained illegally through black markets or Chinese Merchants.

• According to NPR, the black market for foreign content has grown in the country because government officials benefit from it. It states that salaries are so low that goods can be smuggled into the country from China by bribing the border guards. Consuming foreign media is said to be the norm even among enforcers of the law. Hence, it is often possible to escape from crackdowns with a bribe.
• Traders and smugglers have increasingly turned to USB sticks and micro SD cards since they are much easier to conceal from the authorities compared to DVDs. It has been reported that this has become a popular method for spreading information among users because "you can hide them between the pages of a book — you can swallow them, even, if you're caught with them."

• The article further states that due to the extremely high demand in the market, Chinese manufacturers have begun to produce products such as the "notel," which is a portable player with allows users to plug in two inputs at the same time; the illicit media on a USB stick, and also a state-approved propaganda disc in case they get caught.

 

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• However, according to 38 North (a North Korea-centered information source), officials have managed to shut down nearly all smuggling routes by sealing its borders almost completely since the beginning of the pandemic. In addition, they have added a second fence and new electronic systems "to keep people in and foreign culture out."
• The article (2021) states that there are no signs of North Korea reducing these restrictions anytime soon and that until then, smuggling foreign content into the country will be almost impossible. These controls enabled the government to stop the physical flow of foreign content into the country, which was something that they were unable to do for years.
• According to NK News, the North Korean government used to purchase foreign novels, print 100 copies of each, and distribute them to local writers so that they could improve their knowledge of foreign literature. But the writers who were struggling to make a living began selling copies of these books in the market, generating a great deal of interest among the public. Those novels included American and South Korean titles, though the latter were shared more reluctantly due to harsher punishments.
• This eventually caught the government's attention and the books were completely off the market within two years, while those found in possession of the books were arrested. Nowadays, booksellers only sell literature related to the Kim family which doesn't hold much interest among ordinary people.

Punishment for Illegally Accessing Foreign Content

• It has been reported that Kim particularly dislikes the influence of "anti-socialist and non-socialist" K-dramas, K-pop videos, and South Korean movies, and is determined to eliminate the "vicious cancer" that he believes will corrupt North Korean youth. It is said that he has "commanded his government to stamp out the cultural invasion."

• In early 2020, several new laws including the Reactionary Ideology and Culture Rejection Law were approved in North Korea, making it illegal to own or distribute foreign content. It has been reported that this law prompted a widespread crackdown on illegal foreign content in the country.
• The law details criminal punishments for violations such as the mass distribution of South Korean movies and the use of South Korean slang and fonts. Punishments include dismissal from jobs for minor offenses, financial penalties, and even death for severe crimes.
• The highest demand for foreign content is for South Korean movies and TV shows. South Korea also represents the greatest threat to the regime because the two countries used to be one. There are fears that the public will draw unfavorable conclusions related to the competency of the rulers of the North based on the differences in the development of the two countries. Therefore, users of South Korean content receive the harshest punishment.
• According to the law, importing or distributing South Korean movies, TV shows, songs and books will be punished through a period of reform through labor (involves hard manual labor inside a political prisoners’ camp with indoctrination sessions) or even death. Anyone who organizes or encourages group viewing of such content is considered to have committed the highest level of crime and is sentenced to death.
• While capital punishment in response to foreign content was not uncommon in North Korea, the number of cases has been on the decline in recent years. However, since the new law was announced, at least seven people have been executed for selling and distributing South Korean content such as CDs and USBs. This also includes a young woman in her 20s who was publicly executed in March 2022. 
• The next most punishable offense is related to foreign content from countries that are perceived to be hostile, such as the US and Japan. Importing and distributing content from such countries, or even watching and possessing it can result in up to 10-15 years of reform through labor.
• Watching or keeping material from countries that are judged to be "inconsistent with the socialist ideology and culture and ways of life" can be punished with reform through labor for up to 5 years. For importing and distributing such materials, the sentence can vary between 5-15 years. This can also include content from favorable countries that North Korea perceives as offensive.

Research Strategy

Key Takeaways

• In North Korea, culture is used by the government as a tool to ensure the survival of the Kim dynasty. North Korean television, radio stations, and newspapers "are not media organizations in the traditional sense. The whole reason they were established and continue to exist is to spread Party propaganda."
• The Propaganda and Agitation Department ensures that "North Korean ideology is promoted through news reports, media, and artistic endeavors." It operates an extensive network, reaching multiple agencies and departments, including the Ministry of Culture and the Central Broadcasting Committee.
• According to multiple reports, artists have no creative freedom in North Korea. All artistic and cultural performances must "show the nation’s official 'Juche' ideology and fierce loyalty to the top leader. Celebrities are used to promote the regime, so they are nurtured by the authorities out of necessity. As a result, singers, writers, and painters report having no freedom.

Introduction

The Relationship Between Art and the North Korean Regime

• In North Korea, culture is used by the government as a tool to ensure the survival of the Kim dynasty. Art and entertainment are wrapped in elements of political indoctrination and the celebration of the regime. The country is focused on creating its "own culture and making sure it is 'read' in one way, and one way only."
• North Korean television, radio stations, and newspapers "are not media organizations in the traditional sense. The whole reason they were established and continue to exist is to spread Party propaganda." The media's purpose is to justify the legitimacy of the regime, "educating people politically and socially, and implementing the leader’s instructions and the party’s policies."
• This Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) describes itself as "the only official mouthpiece for the Workers’ Party of Korea and the DPRK government which came into being and has developed under the care of the peerlessly great persons of Mt. Paektu and, it is a powerful media organ standing on the forefront of the party ideological work for realizing the cause of modeling the whole society on Kimilsungism-Kimjongilism."
• Citizens are fed "a centrally-controlled diet of propaganda that never ceases. A vast control and censorship apparatus ensures that North Korean citizens get the same message whether they pick up a newspaper or magazine, switch on the radio, watch television, go to a play or concert, or attend a workplace meeting. There is no alternative point of view. There is only the Party and the leader."
• From literature to film, "all media must be approved by the state’s propaganda machine. The goal of this media is to indoctrinate the North Korean people to obey and submit to the leadership by praising the dedication of the Kim family and their sacrifices to the country." Behind this machine lies the Propaganda and Agitation Department (PAD).

The Propaganda and Agitation Department

• The Propaganda and Agitation Department (PAD) is "a powerful arm" of the Kim regime, in charge of overseeing the entire media landscape of North Korea. It has a "General Literature and Arts Union with different divisions producing music, art, dance, theater, film, photography and popular songs, all serving to disseminate state narratives on the leadership and archetypes for ideal behavior."
• The PAD’s mission is to guarantee that “North Korean ideology is promoted through news reports, media, and artistic endeavors. As such, it works across the entirety of North Korea’s media and arts sector to ensure that a common message is being delivered to the people, whether that be through a newspaper, television broadcast, movie, musical performance, or play.”

 

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• In addition, the department operates an extensive network, reaching multiple agencies and departments, including the Ministry of Culture and the Central Broadcasting Committee. "By appointing, promoting, demoting, and dismissing thousands of workers in these sectors, it maintains effective control. To strengthen its grip even further, the PAD also places small teams of its own workers directly into publishing houses, movie studios, artistic troupes, and theater groups to oversee and approve the production of content at each phase of its creation."
• The PAD distributes monthly guidelines to all media outlets, determining the propaganda themes that must be followed during that period. This system ensures that the "entirety of North Korean media moves in sync no matter the story or message to be delivered. This also underlines why foreign media is so dangerous to the regime: it dares to offer a different view and presents facts that are not present in North Korean reporting."
• Even children’s cartoons are used to "further ideological messaging, thanks to the expansive reach of the PAD. For example, one recent series featured a family of peaceful rabbits fighting off the evil wolf who was continually threatening them. The wolf is commonly used to represent Americans in North Korean propaganda and the symbolism is obvious to viewers."

 

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Artistic Freedom

• Human Rights organizations state that "the primary function of plays, movies, operas, children’s performances, and books is to buttress the cult of personality surrounding the Kim family and support the regime."
• Singer Han Oak Jeong explains that if Kim Jong Un makes a speech, the relevant Art Squad is "ordered to create songs and dances based on the speech. The role of the Squad is considered important because artistic performances can help ordinary people understand complicated topics.
• All artistic and cultural performances must "show the nation’s official 'Juche' ideology and fierce loyalty to the top leader. Celebrities are used to promote the regime, so they are nurtured by the authorities out of necessity. As a result, singers, writers, and painters report having no artistic freedom.
• According to painter Ah Su-min, "there is little room for creativity. Certain subjects must be ― or must not be ― expressed." For example, the only subjects artist are allowed to paint outside of propaganda are the "landscape of Mt. Geumgang and Mt. Baekdu and traditional landscape paintings."
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• As a result of the extreme control and censorship, artists and scholars say North Korean art lacks real emotion. Stanford Libraries notes that music is often repetitive and shallow. "Contemporary recordings evidence liberal use of synthesizers and other electronics, and Western instruments such as electric guitars and drum kits. The lack of any singular creative voice is apparent in the blandness of the musical product, and a certain Lawrence-Welk wholesomeness permeates."

• Even modern acts maintain the same lyrical content, "praising the country's leadership and military achievements." Meanwhile, North Korean film and television often feature stories of "people sacrificing themselves for the greater cause of the country and the leadership."
• Recent developments show the extent of the regime control. In July 2022, photographers reported they were being targeted by the Unified Command 82 under the pretense of eradicating "reactionary thought and culture" from North Korea. They were accused of producing "exotic" photos and videos that would result in young people being hooked on "foreign images."

• To encourage awareness, "the authorities distributed cadre training materials that included accounts of violations of the law." For example, one studio was fined in June "for producing wedding photos for people in the 20s and 30s using an exotic, palm tree-lined beach as a background image."

Songbun and the Path to Become an Artist in North Korea

• The Songbun caste system adopted in North Korea divides the population into three castes, “core,” “wavering,” and “hostile," and 51 subcategories, based on their political, social, and economic background. The class in which one is born helps or hinders their entire life. "Those with good songbun can expect to get into good universities, get good jobs and live in the best cities while those with bad songbun might expect a life in a village." Most artists come from the core caste.

• Artists are divided into nine different classes or ranks. For example, the leader of an Art Squad is usually a rank 4, while rank 1 would be "reserved for the top Squad in the country." Above the first rank lies the "meritorious" and "people's" artist titles. Celebrities who reach these ranks enjoy great benefits, including better housing.
• "People’s actors or actresses are treated in the same way as vice ministers at the Cabinet. They can receive medical treatment at some clinics in Pyongyang, where only vice minister-level officials are allowed to go. They are given priority in the purchase of things and the allocation of housing. Meritorious actors or actresses are treated like bureau directors at the Cabinet."
• To climb the ranks, artists are periodically rated. The grading system is similar to the one faced by public servants. "Every one or two years, those involved in the arts must take a test. The test results, along with the candidate’s abilities and years of experience are taken together and tallied up to decide whether a promotion should be given."
• Artists are managed and trained by the Political Department of the Party. "In North Korea, one cannot engage in any private activity. One can only propagandize the regime," claims defector artist Sun Moo (...) Thus, there are art institutions at the military, farm, enterprise, county, and neighborhood levels, so the drawings are created and promoted by them."
• NK is a socialist country, therefore, the concept of individual ownership is not officially recognized. Surprisingly, however, it does have copyright laws, covering both moral and property rights. According to insiders, "North Korean intellectual property laws are worthless and are not respected by the regime in Pyongyang." They say they were enacted to attract foreign investment and that the "State implements strict control and all copyright expressions serve none but propagandistic purposes"
• Finally, fan culture is non-existent in North Korea. However, successful artists enjoy government benefits not accessible to ordinary people. "Actors and actresses, in general, are relatively well-off as they are provided with daily necessities every month. Those who won awards at international film festivals are entitled to government benefits, like receiving a car. The authorities provide actors and actresses with apartments designed for artists. On traditional holidays, senior celebrities and those who have made some great contributions receive special gifts in the name of the Kim Jong-un family."

Examples of North Korean Celebrities

•  Ri Sol Ju is North Korea's first lady. The former singer has quickly become one of the country's most recognized faces, nationally and internationally. She comes from an upper-class background and is considered a fashion icon in North Korea and China.
• The Moranbong Band is an all-female group formed in 2012 as part of the regime's cultural modernization efforts. According to Fortune, seeing the group referred to as "North Korea's version of the Spice Girls" on stage is "like going back in time to the 80s: a time of bad hair, lots of synth, and, well, communism."

 

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• The group has a high turnover, but each member holds an official senior military position. Hyon Song Wol, the group's leader, "is reportedly a colonel in the Korean People’s Army of the North."
• Even as North Korea tries to modernize its media and entertainment landscape, the overarching narrative in pop culture comes from the state, with the "greatness of the ruling Kim dynasty being a major ideological centerpiece." According to Time Magazine, the group's songbook leans "heavily on nationalism and revolutionary rhetoric." Song titles include: "We Love the Party Flag," "My Country is the Best," "Let’s Support Our Supreme Commander in Arms," "Advance of Socialism," and “Do Prosper, Era of the Workers’ Party.”
• They also cover some famous American songs, such as My Way and Eye of the Tiger; however, most of their repertoire is about the North Korean leader, with lyrics like "His smile is so warm and sweet. I have no choice but to be taken by him and his warm heart."

 

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Research Strategy