Korean Wave Makes its Way into North Korea, 

with CDs Masked with North Korean Film Titles Containing South Korean Dramas

⦁ Producing Disguised Content to Circumvent Crackdown

⦁ North Korean Woman Penalized for Singing Kim Jong-un's Composition in South Korean Style

Recent findings reveal that North Korean citizens, seeking to evade government crackdowns on the Korean Wave phenomenon, have been creating and distributing covert content. These materials feature North Korean film titles on the surface but are filled with South Korean content, resulting in repercussions for those involved. Moreover, a North Korean woman faced consequences for singing a song believed to be composed by Kim Jong-un in the style of South Korean singing.These revelations come from recent internal North Korean footage obtained by the SAND Institute's newsletter team, revealing incidents discovered during the implementation of the "Reactionary Ideology and Culture Rejection Law" enacted by North Korean authorities in December 2020 as part of their anti-Korean Wave efforts.

 

CDs bearing North Korean film titles but containing South Korean content, as depicted in an educational video produced by North Korean authorities. (Photo by SAND Institute)

The footage displays CD copies labeled with titles of movies produced and aired by North Korean authorities, such as "Dangerous Moment," "Sharp Eyes," and "Nine O'Clock," which serve as propaganda against espionage created by North Korean authorities.

A North Korean woman facing criticism from security authorities for singing the North Korean song "Moonlit Nights of My Hometown" in the style of South Korean singing. (Photo by SAND Institute)

The commentator in the footage explained, "People engaged in smuggling, who affixed our country's movie titles on the covers and distributed them, were cracked down upon, and individuals like Hwang, who disseminated them, faced suitable legal penalties.”

To avoid detection, North Korean residents disguised South Korean TV shows and foreign videos with North Korean movie titles on CD covers for distribution. Defectors familiar with spreading the South Korean content in North Korea noted that while the CD starts with a North Korean movie, the content switches to South Korean midway. Some even openly sold this disguised content in markets.

Furthermore, the footage highlights a case of a woman punished for singing the song "Moonlit Nights of My Hometown" in a South Korean style. The commentator mentioned, "there was recently a social uproar regarding Shin, who sang the song "Moonlit Nights of My Hometown" in a style more typical of South Korea than our own country.”

"On a crisp autumn night in my hometown,

Gazing up at the sky, where the moon shines bright,

By the clear waters of Sobaeksu's flow,

Mother softly shares her tales with me."

- Lyrics from the song "Moonlit Nights of My Hometown

A North Korean woman was seen under investigation for singing the North Korean song "Moonlit Nights of My Hometown" in the style of South Korean singing. (Photo by SAND Institute)

This song, believed to be personally composed by Kim Jong-un in memory of his biological mother, Ko Yong-hui, in 2009, was employed by North Korean authorities, along with another song called "Footsteps," to promote Kim Jong-un's succession early on.

In the footage, the commentator mentioned, "Shin had previously been warned by security authorities for singing a song in a different style but didn't heed it. Instead, she continued to distribute it via mobile phones and CDs, leading to her arrest. As a result, she was thrust into an ideological struggle, facing sanctions.”

It also condemned her, questioning, "As a mother of two, how can she face her children, husband, or in-laws now? With just one song, she has tarnished society, family, and her own destiny." The footage showed Shin bowing her head in front of people, receiving public criticism, and undergoing investigation by law enforcement.

It also denounced them as "impure propaganda materials reflecting fraud, collusion, murder, corruption, human hatred, and obscene lifestyles," asserting that they promoted extreme individualism, servitude to money and mental incapacitation for the right ideology.

Additionally, it attributed recent crimes to drugs and pornographic materials, stating, "Looking at the criminals caught so far, it is evident that the root cause began with drug use under the pretext of medical treatment, curiosity-driven indulgence in pornography, engagement in debauched and perverted sexual activities, eventually leading to anti-party, anti-state crimes."

The North Korean authorities' assertion that drugs are the root cause of all crimes aligns with the increase in drug-related offenses within North Korea. The country has heightened crackdowns, including the implementation of separate laws prescribing the death penalty for drug manufacturing or trafficking three years ago.

North Korean authorities are grappling with the spread of pornographic materials, considered the root of crime. According to defectors, pornography has infiltrated society, even reaching the North Korean military, where soldiers of the younger generations, along with their commanding officers and families, are reported to indulge in it.

The footage warned that “if people keep seeing the corrupt materials brought in by the enemy as just entertainment, secretly spreading them, and engaging in deviant sexual activities, they will eventually align with the enemy's anti-revolutionary agenda. This would, in turn, jeopardize the safety of the revolutionary leadership, weaken our unity, and undermine the socialist system”.

It concluded by asserting, "We must vigorously confront impure propaganda materials, fully comprehending their toxic and dangerous nature, and eradicate them from within our political and ideological sphere."