Although I didn’t choose a professional path in the arts, I believe I exhibited an innate artistic talent from an early age. As a young girl in kindergarten, I was often given leading roles in plays and monodramas. These performances were annual events, held on April 15th to celebrate Kim Il Sung’s birthday.
In these presentations, I would take the stage before an audience and bring stories to life through varied vocal expressions and physical movements. The narratives typically revolved around our gratitude towards our revered leader Kim Il Sung and the need for us to reciprocate his supposed blessings through our actions.
This was back in the 1980s. Even though children were performing these acts, I believe this exemplifies how North Korea’s indoctrination system operates. The central message conveyed is that we are deeply blessed by our great leader Kim Il Sung who supposedly provides us with all we need; thus, we should dedicate our lives to repaying these blessings.
During my early years, Kim Jong-Il was designated as the successor to Kim Il-Sung and began actively preparing for his new role
One might assume that in North Korea’s dictatorship, succession would be straightforward. However, in reality, Kim Jong-Il had to exert significant effort and employ strategic lobbying due to intense competition from his younger half-brother, Kim Pyung-Il. The latter was widely considered more attractive and intelligent than Kim Jong-Il, making the transition far from simple.
Feeling the pressure of competition, Kim Jong-Il endeavored to win over the comrades and individuals closest to Kim Il-Sung. It was widely acknowledged that Kim Jong-Il had a knack for the arts, particularly films and theater. A veritable cinephile, he collected and archived numerous films from around the world.
Before being named as successor to Kim Il-Sung, he served as Secretary of Propaganda and Agitation overseeing North Korean arts and cinema—a testament to his artistic talents.
To win favor with his father’s closest partisan comrades, he produced five revolution-themed operas which dominated television broadcasts during the 1980s and 1990s.
Biographical operas, movies, and plays about Kim Il-Sung and his partisan comrades were produced in abundance. These figures were all hailed as heroes. The performances were so moving that audiences often found themselves shedding tears.
As a result of these strategic cultural endeavours, during the 6th Assembly in 1980, Kim Jong-Il was officially named as the successor to Kim Il-Sung.
The North Korean government’s most egregious crime is arguably its suppression of the people’s creativity. By employing tactics of brainwashing, it paralyzes their ability to think independently and express themselves naturally.
The period from the 1980s, marked by the ascent of Kim Jong-Il, up until the death of Kim Il Sung in 1994, is often considered a golden era for North Korean arts. The art produced during this period is referred to by North Korea as Juche Art. This time frame also coincides with what could arguably be identified as the zenith of North Korea’s brainwashing campaigns.
Much like people everywhere, North Koreans typically prefer not to consume propagandistic or revolutionary-themed movies and art. They too enjoy love stories and thrillers, mirroring the tastes of audiences worldwide.
In the 1980s, a film titled “Thaw of Spring Days” captivated North Korean audiences, leading to packed theatres throughout its run. The plot centered around a young Korean couple in Japan navigating familial conflicts and hardships on their journey to marriage.
What set this movie apart from others was its setting—Japan. It offered North Koreans a glimpse into a world they had never seen before: bustling city streets filled with cars, contemporary fashion trends, and other elements of modern life that were absent from typical North Korean films.
Moreover, the film didn’t shy away from depicting the discrimination and mistreatment experienced by Koreans living in Japan. This portrayal added another layer of depth to the narrative, making it all the more resonant with North Korean viewers.
Today, audiences worldwide are gaining insight into the historical mistreatment of Koreans in Japan through the Apple TV series “Pachinko.” Interestingly, North Korean cinema was already exploring this theme over three decades ago, demonstrating its progressive approach for that era. Despite these portrayals, they never missed an opportunity to laud the North Korean regime.
Moving onto literature. My early reading experiences in North Korea were not confined to local works. In fact, the first book I read was a translation of a Western medieval tale, “The Death of Arthur,” which captivated me with its quest for the enigmatic Holy Grail. Later in elementary school, I also read the beloved Canadian novel “Anne of Green Gables.”
Even as children, we could discern compelling stories. Unfortunately, North Korean literature has failed to capture our interest. The predictability of content made it less appealing; we could often guess the storyline just by glancing at a book’s cover. As a result, some would simply discard a book after judging it by its cover—literally.
While North Korean workers were compelled to engage with revolutionary songs and music during their shifts in factories and on agricultural fields, the nation’s leadership led a starkly different lifestyle. Kim Jong-Il, for instance, was known to sing popular South Korean love songs while out with his third wife—the mother of Kim Jung-Un—in his luxury vehicle.
In the basement of a movie studio in Pyongyang lies a trove of international films. Yet, the general North Korean public is only exposed to movies that revolve around the Revolution. Further highlighting this dichotomy is Kim Jung-Un’s favourite song—it isn’t a North Korean tune but rather “Belated Regret,” a popular South Korean song.
The North Korean government’s most egregious crime is arguably its suppression of the people’s creativity. By employing tactics of brainwashing, it paralyzes their ability to think independently and express themselves naturally.
From this perspective, I truly believe why North Korea’s brainwashing education is ultimately destined to fail.
Firstly, brainwashing loses its grip the moment external information penetrates an individual’s consciousness. As many defectors begin accessing information about the world beyond their borders, they start questioning their previous beliefs instilled by the North Korean system. This information often reaches them via illicitly traded DVDs or USB drives—a distribution channel that continues to grow despite stringent regulations.
Second, making people follow and believe something by force doesn’t work in the long run. Many North Koreans who have escaped or still stay in the indoctrination system were able to keep their own thoughts, even with a lot of propaganda in North Korea. This shows that you can’t fully control someone’s heart and mind. Beliefs based on personal experiences and thoughts last longer than those forced on people.
Third, growing dissatisfaction stems from a system failing to improve its citizens’ quality of life. Numerous defectors decided on escape due to harsh conditions experienced in North Korea. This is very different from the perfect society image that the government tries to push through its propaganda.
The lasting success of North Korea’s brainwashing system looks less and less likely, made worse by things like the easy access to information from outside in our digital world today, a rising desire for change, and problems with beliefs that are forced upon people. In the end, truth wins over lies, and freedom beats control.