Pyongyang cracks down on Russian cultural content
Despite Putin’s exceptional visit to Pyonyang, the North Korean regime is restricting access to Russian cultural contents (Image: E. S. Nugraha, PitukTV, , Courtesy of Shutterstock, Inc.)
North Korea has ordered a ban on Russian media and started cracking down on Russian cultural content.
The move flies in the face of the warming of ties between the two countries and appears to be a measure to curb local admiration for Putin’s Russia.
Judicial bodies have been instructed to restrict access to Russian movies and songs. Offending items on the list include dozens of films related to Stalin, the communist revolution, and second-generation revolutionary rulers, as well as the famous song “A Million Scarlet Roses.”
Specific movies to be confiscated and deleted include Tycoon, Swan Lake, Comrades in Arms, The Bear’s Kiss, Smoke Screen, Defending Honor, Defending Peace, Love on Duty, First Love after God, and Fate.
Russian content is more popular than Chinese content with North Koreans because it is more closely aligned with the political and ideological foundation of Juche.
Another reason for its popularity is that North Korea was a client state of the Soviet Union and its ideas and institutions were similar up until the break with communist tradition with the North’s hereditary leadership system. The familiarity allows viewers to compare, question, and dream.
Most foreign songs are already banned by the regime. But some are secretly sung. For good measure, the state has produced a new list of forbidden Russian titles. They include Broken Dreams, Lantern, Shepherd Song, A Million Scarlet Roses, Song of Youth, and Blue Handkerchief.
The titles reveal why the regime doesn’t like Russian songs. This is because most focus on life over ideology, while North Korea’s priority is regime over individual.
Russian books, translated into Korean and published by the Kumsong Youth Publishing Company, which are now banned include China-Soviet Union Relations, Stalin’s Great Crimes, The Fate of a Spy, Understanding Stalin Correctly, The Gold of the Romanov Family, Siberian Railroad Murder Case, Nasreddin, and Alexander the Great.
Citizens expected that Putin’s recent visit to North Korea would lead to a closer relationship between the two countries and that this would help them overcome the severe economic difficulties, including shortages of food and oil.
However, such expectations pose a threat to Kim Jong-un, diminishing his faith in his rule.
The reaction has come quickly. While the two old allies may be warming up on the leader-to-leader level, that is as far as Pyongyang is going to allow it to go.
Era is a North Korean defector and an experienced journalist who offers a unique perspective on one of the world's most secretive nations. Having escaped the oppressive regime, Era has leveraged her keen understanding of North Korean society to become a beacon of truth. Through her extensive network of in-country reporters, she maintains real-time communication with sources inside North Korea, providing unparalleled insights into the ground realities of the closed society.
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