By: Haajar Abu Ismail A North Korean propaganda image proclaims ‘Let’s establish the habit of reading all over the country!’ Tatiana Gabroussenko (photo and caption taken from here) The value of literature is a universal constant. Across the ages, literature has served infinite purposes, be it negative or positive, but its core function has always been the promulgation of knowledge. The kind of knowledge varies, but from a nationwide perspective, literature can be seen as a means by which a state’s cultural beliefs, practices, and education are expressed. This begets the question, of how literature might take form in the isolated country of North Korea. While the DPRK is notorious for lagging behind other nations in certain sectors, the state has proclaimed a national literacy rate of 100% since 2008, while UNESCO claims a figure closer to 98%. Regardless, it supports how important literature is within North Korean society. It’s worth noting that the state is not that technologically advanced, and leisure entertainment takes on a very different from its neighbors. Where the average person elsewhere might spend their free time scrolling through Instagram or watching on Netflix, this can’t be applied to North Korea. A popular North Korean novel would be Friend by Paek Namnyong, which was originally published in 1988, was serialized into a television series, and eventually became the first state-approved North Korean novel in English 30 years later. Most of the fiction from North Korea accessible to the public is written by defectors. Yet, Paek Namnyong is a household name in the state, a steel factory worker for 10 years before studying literature at Kim Il Sung University. With that in mind, it might surprise some that the novel tackles themes such as love, marriage, and divorce. Paek Namnyong is a member of the April 15 Literary Production Unit (LPU), a group of elite writers tasked with producing the Immortal History and Immortal Leadership series. Within the DPRK, these works are seen are masterpieces that aim to “novelize the revolutionary history of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il in a multi-volume series.” While this propaganda-focused genre of writing leans towards what one might expect of North Korean literature, other genres of text have also been popularized, such as science fiction. Perhaps a result of Soviet influence, the science fiction narratives of utopian future and advanced technology are a present theme in the state’s short history as North Korea. A past example can be explored in the science fiction elements of the North Korean Children’s Magazine Adong Munhak, from 1956 to 1965. Among the key vehicles of the propaganda would be state-approved fiction “published in monthly literary journals, and then distributed to select schools and offices around the country.” Professional fiction writers in North Korea have their own organization, “The Choson Writer’s Union.” This is a sub-unit of the ruling Korean Workers’ Party, which is charged with training members and commissioning literature and art that aims to spread nationalistic themes. Overall, as expected, North Korea’s government-approved literature tends to reflect the nation’s socialist ideals. This is seen in C President Bill Clinton cowering under blankets in the 1994 nuclear crisis in Chŏng Ki Jong’s Ryŏksa ui Taeha, or President Jimmy Carter’s wife as smitten with Kim Il Sung in the 1994 visit in Maehok. The admirable qualities and personality of Kim Jong Un is also a common theme of North Korean literature. While it can be said that North Korean literature tends to produce a rose-colored view of the nation's policies and leaders, it is also a popular cultural production that may reveal information regarding the political climate and social expectations of the state and its people. Overall, it can be said that literature is certainly valued in the DPRK and that there is more depth to the subject than some may think. Sources:
https://theconversation.com/inside-north-koreas-literary-fiction-factory-89901 https://www.macrotrends.net/countries/PRK/north-korea/literacy-rate https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SE.ADT.LITR.ZS?locations=KR https://lithub.com/the-first-state-approved-north-korean-novel-in-english/ https://www.researchgate.net/publication/301579720_Problems_with_Institutionalizing_the_April_15_Literary_Production_Unit https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-asian-studies/article/lets-go-to-the-moon-science-fiction-in-the-north-korean-childrens-magazine-adong-munhak-19561965/5FE0755752EEC8E9A5BD603C9E01D912
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