I wonder what the job description for a North Korean Diplomat reads?
North Korea qualified for the World Cup 2010 for the first time since 1966.
The Schoolgirl's Diary (한 녀학생의 일기) is a 2006 North Korean film that was released in France in 2007. It is the first film from North Korea to be picked up for international distribution in several decades."A Schoolgirl’s Diary focuses on modern-day issues and social pressures relevant to modern youth in the DPRK. Marked by a ’70s aesthetic, it also offers a charming portrait of the country with upbeat sing-alongs, cheerful soccer games and neighbours doing good deeds. At the same time, the film presents more serious elements, such as commercial branding, new technologies and foreign-language studies alongside traditional values of commitment to family and state" (Reel Asian).
Haeundae hits a Pyongyang college. A group of North Korean college students were caught watching a downloaded version of the movie Haeundae one month after it was released in South Korea, according to a think tank group in Seoul called North Korea Intellectuals Solidarity.
"In a separate release by the Korean Institute of National Unification, experts have quoted North Korean defectors who have testified that South Korean melodramas like "Autumn in My Heart" and "Winter Sonata" have become a such hit in the North that a special squad was once organized to crack down on the violators" (Hollywood Reporter).
South Korean pop culture must be so intriguing and fascinating to the North Koreans who have experienced nothing but the Dear Leader's propaganda. It also probably brings them an escape from the reality of their world to the extent that they are willing to be imprisoned (now the incidents are so common, sentences have been reduced).
About 20 years ago, a group of North Korea officials visited our home in China. My father played for them a South Korean sitcom (전원일기). Even at a young age I knew that this might land us in trouble. Fortunately, my father's instinct knew that they would love it and soon the officials were all on the floor laughing their hearts out. They wanted more. More laughter. More light heartedness. More happiness.
For more information: ABC News: NKoreans Risking Lives for SKorean Soap Operas
In North Korea, there are rules around newspaper use. For example, pages with Kim Il Sung or Kim Jong Il cannot be damaged as it is considered a serious crime.
South Koreans are in to gaming.
"Graham spent Oct. 12-15 in North Korea (the DPRK, or Democratic People’s Republic of Korea). He was welcomed to Pyongyang by several top DPRK officials, who do not usually meet with non-government delegations, according to news reports. This was Graham’s third trip to North Korea. He visited one of the three hospitals where, earlier this year, technicians from Samaritan’s Purse installed diesel generators and solar panels to provide electrical power. Since 1997, Samaritan’s Purse has provided more than $10 million in medical and dental equipment and other assistance in North Korea. Graham’s latest visit coincided with the delivery of $190,000 worth of dental equipment to outfit a school that can train up to 70 rural dentists a year" (Samaritan's Purse).This is not the first time an organization was asked for money and supplies to build a dental clinic in PyongYang. Should there not be many by now then?On a positive note, solar panels to generate the much needed electricity in North Korea is a brilliant idea.More information:
Today I went to see Kimjongilia at the VIFF. It is a documentary produced by Heikin after she heard the story about Kang Chol-Hwan's child imprisonment in a concentration camp. She felt she needed to do something to expose these crimes against humanity. Thus, the film Kimjongilia. What impressed me the most about this documentary was the ending where the NK refugees were asked, "What about the future?" A former general replied that the day the world stops aiding, the North Korean people will overcome the regime with their own bare hands. An elderly lady who was imprisoned due to her friendship with the high officials' mistress said that the world needs to know about the crimes and intervene because the North Korean people have no voice. The others...are waiting for the end of KimIlSung. I agree with all of them.
After visiting North Korea in 2007 for 9 days, I grew disenchanted with the idea that I could do anything to bring change to the country in dire need. I put aside the hope I had for my people. I asked myself, "What can I do? The problem is too colossal for me."
