Contrary to reports on the economic crisis and food shortages in North Korea, new content showing the joyful and stable lives of “ordinary citizens” in Pyongyang began to surface on social media. According to NK News, North Korean state media company, Sogwang Media Corporation, initiated a propaganda campaign which targets supporters abroad and aims to shape the perception of foreign viewers with claims of freedom and utopian social conditions.
Since 2018, there have been a number of English, Chinese and Russian-speaking vloggers who post content on social media networks through fake accounts to deliver heavily scripted state propaganda. YouTube Channel NEW DPRK which features blog-style videos has played a key role in helping North Korean propagandists reach over 1.9 million international viewers with nearly 23,000 subscribers as of June 2022. NEW DPRK’s Weibo page Time Traveller-2022 featuring a young Chinese-speaking North Korean woman, Yang Yixin, was also created after Yang served as a tour guide in Chinese Youtuber Lei’s Adventures Official Channel’s North Korea travel series, which has over 455,000 views as of June 2022. Meanwhile, the expanding propaganda operation created an account in February 2022 portraying a young Asian man under the name Eric Endosen on Twitter, and posted the same photos using other Sogwang-affiliated Twitter and Weibo accounts such as “@Parama_Coreafan” and “Take you to Koryo”.
THE GIRL NEXT DOOR
North Korea’s new propaganda strategy departs from the over-exaggerated, solemn state propaganda often perceived by western media. The content now appeals to young online viewers through Twitter and YouTube channels like Sary Voline, which features 11-year-old vlogger, Song A, a Harry Potter fan who speaks fluent English with a posh British accent. Song A introduced North Korea to the audience in a tone that is difficult to associate with traditional state propaganda, “Pyongyang where I live, is a very beautiful and magnificent city. Have you ever been to Pyongyang? Well, I want to show you in person interesting and fun places in Pyongyang.” Friendly and approachable, Song A also added a personal touch to her videos by “promising” to take the audience on tour and pledging that “if you come here, you’ll be totally surprised because literally wherever you go there are amusement parks.”
In Song A’s second video which was uploaded almost two weeks after the lockdown in Pyongyang was lifted, she told the audience that “a week ago, I was starting to lie down sick temperature was 39 degrees. The next day it was even worse, my mom was down too.” Just as Song A expressed her worry that medicine was running out, military doctors visited her home while she added that friends, neighbors and local shop staff brought her “giant red juicy strawberries,” dumplings and vegetables, so “just like this, everything is under control as it used to be and everyone is just fine!”
TAIWANESE SUPPORTERS SEEK TO GIVE NORTH KOREA ‘A VOICE’
Although North Korea has a record of cross-posting and fooling foreign observers into believing their propaganda stories, genuine overseas supporters of North Korea have seemingly emerged like Taiwan-based groups “DPRK Business-Culture News” and “gotodprk.” In an interview with the founder of DPRK Business-Culture News, Hong Hao, he told Crossing Campus that he believes different cultures should be given their own voice, and through sharing his travel experiences in North Korea (which he asked to be referred to as the DPRK), he hopes to explore this “mysterious country” together with the people of Taiwan. In particular, Hong noted that most of the information about North Korea comes from the “western media hegemony” which seeks to paint a negative image of North Korea. He gave an example of news about Kim Jong-un’s impending death in 2020 leading to a critical situation in the Korean peninsula, which was later proven to be malicious rumors.
From introducing public transport in Pyongyang and traditions in the North, to sharing local North Korean snacks and even hosting activities to “help celebrate Kim Il-sung's birthday,” Hong held three workshops at the end of 2021 alone which was a great success with venues packed with enthusiasts and North Korean souvenirs sold out “in a flash.” Before each talk, all participants were invited to stand and bow to a statue of Kim Il-sung with the national anthem playing in the background. It is interesting to note that most of the participants were in their 20s and 30s and were composed of couples, friends and families with children.
DID WE FORGET?
With borders closed since the beginning of the pandemic, the North Korean government has had complete control over information disseminated to the outside world, thereby blurring the line between news and state propaganda. As the new campaign delivers more relatable and modernized content with young girls vlogging about Covid-19 quarantine and posing for selfies at home and in cafes, it is easy to understand why people are beginning to forget that all content available on social media are government-controlled as the Kim regime prohibits anyone in North Korea, including diplomats and overseas citizens, from accessing the internet.
