Reading ‘Gone With the Wind’ in Pyongyang

Reading ‘Gone With the Wind’ in Pyongyang

In “Gone With the Wind,” North Koreans found echoes of their own history and insights into the United States: bloody civil wars fought nearly a century apart; two cities — Atlanta and Pyongyang — reduced to rubble after attacks by U.S. forces; two cultures that still celebrate the way they stood up to the Yankees.

Interview with Kim Han Sol

Kim Jong Il’s Grandson is Living With a Libyan Revolutionary

NK News’ summary and video of an interview of Kim Han Sol (Kim Jong Il’s grandson) by Elisabeth Rehn.

He admits growing up with American and South Korean students in Macau initially posed a problem for him, but that over time they “turned out to be really great friends”, which “sparked the curiosity for me to go further.”

Very much worth a watch. Kim Han Sol is a well-spoken young man and I’m glad he took the opportunity to speak for himself in a formal setting rather than letting random journalists speculate about his life.

The North American Juche-Songun Ideas Study Group

A plaque on the Juche Tower in Pyongyang donated by the New York Group for the Study of Kim Il Sungism

Today I came across the WordPress blog of the North American Juche-Songun Ideas Study Group, which regardless of how you feel about the Juche (the DPRK’s national ideology) or Songun (the DPRK’s Military First Policy), is a fascinating visit.

For starters it does appear to be real and North American based, which is not only very relevant to the theme of this website, but also interesting from the perspective of a certain plaque on the base of the Juche Tower in Pyongyang (see above). In fact, at least one of its members seems to be based out of New York much like their predecessors in the 1970’s. The ever questioning Russia Today (RT) interviewed Chairman Jason Adam Tonis of the study group following the DPRK’s failed rocket launch in April (below)

The site contains numerous translations of the works  of Kim Il Sung, Kim Jong Il, and is surprisingly up-to-date with the speeches and works of Kim Jong Un. It also contains links to the works of Kim Myong Chol, “Director of the Centre of Korean-American Peace” who is a regular contributor to the Asia Times, and other Juche study groups around the world- including one in Nigeria, of all places.

In this way, the site serves well as a resource for those in search of primary sources on the DPRK, and,  of course, an introduction for those brave souls wanting to read up on their Juche. I am interested to see if the “Study Guide”  ever comes to include any North American specific material for the average Yank and Canuck.

Some final thoughts:

1. Someone needs to write Kim Myong Chol and tell him it’s  “CentER of Korean-American Peace”. North Koreans are not the only people who are defensive about regional spelling. I’m sure he wouldn’t like the US making the (북)한미평화연구원, or something like that.

2. While I am pretty sure the DPRK does not support the North American Juche-Songun Ideas Study Group financially,they might do a lot to further the cause by sending Mr. Tonis a comb.

For an interesting look at connections and interactions between the DPRK and the US’ northern neighbor, please see CanKor: “CanKor is a Canadian interactive resource on North Korea concerned with seeking rational North Korea policy. CanKor resists the snob factor by bridging the gap between professionals and people whose curiosity has not yet been undermined by inflexible perceptions. CanKor is based on the premise that there is a crucial role to be played in northeast Asia by second-tier middle powers like Canada, Australia and the European Union.”(http://vtncankor.wordpress.com/)

CanKor

[The following is taken from a paper by Dean J. Ouellette, Assistant Professor, Kyungnam University in Seoul. A Canadian friend of CanKor since the early days, Prof. Ouellette edits the Institute of Far Eastern Studies IFES Forum. The paper from which this excerpt is taken is a revised version of an article that recently appeared in Asia-Pacific Business and Technology Report, vol. 4, no. 3 (September 2012). To read the complete paper, which begins with Canada-ROK relations, please follow this link. –CanKor]

Early History

Canada and Korea share a history that dates back to the late 19^th century, when Canadian missionaries arrived on the peninsula, and introduced Western medicine and education, and helped with organizing and fundraising to build hospitals and schools. One early Canuck even supported Koreans during the March 1, 1919 Independence Movement, and ended up being deported by the Japanese colonial authorities.

Official Canadian government…

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2012: The Year of Strong and Prosperous Nations

“We must tend well to the precious seeds planted by Comrade Kim Jong-il for the sake of building a strong and prosperous nation and improving the peoples’ lives, cultivating them so that they blossom into a glorious reality.” -Kim Jong Un on April 15, 2012

“…free people pursuing happiness in their own ways build a strong and prosperous nation.” -Mitt Romney on September 25, 2012

North Korean Song: Let’s Study (배우자)

“Let’s Study for Choson”

Time flows on without rest

So don’t look back and treasure each minutes and second like gold

Let’s study, let’s study for my country

Let’s study, let’s study for tomorrow

Let’s make a paradise in our own way 

 

This song has recently been covered by the newly formed Moranbong Band. Despite the attention received by their glittery outfits, short skirts, and jewelry, many of the dance moves remain variations on old themes.

Below is the Moranbong version of “Let’s Study”.

I’m still waiting for “Military-First Generation” (선군시대) as a northern rival to the south’s “Girls Generation” (소녀시대).

North Korean Children’s Song: I am a Flower Bud (나는야 꽃봉오리)

나는야 꽃봉오리, or I am a Flower Bud, is a North Korean children’s song. In the DPRK, children are often referred to as ‘flower buds’ and the word finds its way into many children’s books and songs.[1]

     I am a flower bud, a flower bud

     Shall I bloom for the spring winds?

     Shall I bloom for the honey bees?

     Oh no, no. I bloom for the the love of the Great Leader .

     I am a flower bud of Korea.[2]

Flower Bud is also the name of a bimonthly children’s educational newspaper.[3] Here is a video of a child performing this song:

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[1] Information Center on North Korea: http://library.unikorea.go.kr

[2] For the full Korean lyrics, see: http://blogs.yahoo.co.jp/kimno_souko/10950439.html

[3] Korea Publications: http://www.korea-publ.com/

North Korean Folksong: Heulrali (흘라리)

 

흘라리 (Heulrari) is a folk song from Hamgyŏng province.[1] According to the Daily NK citing an article on Uriminzokkiri, a North Korean website based in Japan, ‘Heulrari’ originated in the Moraedok area of the Pukch’ŏng region in what is today Southern Hamgyŏng. The song is said to be named after the nickname of a man who lived in the vicinity of a local spring and played the flute and bugle especially well.[2]

Traditionally on the 3^rd day of the 3^rd lunar month (samjitnal) the people of the Pukch’ŏng region had a custom of doing a round dance to the song while striking upturned calabashes (gourds) inside water basins to keep rhythm.[3] On these occasions, the so-called ‘Heulrari’ would often perform and so his name eventually became associated with the song and make up both the song’s title and lyrics.

The lyrics were later expanded to include lines related to dancing.

Let’s all hold hands and go out and dance…

Gentle maidens don’t be shy…

Hard-working men don’t decline out of courtesy…

Let’s match our hearts and hands and dance! [4]

I suspect these lyrics date from post-1945 given the North Korean fondness for mass dances and the reference to workingmen. In addition, the modern lyrics also include the verb ending “-자요” (let’s -), an expression typical of P’yŏngan province where P’yŏngyang is located and not Hamgyŏng where the song originates.

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[1] “Heulrali” at North Korean Human Geography (in Korean):

http://www.cybernk.net/infoText/InfoHumanCultureDetail.aspx?mc=CC0402&sc=C868380&tid=CC030600006361&direct=1

[2] “An Introduction to the Northern Traditional Dance Song ‘Heulrali’” from the Daily NK (in Korean): http://www.dailynk.com/korean/read.php?cataId=nk09000&num=13142

[3] An example of this can be seen in the ‘Dondolrari’ dance, which shares a common origin with Heurali: http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XMTUxMTAyOTMy.html

[4] This is the basic gist of the song. The full Korean lyrics can be viewed here: http://www.big.or.jp/~jrldr/w/mi22.html

Here we go again: North Korea’s ‘War on Terror’

From President George W. Bush’s ‘War on Terror’ speech on September 20, 2011

From KCNA article ‘DPRK People Ready to Stage Just War on Terrorism’ on July 22, 2012

Without delving into anything else, I would just like to present a case of similar lexicon shared by North Koreans and Americans.

On July 22, 2012 the Korean Central News Agency published an article with the English title of “DPRK People Ready to Stage Just War on Terrorism.” The actual Korean reads “Let’s sweep away the Heinous Kingpins of Terror” (극악한 테로의 왕초들을 쓸어버리자, however, the term “a just war against terror” (정의의 반테로전) is actually used in the text in contrast to America’s regular (and implicitly unjust) “war on terror.”[i]

George W. Bush’s ‘War on Terror’ speech in September of 2001, also evoked the notion of justness:

Fellow citizens, we’ll meet violence with patient justice, assured of the rightness of our cause and confident of the victories to come. In all that lies before us, may God grant us wisdom, and may He watch over the United States of America.[ii]

Seeing as we’ve already spent the last 11 years having to hear about America’s ‘War on Terror,’ I’m hoping the North Koreans don’t make this a permanent fixture.That said, as an American, I’ve always felt a sense of familiarity when talking to North Koreans or reading North Korean documents because of the more direct (and/or aggressive) tone and uncompromising language often used. I’ve got plenty more examples that I’ll write about later. Without fail.

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[i] “DPRK People Ready to Stage Just War on Terrorism.” Korean Central News Agency 22 July 2012.

[ii] “Full Text: President Bush Declares ‘War on Terror’: Speech to a Joint Session of Congress, September 20, 2011.” About.com Middle East Issues: http://middleeast.about.com/od/usmideastpolicy/a/bush-war-on-terror-speech.htm

Statutory Controversy: North Korea and Penn State

“People from all walks of life laid floral baskets, bouquets and flowers before equestrian statues of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il at the Mansudae Art Studio.
People in various parts of the country visited the statues of the President in their residential areas to pay tribute to him.” –KCNA July 8th, 2012

A photo and caption from Fox News on recent controversy over the future of the Joe Paterno statue at the Pennsylvania State University following fallout from the Jerry Sandusky sex scandal.

More than a few North Koreans and Americans are on watch this week to thwart the shadowy “undertakings” of iconoclasts at work in the United States and DPRK.

North Korean news sources report that Pyongyang residents are “enraged with the attempted terrorist act”[i] of a suspected US and South Korean backed “statue demolition society” targeting monuments of the late leaders Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il.[ii] Anyone who has travelled to the DPRK is familiar with the prominent place of such bronze statues, which are often located in city and town centers throughout North Korea. People routinely pay their respects in front of the statues by bowing and presenting flowers.

According to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), actions, which target the “dignity of the supreme leadership,” are considered “most serious acts of hostility towards the DPRK and the most hideous politically motivated terrorism.” KCNA continued by noting: “The whole country is now on the highest alert in ideological and mental aspects. Impregnable is the line of the devotedly defending the leader made up of all the services persons and people of the DPRK.”[iii]

Meanwhile in the United States, students of the Pennsylvania State University have begun vigils to protect the statue of former head football coach Joe Paterno in reaction to continued campus flyovers by a plane with a banner reading “Take the statue down or we will.”[iv] The Pennsylvania State University continues to debate whether to remove the statue of Joe Paterno, who is beloved by many for his contributions to the school over his 46 year tenure as head coach, but whose legacy may forever be tarnished by the grave mishandling of the sex abuse scandal involving assistant coach Jerry Sandusky. [v]

Clearly, statues represent more than just the legacy a person, and are not without controversy. Statues mean different things to different people and can carry memories, good and bad, as well as stand for a brand, an ideology, or a personality cult- and just about everything in between.

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[i] For video, see: http://kcna.kp/userAction.do?action=videoindex&lang=eng&newsyear=2012&newsno=756430

[ii] “Arrested Terrorist Interviewed.” Rodong Sinmun 21 July 2012: http://rodong.rep.kp/InterEn/index.php?strPageID=SF01_02_01&newsID=2012-07-21-0011

[iii] “Politically-Motivated Terrorists Will Meet Punishment: KCNA Commentary.” Korean Central News Agency 20 July 2012.

[iv] “Penn State students protect Joe Paterno statue.” Fox News 18 July 2012: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/07/18/penn-state-students-protect-joe-paterno-statue/

[v] Henney, Megan. “No decision yet on Paterno statue.” The Daily Collegian 20 July 2012: http://www.collegian.psu.edu/archive/2012/07/20/no_decision_yet_on_paterno_statue.aspx