On October 9, 2020, the GW Institute of Korean Studies hosted a book talk with Korea Foundation and Kim-Renaud Associate Professor of Korean Literature and Culture Studies, Dr. Immanuel Kim, who was joined by Dong Hoon Kim, Associate Professor, Department of Cinema Studies at the University of Oregon to discuss two of his recently published books reflecting on the cultural influences of North Korean Comedy Films on the North Korean people and the wider world audience.
To begin, Dr. Immanuel Kim provided an introduction detailing the rise of North Korean art through the use of comedy films and literature which become a preliminary exposure to North Korean life and culture to those outside the DPRK. His first book, “Friends,” is an english translation of a novel written in 1988 by North Korean author Paek Namnyoung that went on to be republished in South Korea four years later before gaining its first international release in a number of western languages starting with French since 2011. “Friends” grew to popularity not just in North Korea but eventually outside the northern part of the peninsula by embodying characteristics that go against perceptions of the North Korean culture.
The novel itself steps away from traditional themes found within North Korean literature and film, such as representing the party and elements of strong nationalism and instead walks the reader through the life and challenges of a strong female lead living in North Korea. The breakout of “Friends” embodied many of the diversity in trends to come out of the 70’s and 80’s in North Korea storytelling, which goes beyond the political ideology to focus more on reflecting the lifestyle of North Korea through a comedic lens while also parodying popular tropes that came out of the west in Hollywood.
Such diversity would be heavily explored in Dr. Kim’s second book, “Laughing North Koreans: The Culture of Comedy Films,” where he also reflects on how these films hold such a cultural influence on the North Korean people not just through storytelling but the actors themselves. Many of the standout actors working in these films become popularize representations of people that many North Koreans want to replicate themselves, much like in the west. From the haircuts to their mannerisms and comedic moments, these actors portray what North Koreans are from all walks of life, but as Dr. Immanuel Kim would note later in the session, these actors are also individualized and very open about their careers within North Korean film culture, not just another piece in the propaganda machine.
In taking away these attribute Dr. Immanuel Kim, encourages the audience to not ignore the political ideologies that remain present in these films but challenges them to look at these films through different perspectives and layers to better understand how the culture surrounding these works of art have shaped North Korean culture as a whole and provide a new insight for outsiders of what North Korean life looks like.
