The last two decades have been a time in which South Korean movies and TV shows have spread across North Korea. Technically, South Korean videos have always been illegal in the realm of the Kim dynasty, but until quite recently the North Korean government seemingly did not care too much about enforcing bans on South Korean shows. Things may have changed recently: Since early 2014 the North Korean police have started to show more consistency and brutality in dealing with the influx of South Korean videos. However, this is a relatively new development and its longer-term implications remain to be seen.
For the last 20 years, though, a significant number (perhaps, even a majority) of North Koreans have been exposed to South Korean TV shows and films. What have they learned from such things? Alas, this question is not so simple as it might appear.
The last two decades have been a time in which South Korean movies and TV shows have spread across North Korea. Technically, South Korean videos have always been illegal in the realm of the Kim dynasty, but until quite recently the North Korean government seemingly did not care too much about enforcing bans on South Korean shows. Things may have changed recently: Since early 2014 the North Korean police have started to show more consistency and brutality in dealing with the influx of South Korean videos. However, this is a relatively new development and its longer-term implications remain to be seen.
For the last 20 years, though, a significant number (perhaps, even a majority) of North Koreans have been exposed to South Korean TV shows and films. What have they learned from such things? Alas, this question is not so simple as it might appear.
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Andrei Lankov is a Director at NK News and writes exclusively for the site as one of the world's leading authorities on North Korea. A graduate of Leningrad State University, he attended Pyongyang's Kim Il Sung University from 1984-5 - an experience you can read about here. In addition to his writing, he is also a Professor at Kookmin University.