March 23, 2023
Evergreen

How a Chongryon-made movie gave 1980s North Korea a glimpse of capitalist life

Aimed at instilling patriotism, "Silver Hairpin" suggested Koreans were better off in Japan

In the 1980s, North Korean mass culture experienced an unprecedented influx of films and fiction on foreign themes.

These works invited audiences to a bright, unfamiliar world and were popular; though the most popular were films and fiction which depicted the lives of Zainichi (Japanese) Koreans.