March 28, 2024
Evergreen

Respect your elders… or not: ageism in North Korean mass culture

Portrayals of the elderly have changed over the decades, and according to the political needs of the leadership

Ideologically induced biases against and in favor of particular age groups have been a stable part of North Korean culture since the country's very beginning.

North Korean ageism has vacillated between two opposites: the disparaging of older people as alleged bearers of outdated mentalities while holding up the progressive youth, and the devaluation of the young for lacking the mountains of wisdom and loyalty of the elderly.

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