June 10, 2023

About the author

Tatiana Gabroussenko

Tatiana Gabroussenko obtained her PhD in East Asian Studies at the Australian National University. She is currently a professor of North Korean studies at Korea University, Seoul. Her latest book, "Soldiers on the Cultural Front: Developments in the Early History of North Korean Literature and Literary Policy," was included in the Choice magazine list of Outstanding Academic Titles of 2012.

More articles by 'Tatiana Gabroussenko'

Disappearing act: North Korea digitally scrubs lead actor from popular TV series

Disappearing act: North Korea digitally scrubs lead actor from popular TV series

Digital recasting of Choe Ung Chol after 20 years may have been triggered by romantic escapades and political missteps

Disappearing act: North Korea digitally scrubs lead actor from popular TV series
Tatiana Gabroussenko
Tatiana Gabroussenko April 5, 2023
The clumsy propaganda of North Korean radio plays

The clumsy propaganda of North Korean radio plays

Radio networks launched under Kim Jong Un try to win hearts and minds of South Koreans but are often comically inept

The clumsy propaganda of North Korean radio plays
Tatiana Gabroussenko
Tatiana Gabroussenko March 20, 2023
A kinder, gentler North Korea? How the DPRK’s popular culture embraced humanism

A kinder, gentler North Korea? How the DPRK’s popular culture embraced humanism

Amid unprecedented hardships, several films and dramas promoted a surprising spirit of acceptance and forgiveness

A kinder, gentler North Korea? How the DPRK’s popular culture embraced humanism
Tatiana Gabroussenko
Tatiana Gabroussenko January 23, 2023
International affairs: How North Korean films portray cross-cultural romance

International affairs: How North Korean films portray cross-cultural romance

North Korea remains an ethnocentric state in which a person of non-Korean blood can never be an equal member of society

International affairs: How North Korean films portray cross-cultural romance
Tatiana Gabroussenko
Tatiana Gabroussenko December 7, 2022
Why animal cruelty is commonplace in North Korean popular culture

Why animal cruelty is commonplace in North Korean popular culture

While violence against humans is rare in DPRK art, films show animals as soulless creatures whose pain does not matter

Why animal cruelty is commonplace in North Korean popular culture
Tatiana Gabroussenko
Tatiana Gabroussenko August 29, 2022
How North Korea is embracing more entertaining propaganda for the TikTok era

How North Korea is embracing more entertaining propaganda for the TikTok era

Mini documentaries and flashy missile launch videos show Pyongyang can adapt delivery, though messages remain the same

How North Korea is embracing more entertaining propaganda for the TikTok era
Tatiana Gabroussenko
Tatiana Gabroussenko August 12, 2022
City boy, country girl: How one North Korean film tackles the urban-rural divide

City boy, country girl: How one North Korean film tackles the urban-rural divide

The story of a rich Pyongyang heir who falls for a patriotic girl from the provinces frankly showcases social inequality

City boy, country girl: How one North Korean film tackles the urban-rural divide
Tatiana Gabroussenko
Tatiana Gabroussenko March 30, 2022
No god but the supreme leader: North Korea’s crusade against Christian boogeymen

No god but the supreme leader: North Korea’s crusade against Christian boogeymen

The DPRK views missionaries as a threat to state ideology, which functions like a religion centered on the Kim family

No god but the supreme leader: North Korea’s crusade against Christian boogeymen
Tatiana Gabroussenko
Tatiana Gabroussenko January 24, 2022
The cruel tales and emotional exhibitionalism of North Korean children’s shows

The cruel tales and emotional exhibitionalism of North Korean children’s shows

Programs teach kids to hate and fear the outside world while promoting the virtues of dying for one's country

The cruel tales and emotional exhibitionalism of North Korean children’s shows
Tatiana Gabroussenko
Tatiana Gabroussenko November 26, 2021
Too good to be true: North Korean films that double as propaganda for the South

Too good to be true: North Korean films that double as propaganda for the South

While aimed at discouraging defection, a pair of DPRK films counterproductively exaggerates South Korea’s wealth

Too good to be true: North Korean films that double as propaganda for the South
Tatiana Gabroussenko
Tatiana Gabroussenko November 12, 2021
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