About the author
More articles by 'Tatiana Gabroussenko'
North Korea has a pop culture obsession with potatoes, and it’s a dangerous sign
DPRK state media has been replacing images of white rice — a symbol of prosperity — with the more humble spud
How North Korea rebranded its most iconic poet into a Kim-worshipping fanboy
The story of poet Cho Ki Cheon is another example of the DPRK rewriting its cultural icons into propagandic myths
North Korea modernizes its YouTube propaganda, but with an extra feminine touch
North Korea's new internet propaganda strategy seems to be placing its bets on a "girl next door" vibe
How North Korea’s Pungsan dog became a symbol of the country’s ‘proud spirit’
Pungsan dogs are said to be pure, spontaneous, and loyal to their leaders - just like a good North Korean should be
How North Korean pop culture is changing the narrative around the Korean War
Once ruthlessly unsentimental, Pyongyang may be slowly changing its tune
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
Mad scientists, DPRK-style: geniuses on the North Korean screen
In the Kim Jong Il era, scientists were portrayed as devoted to their work and leader - even at the expense of family
End of an era: Choe Chang Su, the North Korean “people’s actor,” passes away
Hailing from humble roots, Choe became a fixture of the DPRK silver screen under Kim Jong Il
Unconverted political prisoners, and inter-Korean romance, in DPRK fiction
Stories based (very) loosely on the real-life repatriations of prisoners from South to North became popular in the 2000s
Changing narratives of adoption in North Korean mass culture
Following the famine of the 1990s, North Korean films increasingly promoted individuals adopting orphaned children
