October 01, 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'

North Korea has a pop culture obsession with potatoes, and it’s a dangerous sign

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

North Korea has a pop culture obsession with potatoes, and it’s a dangerous sign
Tatiana Gabroussenko
Tatiana Gabroussenko November 10, 2020
How North Korea rebranded its most iconic poet into a Kim-worshipping fanboy

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

How North Korea rebranded its most iconic poet into a Kim-worshipping fanboy
Tatiana Gabroussenko
Tatiana Gabroussenko October 28, 2020
North Korea modernizes its YouTube propaganda, but with an extra feminine touch

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

North Korea modernizes its YouTube propaganda, but with an extra feminine touch
Tatiana Gabroussenko
Tatiana Gabroussenko October 1, 2020
How North Korea’s Pungsan dog became a symbol of the country’s ‘proud spirit’

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 Korea’s Pungsan dog became a symbol of the country’s ‘proud spirit’
Tatiana Gabroussenko
Tatiana Gabroussenko August 3, 2020
How North Korean pop culture is changing the narrative around the Korean War

How North Korean pop culture is changing the narrative around the Korean War

Once ruthlessly unsentimental, Pyongyang may be slowly changing its tune

How North Korean pop culture is changing the narrative around the Korean War
Tatiana Gabroussenko
Tatiana Gabroussenko July 29, 2020
Respect your elders… or not: ageism in North Korean mass culture

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

Respect your elders… or not: ageism in North Korean mass culture
Mad scientists, DPRK-style: geniuses on the North Korean screen

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

Mad scientists, DPRK-style: geniuses on the North Korean screen
Tatiana Gabroussenko
Tatiana Gabroussenko April 8, 2020
End of an era: Choe Chang Su, the North Korean “people’s actor,” passes away

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

End of an era: Choe Chang Su, the North Korean “people’s actor,” passes away
Tatiana Gabroussenko
Tatiana Gabroussenko February 26, 2020
Unconverted political prisoners, and inter-Korean romance, in DPRK fiction

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

Unconverted political prisoners, and inter-Korean romance, in DPRK fiction
Tatiana Gabroussenko
Tatiana Gabroussenko January 31, 2020
Changing narratives of adoption in North Korean mass culture

Changing narratives of adoption in North Korean mass culture

Following the famine of the 1990s, North Korean films increasingly promoted individuals adopting orphaned children

Changing narratives of adoption in North Korean mass culture
Tatiana Gabroussenko
Tatiana Gabroussenko December 20, 2019
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