Lecture
We cordially invite you to a special online talk on Rebranding North Korean Visual Media by Dr. Immanuel Kim (The George Washington University).
The presentation examines creative changes to the aesthetics of North Korean visual media by analyzing recent television series. The industry’s decision to go digital has revolutionized the entire production process, as digital literacy forces filmmakers and producers to learn new technical skills (camera angles, lighting, sound), editing software, and the use of social media. Starting in the late 2010s, a sitcom series called Let’s Get Rid of These Problems (Irŏn hyŏnsangŭl ŏpsaepsida), which began in the late 1970s, opens with a completely new logo redesign, indicating an entirely different style and aesthetics. I argue that the rebranding and modernizing of sitcoms were necessary steps for the television industry in the Kim Jong Un era to compete in the global market of virtual consumers and expand the visibility of the North Korea brand beyond its domestic audience. It is evident that North Korean films, television programs, and viewers cannot go back to the past when Kim Jong Il controlled the media after experiencing the high quality and up-to-date television programs.
Immanuel Kim is the Korea Foundation and Kim Renaud Professor of Korean Literature and Culture Studies at The George Washington University. He is a specialist in North Korean literature, cinema, and culture. His first book Rewriting Revolution explores the complex and dynamic literary culture, and his second book Laughing North Koreans traces the ways in which humor has been an integral component of everyday life. His third book Rebranding North Korea: Changes in the Consumer Culture and Visual Media examines creative aesthetic changes in recent television dramas and media productions. Dr. Kim has also translated a North Korean novel called Friend by Paek Nam-nyong.