[Global NK Commentary] North Korea's Rural Areas Are Now at War with 'Corruption' and 'Empty Talk'

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The First Drama with a Contemporary Setting in the Kim Jong Un Era, <The Spring of the White Academic Robe>

There is a North Korean drama that has recently become a hot topic. It is a drama titled <The Spring of the White Academic Robe>, which aired its first and second episodes on April 16, 2025, and concluded with its 22nd episode on June 24.

<The Spring of the White Academic Robe> is the first drama in two years since <The Memoir of a Prosecutor> in 2023, and it is set in contemporary times. Several films and dramas have been produced since the Kim Jong Un regime began. However, there were no works set in contemporary times. <The Battlefield Without Gunfire> produced in 2014 and <Bulletproof Vest> released in 2015 are set during the Japanese colonial period, while <The Memoir of a Prosecutor> aired in 2023 is set during the Korean War.

The temporal setting of <The Spring of the White Academic Robe> is the present, and the spatial setting is Baekhak Village. As it depicts contemporary North Korean rural areas, it frankly reveals various corruptions and realities occurring in the countryside, focusing on grain production. It shows the reality of rural areas as they are and explains why the policies pursued by North Korea are necessary. The specific direction and content of key policies during the Kim Jong Un era are reflected in the drama. Issues such as 'authoritarianism of officials,' 'corruption,' 'empty talk in agriculture,' 'scientific farming,' 'scientific and technological dissemination centers,' 'emphasis on science and technology,' 'emphasis on youth,' 'rural housing construction,' 'standard pharmacies,' 'educational realities in rural schools,' 'teachers' avoidance of rural schools,' 'marriage based on social status,' and 'shortage of rural housing' are all revealed.

Self-Accusatory Rural Reality

The theme of <The Spring of the White Academic Robe> is 'Rural Revitalization in the New Era,' meaning rural development befitting the Kim Jong Un era. Baekhak Village was once a model rural community, exemplary nationwide. However, it has now become a problematic farm that has lost its vitality. The drama's plot revolves around Kim Hyong-sop, the newly appointed village party secretary of Baekhak Village, who aims to transform the lagging Baekhak Cooperative Farm into a model rural community nationwide.

The theme itself is not particularly special. However, what makes <The Spring of the White Academic Robe> noteworthy is its depiction of North Korean rural realities as they are. The primary mission of North Korean literature and art is to inform the public about the Party's policies. There are clear limitations in this regard. It has been evident that internal criticism or negative portrayals of social realities are not possible.

However, <The Spring of the White Academic Robe> surprisingly and concretely depicts the corruption of officials, the distrust of farm workers towards Party policies, the bureaucracy of management, illegal transactions utilizing private economic networks, the poor educational and healthcare environments in rural areas, conflicts between Party and administrative officials, and the chronic 'empty talk' among agricultural officials. Of course, the drama ends with a happy ending. However, the points of criticism raised are precisely the realities of North Korean society.

First, there is the distrust of farm workers towards Party cadres. Kim Hyong-sop was curious about why the cooperative farm, which used to be productive, had lost its vitality and become problematic. An elderly man named Gu Wol-ya, who had been farming in the village for a long time, stated, 'It is precisely because of the empty talk of the cadres.' He explained that Party cadres would promise generous distributions at first, but after the distribution, they would demand various contributions to the state the next day. As a result, farm workers came to distrust the cadres' words, and the farm became problematic. 'To set the farm right, we must first understand the reasons for its decline. The farm is in this state because of the village party secretaries. Because they don't understand the inner workings of farming, only the land and the farmers suffer. Second, do not deceive. When you promise distributions and then take them back, how can the farmers be motivated? This kind of 'empty talk,' deceiving the lower ranks (farmers) and the higher ranks (the state), causes the farmers' hearts to grow cold and leads them to do shoddy work.'

Hyong-sop was shocked to hear that the problem with the Baekhak Village farm lay not with the farm workers but with the village party secretary. He decided to win over the farm workers by first eliminating empty talk. He asked the farm workers to 'freely raise issues on how to eliminate empty talk in the farm.' He stated, 'Let's not engage in empty talk and keep our promises to the masses,' and promised, 'I will give you all the distributions.'

Second, there is distrust in scientific farming. The farm workers did not have much faith in scientific farming, which the Party emphasized for increasing food production. Gyeonghwan, the experienced team leader who had been farming in Baekhak Village for a long time, complained, 'Cadres who have never farmed tell us to farm exactly as the Party dictates, which is not realistic.' Hyong-sop admitted that although he was the village party secretary, 'he did not know much about farming' and asked to be taught well.

Hyong-sop planted wheat and barley according to Party policy, but the yield was less than half of that of other farms. Hyong-sop blamed himself, saying, 'I thought increasing the cultivated land area would be enough without any scientific measures.' This was the result of blindly following scientific farming without confidence or proper measures.

Third, there is the phenomenon of avoiding rural areas. The protagonist, Kim Hyong-sop, does his best from the moment he is appointed to Baekhak Village to uphold the Party's policy of increasing food production. However, the rural reality he faced was different from what he had imagined. The reason the farm workers did not trust the village party secretary was that they thought he would leave soon.

When Kim Hyong-sop arrived as the village party secretary of Baekhak Village, the farm workers thought, 'He will leave again soon.' They believed that Hyong-sop's hard work was to gain the trust of the rural residents and achieve results, and that once he achieved results, he would leave for the city. Hyong-sop's wife's thoughts were no different from those of the villagers. When she first heard that her husband was going to Baekhak Village, she was very disappointed. However, she was relieved to hear rumors that 'he would be promoted and return in two or three years.' This indicates how much they disliked living in rural areas.

The reasons for avoiding rural areas are the poor educational and healthcare environments. When Kim Hyong-sop, the farm worker, understood the feelings of the farm workers, he decided to bring his family. However, his wife objected. She opposed, saying, 'I'm fine, but not our son Jinsung.' Her objection was due to university admissions. She believed that if he attended a rural school, his grades would drop, and his chances of entering university would be slim. In fact, the academic performance of Baekhak Village graduates was not good. Last year, out of 12 students who took university entrance exams, only 3 passed. The reason for the low scores was the teachers' competence, particularly a severe shortage of skilled science teachers. Jinsung, who transferred to Baekhak Senior Middle School, also rebelled, saying, 'I won't attend this rural school.'

The healthcare environment was also poor. His wife, who was a doctor, was solely responsible for healthcare. Given the circumstances, counterfeit medicines were also traded.

Fourth, there was distrust among cooperative farm members. The farm members clashed on every issue, from land allocation to work distribution. When allocating land for farming, they fought over 'why I was given poor land,' and during the farming process, conflicts arose between diligent farm workers and those who were not. There was deep distrust among them regarding freeloaders who used their connections with team leaders to skip work and problematic farm workers.

Fifth, there is the structured corruption of cadres. A typical example of corruption is Han Gap-su, the head of the agricultural department, who oversees agricultural work in the county. Han Gap-su was a prime example of authoritarianism and corruption. Han Gap-su used his status and position to pursue personal gain.

In his position overseeing the county's agricultural administration, he embezzled agricultural supplies and sold them on the market for profit. He would then visit farms that had a good harvest and demand more grain, claiming it was 'necessary for Party work,' and pocket a portion of it.

Land assessment was also a means for Han Gap-su to make money. In North Korea, land is graded based on its quality, and the purchase price is determined differently based on the grade. Even if the same amount of grain is produced, if the land grade is lower, the amount of production that must be delivered to the state is reduced, and the personal share increases. Han Gap-su used this land assessment as leverage to demand grain. Personnel authority was also a tool for corruption. He demanded bribes from farm accountants nearing retirement, promising to delay their retirement.

The Revealed Reality, and the Future?

The theme of <The Spring of the White Academic Robe> is the increase of grain (food) production. Grain production is the top priority among the '12 high-level goals for the development of the people's economy.' Food is the greatest weakness of the North Korean system. If food is scarce, the instability of the regime increases, so national resources are being fully mobilized to increase grain production.

<The Spring of the White Academic Robe> comprehensively shows how to increase grain production. It reveals the poor rural conditions, the deep-seated distrust of farm workers towards Party cadres, the distrust in Party policies, and the structured corruption of administrative cadres using their Party positions. The protagonist Hyong-sop dedicates himself, sacrificing his family, to implement Party policies. In the process, he confirms his calling as a Party member and becomes a village party secretary who gains the trust of the farm workers. But is this also reality? The reality depicted is close to reality, while the portrayal of cadres in the drama is closer to an ideal.

At the 8th Party Congress in 2021, Kim Jong Un stated, 'Let us comprehensively and profoundly analyze and summarize the experiences and lessons learned and the successes and failures during the review period, and on that basis, determine the scientific struggle goals and tasks that we can and must accomplish.'[1]The obstacle identified in the implementation of the 'people's economic plan' was 'empty talk.' 'Empty talk' was designated as a work attitude and method to be rejected in various meetings, meaning 'anti-socialist and anti-state work attitudes and methods.'

On May 31, 2022, the Standing Committee of the Supreme People's Assembly issued Decree No. 972, enacting the "Law of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea on Preventing Empty Talk (hereinafter referred to as the Anti-Empty Talk Law)," which includes provisions punishing empty talk in economic planning, society as a whole, and agriculture. The mission (purpose) of the "Anti-Empty Talk Law" is to "contribute to the accurate implementation of the state's policies and the protection of the people's interests by vigorously combating the phenomenon of empty talk nationwide and throughout society."

The second half of 2025 is leading up to the 9th Party Congress scheduled for early 2026. The achievements made over the past five years will be evaluated, and a new five-year plan will be established. The drama <The Spring of the White Academic Robe>, aired at such a time, was a self-confessional narrative that emphasized the need to first resolve general empty talk and distrust for the scientific and systematic planning and execution, and a desperate plea to believe in the Party's policies. The problem is reality. If there is no change in reality, <The Spring of the White Academic Robe> will only be remembered as a romance. ■

[1] Kim Jong Un, "Opening Speech at the 8th Congress of the Workers' Party of Korea," *Rodong Sinmun*, January 6, 2021.

■ Jeon Young-sunProfessor, Konkuk University.

■ Editor: Oh In-hwan_Senior Researcher, EAI; Jeong Jong-hyuk_Researcher, Korea National Diplomatic Academy

Contact: 02 2277 1683 (ext. 202) | ihoh@eai.or.kr