[Global NK Commentary] From 'Our Homeland' to 'My Homeland'

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The Return of 'Homeland' Songs

North Korea's New Year's celebration concerts, held annually to commemorate the New Year, also serve as a stage for the official unveiling of new songs created by the North Korean authorities. The new songs presented at these concerts are indicators of North Korea's adoption of international music trends and provide insights into the policy messages the authorities aim to convey to the populace. At the 2025 New Year's celebration concert, several new original songs were released, with particular attention drawn to four songs: <I Will Love You Forever>, <We Are Korean People>, <Mighty Mother, My Homeland>, and <Homeland and My Destiny>.

In North Korea, new songs do not merely remain on concert stages. Original compositions are published in musical notation in major media outlets such as the Rodong Sinmun and are repeatedly broadcast as visual music on Korean Central Television. Subsequently, they are adopted into the repertoire of major performing arts troupes and are repeatedly studied by the populace through solo recitals and other events. The emergence of new songs in North Korea is part of the process of propaganda and agitation aimed at disseminating political messages throughout North Korean society.

The common thread among the new songs released this year is the central theme and emotion of 'homeland.' While there have been original songs featuring 'homeland' prominently before, the intensive creation of songs using 'homeland' as the title is noteworthy, having been confirmed only twice previously: in 2013 and 2024. In 2013, three songs—<Songs Overflowing in My Homeland>, <My Hopeful Homeland>, and <Hymn to the Homeland>—were released consecutively, unusually emphasizing the word 'homeland.' Eleven years later, in 2024-2025, 'homeland' has once again taken center stage. This recurrence cannot be dismissed as mere coincidence.

In North Korea, the 'state' is defined as a power organ that realizes the political domination of a specific class and as an institutional mechanism that uniformly organizes and manages the activities of the entire populace. Consequently, it clearly possesses the character of a substantive power responsible for societal operation. In contrast, 'homeland,' in its dictionary definition, includes the general meaning of 'the country where one was born and raised' or 'the country to which one's nationality belongs,' along with the stipulation 'the people's country provided by the Suryong (leader).[1]The core of this North Korean conceptual definition lies in the fact that the term 'homeland' is linked not to an institutional category but to a politically originated concept led by the Suryong.

Thus, if 'state' is the language of institutions and power, 'homeland' functions as a more symbolic and emotionally appealing expression that encompasses political origins. The authorities' renewed selection of 'homeland' as the title for songs can be interpreted as an intentional choice to newly leverage the symbolism inherent in this concept. This indicates that an approach using symbolic and emotional language, rather than institutional language, is being re-emphasized in propaganda strategies.

2013: The 'Collective' Homeland: Mobilizing Loyalty Centered on the Leader

The songs with 'homeland' in their titles, created in 2013, ostensibly take the form of singing about the homeland, but in reality, they are focused on strengthening loyalty to Chairman Kim Jong Un and fostering collective solidarity centered on the leader. The title 'homeland' is merely a facade; within the lyrics, the homeland is reconstructed as a symbolic backdrop that contains the leader's existence and achievements.

In the song <Songs Overflowing in My Homeland>, the word 'homeland' appears only once in the line 'The Suryong's song resounds in the homeland, the land of my hopeful country.' Here, the homeland is defined not as a geographical space or a national community, but as 'the place where the leader's song resounds.' This allows for the interpretation that the space where the leader's ideology spreads is the homeland. The short, repetitive phrases like 'Marshal Kim Jong Un's song' and 'song, song, song' in the chorus function as musical devices that facilitate collective chanting, heighten emotions, and ultimately enforce collectivist loyalty.

The Suryong's song resounds in the homeland, the land of my hopeful country. A song of admiration sung from the heart, grateful for the love dedicated to the people. Song, song, song, a song of admiration. Songs overflowing the land. Ah, our Marshal Kim Jong Un's song.

<Hymn to the Homeland> portrays the homeland more lyrically. Expressions like 'the beloved hometown where a loving mother took her first steps' present the homeland as an emotional sanctuary, evoking personal memories and sentiments. However, the song's overall flow is dominated not by lyrical descriptions but by phrases such as 'The people's homeland, overflowing with happiness' and 'The homeland, precious to everyone.' These sentences idealize the homeland as a maternal figure while simultaneously functioning as a mechanism by which the state sets and defines emotions and happiness. Exaggerated imagery like 'a dreamlike, enchanting land and sea' or 'a legendary land full of gold and treasures' also emphasizes the regime's permanence and superiority through an idealized vision detached from reality.[2]The repetition of national symbols such as the goshawk and the magnolia also serves to instill pride and loyalty in the populace.

The beloved hometown where a loving mother took her first steps, the homeland. The homeland, a precious embrace for everyone. A land and sea so enchantingly beautiful they dazzle. A legendary land full of gold and treasures. The people's homeland, overflowing with happiness. Goshawks fly above the clouds, magnolias bloom in this land. Envy not the appearance of Joseon, wise and beautiful. The land of the morning.

<My Hopeful Homeland>, among the three songs, most explicitly equates the homeland with the leader. The chorus, through the phrase 'The hopeful homeland is the Suryong's embrace,' reduces the identity of the homeland to 'the leader's embrace.' Lines like 'We greet the dazzling morning with joy' in the first verse and 'Even if rain falls, or storms rage fiercely' in the second verse metaphorically reframe current hardships and isolation due to sanctions as trials, presenting loyalty to the leader as the path to overcoming them. The first-person plural subject, 'We all,' and 'where we live,' reorganizes individual emotions into collective sentiments, and 'my homeland' at the end of the lyrics, while appearing as a personal address, is merely a rhetorical device representing collective emotion.

We all greet the dazzling morning with joy, our wishes blooming before our eyes, greeting tomorrow with joy. Bright, bright is the place where we live, the Suryong's embrace. The people's hope, the hope of all blessings, my hopeful homeland.

The three songs with 'homeland' in their titles, created in 2013, all speak of the homeland in their titles, but in their lyrics, they center on praising the achievements and merits of Chairman Kim Jong Un, using his real name and titles, and the homeland is subordinated as a space that legitimizes the leader's authority. Even songs that depict the homeland as an ideal place implicitly position the leader as the subject who protects and realizes that ideal. The 'homeland' of this period is unequivocally the 'homeland of the collective,' and this collective can be seen as one bound around the leader. All the 'homeland' title songs from 2013 function as songs of collective loyalty mobilization, promoting a bright future and hope while establishing the leader as the absolute subject enabling that hope.

2024: The 'Individual' Homeland: A Strategy of Internalizing Emotions

The 'homeland' title songs released in 2024 have completely shifted the propaganda strategy towards positioning the homeland within individual emotions rather than as a collective slogan. These songs center their narrative on the internal monologue of a first-person narrator, constructing the homeland as an intimate object associated with memory, recollection, and the meaning of life. Notably, <Song About My Homeland> begins with the voluntary confession 'As I try to sing,' redefining the homeland not as an object of absolute loyalty but as an emotional space that evokes various scenes from one's own life. The phrase 'Where to begin, and how to sing' emphasizes the sincerity towards the homeland through an overwhelming state of emotion. The homeland in the lyrics is memory, not 'the leader,' and an object of reminiscence, not the institutional 'state.' The repeated 'I love you' in the chorus projects the emotion of love onto the object of the homeland from a first-person perspective, and the expression 'I cannot live a moment without you' transforms the homeland from an abstract entity into an emotional being with whom one can form a relationship by personifying it as 'you.'

As I try to sing about my homeland, so many scenes and memories come to mind. Where to begin, and how to sing? I love all that is so dear and precious, my homeland. I cannot live a moment without you. I sing of you, the most beautiful and greatest homeland in this world.

<Homeland and My Destiny> further strengthens this emotional bond. The introduction, mentioning 'mountains to overcome,' acknowledges present difficulties, departing from the past emphasis solely on a bright future, and binds the homeland to personal life as an inescapable destiny. The chorus 'One destiny that cannot be sung' personifies the homeland as a fated companion and functions to transform loyalty into emotional necessity. In this song, the distance between the homeland and the individual is narrowed most dramatically, clearly demonstrating a strategy of emotionally merging the boundaries between the individual and the state.

There are still many mountains to overcome, but I know the destiny of my future. My life, which is with the homeland, cannot be otherwise. Because you are strong, I am unafraid. Because you shine, I am happy. One destiny that cannot be separated. I will be with you until the end, my homeland.

<Mighty Mother, My Homeland> maximizes emotional intimacy by addressing the homeland as 'Mother.' The homeland is reconstructed as a protective and nurturing entity, a maternal figure providing stability and comfort. Instead of merely emphasizing external prosperity as in the past, it emotionally conveys the reasons for the homeland's steadfastness and might, linking the logic 'Therefore, we become strong' from the nation's strength to the individual's emotional conviction. The phrase 'Let us all move forward together' in the latter part shows the flow from individual emotion to collective action, confirming the repositioning of the propaganda structure toward regime justification.

Glory be to you, Mother, my homeland. On your sacred journey, crushing hardships, the power that conjures paradise is infinite. A nation that never yields prospers. Yes, therefore we shall become strong. Let us all move forward together.

<We Are Korean People>, while not directly using the word 'homeland,' reveals the identity of the homeland through its people, history, and spirit. The phrase 'For generations, we have not yielded' explains the homeland's indomitability as a national trait and instills a sense of obligation to inherit this trait. It is a strategic choice to internalize the symbols of the homeland without direct expression, and unlike other songs that make the homeland feel like an emotional entity, it attempts an internalization based on identity.

We have come this far without yielding, a path no one has ever trod. Because we love this land more than our lives, we have overcome blizzards and battlefields with our blood and sweat, achieving victory. With bare hands, we built paradise even on barren land. That is why we are strong, we are Korean people. For generations, we do not yield. We will show our spirit, a hundredfold. This Joseon will stand mighty for eternity.

<I Will Love You Forever> directly addresses the homeland as 'you,' adopting the form of a lyrical confession, and is the most advanced example of the emotionalization of propaganda language in its treatment of the homeland as an object of love. The phrase 'only you, who gave me only happiness' attributes the source of happiness experienced in individual life to the homeland, disguising loyalty as an emotional relationship. This culminates in the emotional frame 'Loyalty is love,' demonstrating a new form of emotionalization strategy rarely seen in previous propaganda methods. Furthermore, it does not merely depict the homeland as an ideal utopia. It acknowledges the homeland's realistic hardships and transforms them into a narrative of a shared destiny where individuals must endure them together.

Why, when I utter your name, do my thoughts deepen? The unforgettable journey we've shared, rising in my heart. Homeland, who raised us through the storms of time. I will love you forever, only you, who gave me only happiness.

As such, the homeland appearing in North Korea's original songs in 2024 is being repositioned not as a collective slogan but as an entity with which one forms a relationship within one's own heart. The songs reconstruct the homeland with different emotional symbols, drawing it into the realm of individual emotions and experiences. This is a strategic choice that considers the individualized social sentiments in a reality where collectivist propaganda is losing its effectiveness, and it can be read as a new propaganda style based on emotion, which makes people feel the homeland rather than imposing it.

Why Sing of 'Homeland' Again Now?

Immediately after designating Kim Jong Un as his successor on January 8, 2009, Chairman Kim Jong Il initiated the formalization of the succession structure through propaganda efforts, including the production and dissemination of <Footsteps>, the first idolization song for Kim Jong Un.[3]Following the death of Chairman Kim Jong Il in 2011, an intense idolization strategy was unavoidable to secure the legitimacy of power succession and ensure stable rule. The number of idolization songs published on the front page of the Rodong Sinmun during the early period of Kim Jong Un's official rule (2012-2015) was four, the same number as during Kim Jong Il's official rule (1998-2009). This indicates that the Kim Jong Un regime was in a transitional period requiring concentrated idolization measures in a short span of time.[4]

The 'homeland' title songs created in 2013, while ostensibly taking the form of singing about the 'homeland,' were essentially centered on a strategy of equating the homeland with the leader by using the leader's real name and titles. During this period, 'homeland' served as an emotional medium more directly referring to the leader than the state, and the leader was established as the existential subject protecting the homeland. The composition, which emphasized a bright future, focused on reinforcing the image of the new young leader and overtly encouraging the populace's loyalty.

The Moranbong Band, which emerged in 2012, served as a symbolic device for this strategy. While the band's concept, performances, and visual style were updated, the 'homeland' title songs themselves maintained the typical North Korean popular song structure, such as verse-chorus repetition and suitability for choral singing. Although there were changes in media supporting the new image strategy, the method of song creation did not significantly deviate from the existing framework optimized for collective rituals.

However, North Korea subsequently faced a situation where the concept of 'homeland' had to be reconstructed amidst prolonged isolation and drastic changes in the external environment. The decisive moment was the breakdown of the second North Korea-U.S. summit held in Hanoi, Vietnam, on February 28, 2019.[5]In isolation, it chose to maintain the system through self-reliance, strengthening its national identity. With the official emergence of 'Our State is Number One' in the 2019 New Year's address, a discourse centered on 'the state' for governance began in earnest.[6]

The establishment of the State Affairs Commission Orchestra in 2020, the flag-raising ceremony at the 75th anniversary of the Party founding military parade in 2020, and the proclamation of the 'Era of Our State is Number One' at the 8th Party Congress in 2021 are all extensions of state branding efforts to construct an image of a universal state. The enactment of the State Symbols Law in 2023, Vice Department Director Kim Yo Jong's reference to 'South Korea,' and the change in the national anthem's name at the completion ceremony of Hwaseong District Phase 2 in 2024[7]can also be understood as movements by the North Korean authorities to reposition themselves within a 'state-to-state' order.

However, this process of national redefinition is intertwined with internal control concerns. As economic difficulties intensified due to prolonged COVID-19 lockdowns, the emotional unrest among the populace grew, and North Korea perceived this as a threat to the regime. The enactment of the Law on Banning Anti-Ideological and Counter-Cultural Phenomena in December 2020, followed by laws such as the Youth Education Guarantee Law and the Pyongyang Cultural Language Protection Law, which completely blocked the inflow of external culture, indicate that the changes in the populace's emotions and their reception of external culture could no longer be tolerated. This paradoxically reveals that the existing methods of propaganda and agitation are no longer sufficiently effective. Instead of abstractly emphasizing 'the state,' the North Korean authorities are re-invoking 'homeland' as an emotional and internally adoptable symbolic term. The medium of 'homeland' precisely aligns with the shift in propaganda strategy, moving from collective slogans to a method that appeals to individual emotions.

From 'Our Homeland' to 'My Homeland'

For propaganda to be effective, it must first secure the emotional consent of the populace. In a situation where it is no longer possible to drive loyalty solely through collective slogans, the focus of propaganda is shifting to the realm of individual emotions. The re-invocation of 'homeland' as a symbolic term is also read as a result of these considerations. It can be interpreted as a strategic choice to compensate for the distance inherent in the institutional language of 'state' through the emotional language of 'homeland,' and to permeate the inner world of the populace through the indirect medium of homeland, rather than overtly praising the leader.

This trend has continued in various new songs released subsequently. Notably, the chorus of <Homeland, Prosper>—'My earnest wish is only for your prosperity. My beloved homeland, may you prosper forever'—shows that loyalty has been translated into the language of individual wishes and aspirations. The strategy of shifting the subject of loyalty from 'we' to 'I,' combined with the attempt to reposition the homeland as the subject of emotion, reveals a change in propaganda methods that directly appeal to the inner emotional structure of the populace.

What is even more noteworthy is that among the original songs newly released throughout 2025, not a single one directly mentions Chairman Kim Jong Un by his real name or title. This can be seen as a strategic adjustment designed to naturally evoke feelings of loyalty without direct personal invocation, by prominently featuring the indirect medium of the homeland. Externally, it appears to be an effort to mitigate overt personal worship language, perhaps in consideration of international scrutiny, while internally, it aims to achieve the effect of indirectly internalizing the leader-centric system by invoking the homeland and generations. Thus, the homeland in North Korean songs is being reconstructed from 'our homeland' to 'my homeland,' operating as an emotion-based indirect idolization strategy that ensures love for the homeland ultimately leads to loyalty to the leader. ■

* This article is a reconstruction based on the presentation "Reconstruction of 'Homeland' through North Korean Popular Songs: Focusing on Newly Composed Songs in 2013 and 2024" at the Spring 2025 Academic Conference of the North Korea Research Society.

[1]Publishing House of Science Encyclopedia (2010). *Chosunmal Dictionary*. Pyongyang: Publishing House of Science Encyclopedia.

[2]At the time these songs were created in 2013, the national bird of North Korea was the 'goshawk,' but it has since been changed to the 'magpie.'

[3]Lee Ki-dong (2012). “Kim Jong-un’s Power Succession Process and Power Structure,” Journal of North Korean Studies, Vol. 16, No. 2, pp. 3-4.

[4]Ha Seung-hee (2015). “Aspects of Music Politics in North Korea’s Rodong Sinmun: Focusing on the Sheet Music on the Front Page of Rodong Sinmun,” Journal of Cultural Policy, Vol. 29, No. 2, p. 238.

[5] Yonhap News, [Collapse of Hanoi Summit] From the Successful to the Failed Second North Korea-U.S. Summit.https://www.yna.co.kr/view/AKR20190228151900504.(Accessed: December 5, 2025.)

[6]Kang Hye-seok (2019). “Changes in Governing Discourse in the Kim Jong-un Era and the Rise of the ‘State’: Focusing on ‘Kim Jong-il Patriotism’ and ‘Our State First Ideology’,” Journal of International Politics, Vol. 59, No. 3, p. 326.

[7]The existing 'Patriotic Song' was changed to the 'National Anthem of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea'.

■ Ha Seung-hee_Visiting Professor, North Korean Studies Institute, Dongguk University.

■ Editor: Lee Sang-jun_EAI Research Fellow

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