[Global NK Commentary] Memories of the Cold War: Films and Dramas of the Kim Jong Un Era

■ Global NK Zoom&Connect 원문으로 바로가기

The Role of Art in the Kim Jong Un Era

As is well known, North Korean literature and art exist to propagandize the regime. The fundamental purpose of North Korean literature and art is to promote the policies of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) and educate the people. This purpose has remained unchanged since the establishment of the North Korean regime up to the Kim Jong Un era. Among literature and art, long-form narrative works such as literature, films, and dramas are planned with themes and subjects desired by the WPK. Once a theme is decided, subjects that best showcase the theme are selected, and they are completed using permissible directing methods. What is shown is not what the people want to see, but what they are made to see. This is why the WPK's policies can be confirmed through North Korean films and dramas.

Unlike the Kim Jong Il era, film and drama production in the Kim Jong Un era is limited. The Kim Jong Un regime began in 2012. Considering the production time for films and dramas, works released after 2013 would belong to the Kim Jong Un era. New films and dramas from 2013 to 2025 number around ten. In terms of production volume, this is incomparably less than during the Kim Jong Il era. Most of the time in cinemas and on broadcasts is spent repeatedly airing previously made works rather than producing new ones.

The stagnation in the arts was a problem that even Kim Jong Un severely criticized. Kim Jong Un criticized the stagnation of culture and arts at the 9th National Congress of Arts Workers in 2014, in the 'Business Summary Report' at the 7th Congress of the Workers' Party of Korea in 2016, and in his policy speech at the 1st Session of the 14th Supreme People's Assembly in 2019. This cannot be attributed to production costs. Films and dramas were made even during the period of the Arduous March.

The reason for the stagnation of art in the Kim Jong Un era is due to a change in its role. During the Kim Jong Il era, artists were key resources for propaganda activities. However, in the Kim Jong Un era, the core of propaganda activities lies with the grassroots organizations of the Workers' Party. Grassroots organizations of the WPK, such as cell secretaries or primary party committees, have been assigned to conduct propaganda activities. Propaganda activities are carried out by the grassroots organizations of the WPK, which are at the forefront of daily life and production sites, utilizing specific materials and multimedia relevant to the reality on the ground. Artists are required to produce works that are internationally competitive. Instead of producing multiple works to be used for propaganda and agitation, the party demands high-density works through selection and concentration.

Indeed, compared to the Kim Jong Il era, the number of works has significantly decreased. However, the quality of the works has improved by one level. The storylines have become more robust, and the directing has become bolder. The rapid development and increasingly sophisticated and popularized directing methods make them almost unrecognizable as North Korean works.

'Anti-Espionage' as the Core of the Kim Jong Un Era Narrative

Films produced after 2013 include <A Battlefield Without Gunfire> (2014), <Our Home Story> (2016), <One Day and One Night> (2022), <72 Hours> (2024), and <The Day and Night of Confrontation> (2025). Dramas include <Bulletproof Wall> (2015), <The Ginseng Gatherers of Imjin Year> (2018), <The Last Pill> (2022), <Memoir of a Prosecutor> (2023), and <New Spring of the White Crane Mountain> (2025). Although North Korea distinguishes between films and dramas, the genre distinction is not particularly significant. <A Battlefield Without Gunfire> (2014) is a film but was produced in a five-part drama format, and <72 Hours> (2024) is a film exceeding four hours, released in two parts. <The Day and Night of Confrontation> (2025) is a two-part film that continues the story from <One Day and One Night> (2022). The drama <New Spring of the White Crane Mountain> (22 episodes), aired in 2025, was screened in cinemas in blocks of two episodes.

What is important is the theme. How the theme is presented is crucial. Films and dramas produced during the Kim Jong Un era do not deal with minor themes directly related to daily life or economic activities. They showcase themes related to the policies pursued by the Kim Jong Un regime in the desired manner.

Above all, what is noteworthy is the centrality of the 'anti-espionage narrative.' 'Anti-espionage' (反探) means 'stories about catching spies.' The opposite of anti-espionage is 'intelligence gathering' (情探), which means obtaining information. While espionage and counter-espionage are distinct genres, there is no clear boundary in practice, as sometimes it is necessary to impersonate the enemy to thwart conspiracies.

Anti-espionage works have popular appeal. It is a genre with strong popular elements of intricate brain games and action involving deception. Narratives of completing seemingly impossible missions through intricate strategies of deception and sacrifice provide the thrill of twists and victories. It is an attractive genre for educational purposes, as it can educate about spies and instill patriotism through narratives of victory. Anti-espionage works were also widely produced in North Korea from the 1950s to the 1980s.

Anti-espionage films and dramas from the Kim Jong Un era include the films <A Battlefield Without Gunfire> (2014), <One Day and One Night> (2022), <The Day and Night of Confrontation> (2025), and the dramas <Bulletproof Wall> (2015), <Memoir of a Prosecutor> (2023). Half of the films and dramas from the Kim Jong Un era are anti-espionage works. In these works, the target of the spies is 'Kim Il Sung.' That is, anti-espionage works of the Kim Jong Un era are set up as a confrontation between forces trying to eliminate Kim Il Sung and the figures who prevent it.

<A Battlefield Without Gunfire> (2014) is a five-part spy film set in the period around the liberation of Korea in 1945. After August 15, 1945, the US Far East Command prepared an 'anti-DPRK operation' to eliminate North Korea, using the Japanese special agency, the Black Dragon Society. The protagonist, Nam-hee, who remembers her father who died in a Japanese prison while engaged in the independence movement, infiltrates as Sumiko to retrieve the 'MacArthur's 11-Point Order' aimed at eliminating North Korea.

<Bulletproof Wall> (2015) is a 14-part drama set from 1944 to the immediate aftermath of liberation in 1945, depicting the activities of a shield agent defending against a poisoning operation aimed at eliminating the core of the People's Army guerrilla forces. Parts 1 to 7 depict the activities of Jeong Jin-beom, who operated as a shield agent under the stigma of being a pro-Japanese entrepreneur, and parts 8 to 14 follow his daughter, Jeong Ok-geum, who succeeded her father as a shield agent, eliminating a poison arrow aimed at the command.

<One Day and One Night> (2022) and <The Day and Night of Confrontation> (2025) are films modeled after the 'Hero of the Republic and War Veteran' Ra Myong-hui (portrayed as Ra Myong-ju in the films). The story depicts Ra Myong-ju risking her life to thwart a plot to assassinate Premier Kim Il Sung.

<Memoir of a Prosecutor> (2023) portrays the activities of Choi Hyong-gyu, Deputy Chief Prosecutor of the People's Army Supreme Prosecutor's Office, who uncovers the conspiracy of Ri Seung-yeop, who attempted to assassinate Kim Il Sung, starting with a terrorist incident in August 1950 during the Korean War. Despite being executed on false charges and his wife and daughter being kidnapped, he proceeds with the investigation with the determination that 'there must not be the slightest gap in protecting the Supreme Commander.' He risks his life to apprehend Ri Seung-yeop, who is the Chairman of the People's Control Committee and Minister of Justice.

Generational Succession of the Leader, Generational Defense of the Leader

The re-production of anti-espionage works during the Kim Jong Un era aims to strengthen internal cohesion by emphasizing external threats. The core of strengthening internal cohesion is the 'leader,' and this leads to the education of 'defending the leader to the death' as the means to 'survive.' The absolute reverence of the people for the leader is the fundamental moral virtue in the North Korean system. Among the virtues emphasized in North Korea, the highest is described as 'having a noble demeanor,' 'always thinking of and following only the leader, whether in joy or hardship.' Dedication or sacrifice for the supreme leader, and living a life for society and the collective are educated as the highest morality and value.

The resolute defense of the leader Kim Il Sung directly translates into the resolute defense of the leader Kim Jong Un. The thematic consciousness that the revolutionary tradition must be carried on through generational loyalty and generational defense of the leader is confirmed through the setting of generational loyalty.

Dramas like <Bulletproof Wall> (2015), which depicts a father who self-detonated to protect the 'Headquarters of the Revolution' and his successor protecting the leader, or <A Battlefield Without Gunfire> (2014), where the protagonist, inheriting the will of a father who died for independence, infiltrates as 'Matsuoka Sumiko' to reveal MacArthur's war plans, are popular education works for 'revolutionary tradition education' aimed at 'protecting the leadership of the revolution across generations.' Since the beginning of the Kim Jong Un regime, despite extreme stagnation in drama and film production, anti-espionage themed films and dramas have been continuously produced. This confirms that anti-espionage works are essential content in the Kim Jong Un era. Notably, the drama <Bulletproof Wall>, after its initial broadcast in 2015, was re-aired in 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2020. In 2020, it was broadcast twice, for a total of seven airings. It was recognized as educational content emphasizing generational loyalty to the leader Kim Jong Un.

North Korea initially presented four major types of education (belief, class, patriotism, morality) on June 4, 2014, and revised it to five types (greatness, Kim Jong Il patriotism, belief, class, morality) in December. Later, at the 8th Congress of the Workers' Party of Korea in 2021, 'greatness education' and 'Kim Jong Il patriotism education' were changed to 'revolutionary tradition education' and 'loyalty education.' This strengthened loyalty education towards Kim Jong Un as the new leader, emphasizing the revolutionary tradition. In line with the promotion of Kim Jong Un as the supreme leader, education about Kim Jong Un as the successor of the revolutionary tradition was intensified.

The theme of 'protecting the leader' has become particularly prominent since 2019. In a letter sent to the '2nd National Congress of Primary Propaganda Workers' held immediately after the Hanoi Summit in 2019, Kim Jong Un stated, 'Do not deify the leader.' He added, 'The leader is not a being detached from the people, but a leader of the people who shares life and death with them and dedicates himself to their happiness.' This directive from Kim Jong Un subsequently conveys the meaning of how the leader should be treated and how the relationship between the leader and the people should be defined. The enemy is 'looking for opportunities in every way to destroy our socialist system,' so education was conducted in the manner of 'we must protect our leader with our lives.' Thus, from the 2030s onwards, North Korean films and dramas portray the leader not as an absolute and infallible being, but as someone whom the people must protect and defend, and the people who protected the leader are depicted as heroes.

Another notable point is that the heroes who protect the leader are young women. In the film <A Battlefield Without Gunfire> (2014), <One Day and One Night> (2022), <The Day and Night of Confrontation> (2025), and the drama <Bulletproof Wall> (2015), the individuals who protect the headquarters of the revolution and Premier Kim Il Sung are all young women. Although not an anti-espionage work, the protagonist of <Our Home Story> (2016) is an 18-year-old girl, and the protagonist of <The Last Pill> (2022) is 19 years old. They are depicted as delicate and weak women who protect the leader, dedicate themselves to Kim Jong Un, and promote their country on the world stage. They discover individuals worthy of emulation by the youth and use films and dramas as a space for experiencing revolutionary traditions.

Since the beginning of the Kim Jong Un regime, control for the succession of the leader and overcoming crises has been further strengthened. There is no clear breakthrough in sight. Control justified by the pretext of internal cohesion will likely continue. However, there are limits to what can be solved by control alone. Films and dramas of the Kim Jong Un era are a product of the meeting between the indispensable appeal of popular culture and the theme of defending the leader. Within them, the sentiments and sensibilities of the Cold War are actualized through memories of the Cold War. ■

■ Jeon Young-sunProfessor, Institute for Humanities, Konkuk University.

■ Management and Editing: Lee Sang-jun_EAI 연구원

    문의: 02 2277 1683 (ext. 211) | leesj@eai.or.kr