[Global NK Commentary] What is there to fear from the full opening of cultural and artistic materials?

[Editor's Note]

The South Korean government seems to fear that if cultural and artistic materials are fully opened, 'innocent' citizens will be swayed by them. The author emphasizes that even with the full opening of North Korean materials, conflict and confusion will be minimal, and a closed approach stemming from excessive fear and a belittling of South Korean society's overall capabilities is an anachronistic idea. Promoting ignorance through such methods, he adds, amounts to nothing more than the National Security Law and the meaning of 'strategic patience.' Providing ample opportunities to broadly understand North Korean society could be the first step toward reducing policy failures and finding a way forward in inter-Korean relations. The author suggests that the South Korean government's proactive opening efforts will enhance understanding of North Korean society while simultaneously driving change in North Korea.

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Is it the word 'radical leftism' that we saw so often in the 80s that causes concern? What would happen to South Korean society if North Korean cultural and artistic materials (books, videos, music, etc.) were fully opened? If conservative media does not deliberately exaggerate it as 'pro-North Korean,' there might be a brief commotion, but it will soon subside. The reason is, above all, that there is no connection to the lives of ordinary South Korean citizens. No matter how many nuclear tests or missile launches North Korea conducts, they have no impact on the lives of ordinary citizens. Therefore, there is no motivation to be interested. Even if one deliberately seeks to confirm the reality, they will not find enjoyment in those texts, so the desire to read them to the end will not arise. For ordinary citizens, North Korea is like a distant cloud, 'as if fictional but not quite.'

Nevertheless, a part of South Korean society reacts with near-panic to North Korean cultural and artistic materials. In April, when Kim Il-sung's memoirs "With the Century" were published, they were seized, and the publisher's representative was sent to the prosecution by the police on September 15 on charges of violating the National Security Law. While I hesitated to purchase the expensive 8-volume set for 280,000 won, sales were banned. But if that hadn't happened, would they have all sold out? It would have been difficult for ordinary citizens to purchase them out of mere curiosity. Most of the few buyers were likely researchers like myself. The question is, how likely is it that an ordinary citizen who read that book would 'praise or propagandize an anti-state organization or its members that endangers the basic order of liberal democracy (Article 7 of the National Security Law)'? Does a 'South Korean person' who believes and praises the content as it is truly exist?

In the past, when the South Korean government opened Japanese popular culture and arts (1st: Oct 1998, 2nd: Sep 1999, 3rd: Jun 2000, 4th: 2004.1), there were concerns that the entire South Korean cultural industry might become subordinate, but the result was the opposite. The opening of North Korean culture and arts will be no different. The vigilance against the propaganda and danger of North Korean culture and arts, just like with Japanese culture and arts, will rapidly disappear with a wry smile. It would take a truly special connection and tremendous effort for a citizen with common sense to believe such distortions and falsehoods. In fact, it is North Korea that fears the spread of South Korean culture and arts.

North Korea, in its editorial "<It is necessary to strengthen ideological education work especially in difficult and hard times>" (Rodong Sinmun, 2021.9.28), emphasized the need to 'devote effort to ideological education work to arm the masses with collectivist spirit and prepare them mentally and morally' in response to 'the reactionary ideological and cultural infiltration tactics of hostile forces seeking to corrupt and subvert the interior.' This stance aligns with the statement by Sydney Seiler, North Korea analyst at the U.S. National Intelligence Council (NIC), who said, 'North Korea does not want continuous improvement of relations with South Korea due to concerns about internal impact and believes the costs of consistent exchange with South Korea outweigh the benefits.' It is unlikely that there is anyone who does not know that many North Korean residents, through various channels, are encountering and, more accurately, 'enjoying' South Korean cultural and artistic products (especially TV dramas and popular music), which are products of 'reactionary ideology and culture.' In particular, it is unlikely that anyone expects the North Korean authorities' attempts to strengthen ideological control over the younger generation to succeed. Culture flows from top to bottom. Perhaps "Squid Game," which is causing a worldwide sensation, is also circulating in North Korea. Defectors, after all, are intimately familiar with the plots of countless TV dramas that we don't even remember.

Contrary to this reality in North Korea, even South Korea's so-called social elite may not have a high level of understanding of North Korea. The reason is not much different from that of ordinary citizens. The National Security Law and 'strategic patience' have fostered ignorance about North Korea. Considering Hillary Clinton's statement that North Korean provocations serve U.S. national interests, the 'strategic patience' policy, unless it implicitly encouraged North Korea to complete its nuclear armament or was neglected because it was not a primary U.S. concern, is a policy failure stemming from ignorance of North Korea's capabilities and the operating principles of North Korean society. This error was not significantly different for South Korea during the nine years prior to the current administration. It can be said that they waited for internal collapse resulting from resistance to a 'naive' (or rather, 'hoped-to-be-naive') Kim Jong-un.

Imagining South Korea's future while erasing North Korea means abandoning immense potential. Therefore, opportunities to broadly understand North Korean society, much like studying abroad or traveling abroad, are essential. However, the current situation, where free movement is impossible and access to and storage of materials are inconveniently restricted even for researchers, is truly pathetic. The idea that fully opening North Korean cultural and artistic materials is to prevent 'innocent' citizens from being swayed by them and becoming pro-North Korean 'leftists' is truly insulting. Even with full opening, only a handful of North Korean researchers would be able to feel the changes firsthand. At a time when K-culture and arts are creating a global sensation, the first time since the era of Dangun, a closed approach stemming from excessive fear of North Korea and a belittling of South Korean society's overall capabilities is anachronistic. We must quickly remove the clumsy shackles that treat South Korean citizens like circus tigers trained by their handlers, having lost their wild nature.

Of course, some conflict will arise in the process. However, South Korean society now possesses the cultural resilience to constructively overcome such conflict. A phased approach, similar to the opening of Japanese popular culture and arts, is realistic. As everyone can guess, the internal shock and commotion that would arise from mutual opening would be even more severe in North Korea. Therefore, there is no need to insist on simultaneous opening based on the principle of reciprocity. It is desirable to adopt a flexible stance, stating that we will open fully first, and North Korea can begin when possible. We must actively advocate for mutual opening and proactively open up to enhance understanding of North Korean society while simultaneously driving change in North Korea.■

■ Author: Hong Jae-beomProfessor of Korean Language and Literature at Konkuk University. He also serves as a professor in the Department of Literary and Artistic Therapy at the same university. He studied Korean Language and Literature, Philosophy, and Education at Seoul National University and obtained his master's and doctoral degrees from the graduate school. His published works include "Stanislavski System and <<Korean Art>>" (editor) and "North Korea's Five Great Revolutionary Plays" (editor). Recently, he has been conducting research primarily on North Korean culture and arts and Hallyu dramas.

■ Responsible for and edited by: Min Ji-yoonDirector of External Cooperation, EAI

Contact: 02 2277 1683 (ext. 203) | jymin@eai.or.kr