A group of women gossiping about the new neighbor. A feisty middle schooler using a homemade drone to prank his classmates. A young military officer seeking information from his past. These themes could be from any American TV show. But they are, in fact, storylines from a new wave of soap operas produced by the North Korean state.
Former AP journalist Jean Lee, now a Global Fellow at The Wilson Center, analyzed four of these North Korean soaps for a new research paper commissioned by KEI. In this episode of Korean Kontext, she discusses some of her observations, including a shift from emphasizing military service to emphasizing family ties and a focus on youth and the next generation of North Koreans - themes which may indicate some of Kim Jong-un's main domestic priorities.
[Rebroadcast] The Revolution will be Thumb Drived: North Korean Access to Outside Media: Nat Kretchen
When Cold Warriors Met to Talk About Peace: Mark Tokola
[Rebroadcast] Achieving Peace through Sanctions: Stephan Haggard
We Go Together: Ambassador Kathleen Stephens and General Skip Sharp
When the Party Writes About Itself, It Writes With Purpose: Dr. Meredith Shaw
China’s Dream and The Korean Peninsula: Dr. Lee Seong-hyon
Neighbors not by Geography, but by a Shared Vision: Park Jae-kyung
Trade Wars Strike Back: Dr. June Park
What the Korean Wave Brought to the American Table: Michael Hong
Danish Furniture, Korean Skincare: Charlotte and Dave Cho
We Built This K-pop Community: Susan Kang
2018 in Review from the Korea Economic Institute
Children are our future, our present: Dafna Zur
Remembering President George H.W. Bush's Legacy in Korea: Ambassador Donald Gregg
How Koreans Define Koreaness: Christopher Green and Steven Denney
Across the Tumen River: A Journey through North Korea
[Rebroadcast] Home is Where Our Story Begins: Min Jin Lee, author of Pachinko
North Korea, The Global Arms Dealer: Dr. Bruce Bechtol
How Things Look from the Peninsula: WSJ's Jonathan Cheng
War's Impact on the American Homefront: Robert Powell and Sam Yoon
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