North Korean Leaflet

Source:  http://www.psywarrior.com/RadioLeaflet.html

I found it interesting that this North Korean leaflet, which was produced during the time peace talks were being held, was written in English, because that suggests that the U.S. military was the intended audience.  The title reads, "Let peace be realized and the soldiers be returned home by the cease fire negotiations and pulling foreign troops out of Korea!"  At the bottom of the leaflet, it reads: "General Political Bureau of the KPA. Pyongyang Radio arranges an English program for you at 22.15 every Tuesday."  In this cartoon, it's the American, and not the Korean, who is otherized and made to appear villainous; with his dollar sign patch and the letters "US" written on his scowling face, the American holds a gun while the handsome North Korean soldier restrains his hand, presenting him with a peace treaty.  The way the North Korean soldier is presented as so much larger than the American soldier portrays a new power dynamic– it suggests to the reader that the North Koreans have the upper hand. Because it's written and drawn in the style of a comic book or a political cartoon, it appeals to the young servicemen who might be questioning why they are still there.  After researching this particular Pyongyang radio show, I found out that it's still on air– but now it's called Voice of Korea.  According to Wikipedia, the broadcasts usually consist of "stories about the lives and achievements of Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il, praise for the Kims and the DPRK from foreigners, programmes about Korean culture, history, music, etc."

This leaflet advocates for peace in Korea– not North or South Korea, but Korea as a whole– and it suggests the possibility of reunification.  The largeness of the Korean soldier might suggest that he presents both the interests of South Korea and North Korea.  The way the U.S. and North Korea are represented speaks to the way North Koreans may have perceived Americans: the American is drawn with wiggly, curving lines, while the North Korean is drawn with straight lines.  Visually, this suggests that the U.S. is a duplicitous, slippery character, while Korea is a steadfast, patient one; at the same time, it portrays the U.S. as more feminine and North Korea as more masculine.  The exaggerated nose and ears on the American also implies some kind of moral shortcoming, while the proportionate features of the Korean imply morality.  But in direct contrast to all of the moralizations in the drawing, the text is very positive.  Rather than saying what not to do, it proposes a solution, and explains what needs to happen in order for that solution to happen.  It does not blame the U.S. for anything; it even mentions how the U.S. soldiers could benefit from the ceasefire by being able to go home.  I found it particularly interesting how the text and the picture seem to be saying entirely different things.

Claire Davidson