North Korean Culture (was Re: Grey haired old man still notconvinced)

[Yoshie Furuhashi <furuhashi.1@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Mac wrote:

>Owen:
> > The reason for
> > the relative benevolence of the Yugoslav bureaucracy was that the high
> > cultural level of the country (compared to, say, North Korea)
> > reflected on to it. But this was not a country where the working class
> > enjoyed political power.
>
>While I am not going to dispute that greater liberal freedoms have existed
>under Tito that under either Kim in north Korea, I find this "lack of
>culture" argument as per Korea very Eurocentric. There is absolutely nothing
>that would indicate a lack of culture in Korea, and the Korean people have
>given a tremedous amount to the world. Precisely this misunderstanding of
>Chinese and Korean traditions has caused many shivers down the spine of
>first world analysis of these countries, and it owes to *our* ignorance of
>their history and culture, not their lack of building and living it.

*****   06/14/2000

As summit eases tension, North Korean art, film and culture may head to South

This is the first installment of a four-part series of stories on
North Korean arts and cultural policies and their philosophical
background. - Ed.

By Bae Eun-joo Staff reporter

With the leaders of South and North Korea now meeting for a historic
summit in Pyongyang, experts here are predicting a marked increase in
the number of inter-Korean exchanges in the cultural sector.

The forecasts come in the wake of recent Seoul performances by the
Pyongyang Student Youth Arts Troupe followed by the Pyongyang Circus
Troupe and the South Korean government's decision to allow screenings
of the North Korean movie "Pulgasari" and the release of "Whistle,"
an album containing popular North Korean songs. Local broadcasters
are also rushing to air North Korean films and a number of South
Korean writers recently visited historic sites in North Korea.

Amid such signs of thawing South-North relations, the Korea Cultural
Policy Institute released a report on the kind of exchanges that are
likely to take place.

The institute said North Korean leader Kim Jong-il's naming as
chairman of the Supreme People's Assembly in 1998 signaled the launch
of efforts to find a replacement for former leader Kim Il-sung's
ideology of "juche" (self-reliance). It also said that North Korea
will emphasize cultural nationalism and boost artistic activities in
the civilian sector.

The North Korea experts offer a rare glimpse into North Korean
culture in the report and express their belief that Pyongyang will
propose full-scale inter-Korean cultural exchanges in a wide range of
fields.

Theater

"Minjok ga-guk," or folk opera, entered North Korea's cultural
mainstream in the early 1990s. "Ga-guk," a modern form of "chang-guk"
or classical opera also recently reemerged to replace the more
revolutionary opera form "hyuk-myung ga-guk." After the famous
classical folk tale "Chunhyang," a love story involving a "kisaeng"
(female entertainer) and a nobleman, was staged in 1988, "minjok
ga-guk" grew in popularity with the North Korean public. Successful
performances of "Shimchong" (1993) and "The Story of Mrs. Park"
(1995) cemented the genre's place among the most beloved art forms in
North Korea.

The North Korean government is most likely to bring this kind of
theatrical production to the South Korean stage as it is seen as the
least political dramatic form. Doubts remain as to whether South
Koreans would accept revolutionary plays like "Letter from the
Daughter" (1987), "The Bloody Committee" (1984), "The Bloody Sea"
(1971) and "Song of Mt. Kumgang" (1973).

Movies

Exchanges of films between South and North Korea are likely to be
easily achieved since a number of South Korean colleges already hold
annual North Korean movie festivals and Seoul television networks
have begun airing films from the North. Joint film production is
another possibility.

If inter-Korean film exchanges are realized, "Tomb of King Tongmyong"
and "Four Seasons of Pyongyang" are among the documentaries expected
to be screened in South Korea. The two films bear historical
significance as they are biographies of North Korean leader Kim
Jong-il.

Dance

Modern North Korean dance has changed very little from the "juche"
dance of the past, which suggests that North Korea's severe economic
difficulties may have inhibited the creativity of the cultural
community.

A limited number of nationalistic folk dances, including "Moon
Dance," "Soldier's Dance" and "Fairy of Mt. Kumgang," are regarded as
Pyongyang's sole major dance creations.

Music

North Korean music has recently developed to the point that songs now
express feelings of love and describe the everyday life of civilians,
subjects that were once prohibited by the Communist government.
Recently, North Korea's music community has shown an increased
interest in finding and preserving traditional music. The popularity
of karaoke rooms is growing in the North and electronic musical
instruments are often used in the production of pop songs.

One notable development in the late 1990s was the release of songs on
the theme of national unification.

North Korea may suggest holding further joint music festivals with
South Korea along the same lines as the Separated Family Reunion
Concert (1985), New Year's Concert (1990), Liberation Day Concert,
Bonghwa Arts Theater Concert (1999) and Yun Isang Festival.

Art

The paintings of North Korean artists once followed the traditions of
the Choson Dynasty (1392-1910). But North Korean art is currently in
a period of modernization, with artists beginning to focus on the
lives of contemporary North Koreans.

Pyongyang is expected to suggest holding exhibitions of famous
painters, including Park Soo-kun and Lee Ung-ro, both of whom are of
two Koreas' mutual interest.

Folk Art

North Korea started to modernize its folk traditions in the 1950s as
part of efforts to boost the spirit of nationalism. This resulted in
the development of "kyo-yae" or circus performances.

"Kyo-yae" is one of the most beloved artistic genres among the North
Korean public and North Korean circus performances have been held
worldwide.

With Pyongyang continuing to focus on tradition and nationalism,
North Korea is expected to further expand the number of acrobatic
performances here.

Updated: 06/14/2000

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Yoshie