TV Drama Shows North Koreans State's Failings for First Time

Newsweek

5 days ago

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A new North Korean television drama has drawn attention for its unusually candid depiction of corruption and deep-rooted social problems inside the secretive communist state.
Why It Matters
The show's April release marked a rare moment in North Korean media, where television dramas have previously shown the country as an idealized utopia in line with the propaganda of supreme leader Kim Jong Un's regime.
The government, led by the Korean Workers' Party, tightly censors media in the country, and watching foreign TV shows can result in lengthy prison camp sentences or even public execution, according to defectors who have fled to South Korea.
Newsweek has contacted the North Korean Embassy in China for comment by email.
What To Know
The 22-episode series, titled "A New Spring in the Paekhak Plain," centers on the struggles of a party secretary who relocates to Paekhak, a remote farming village in North Korea's western Sinchon County.
In his efforts to help the struggling community boost its crop yields, the official is confronted with local hardships and widespread corruption not present in past North Korean dramas.
Hardship and corruption are major themes throughout the series. The story depicts food insecurity, bribery and officials embezzling grain—showing ordinary people offering bribes for favors and bureaucrats abusing their power.
Young people take part in a ball in Pyongyang on July 26, the eve of the 72nd anniversary of the armistice agreement that ended the 1950-1953 Korean War.
Young people take part in a ball in Pyongyang on July 26, the eve of the 72nd anniversary of the armistice agreement that ended the 1950-1953 Korean War.
Kyodo via Associated Press
Unlike earlier productions, which tied emotional displays to ideological loyalty, the show features romantic subplots with flirtation and heartbreak. Family conflict also appears, as the main character's move creates tension with his wife. The drama even addresses class divides, with one mother paying her son's girlfriend—who hails from a lower social stratum—to end their relationship.
Despite these changes, propaganda remains present. Scenes of smartphone use, new homes and abundant food are common, contrasting with the harsh reality faced by most North Koreans.
Jeon Young-sun, a North Korean culture researcher at Konkuk University in Seoul, told The Wall Street Journal that the show was "provocative" media reflecting Kim's push for more engaging state content and promises to improve living standards.
The series follows severe flooding and landslides along the Yalu River last year that left more than 1,000 people dead or missing and thousands more displaced.
What People Are Saying
Isaac Stone Fish, the founder and CEO of the research firm Strategy Risks, wrote on X: "For the first time, North Korean viewers can see a North Korean television show featuring some of the awful problems with North Korea. A massive change."
Chris Monday, an associate professor at South Korea's Dongseo University, told The Wall Street Journal: "We have never seen Party failings and personal failings depicted so starkly."
What Happens Next
Analysts have said the show signals a shift in the regime's media strategy.
Jeon told The Wall Street Journal that it may reflect Kim's drive to keep citizens watching state television while promising better living conditions.