Seoul, South Korea
CNN
—
A young woman sticks a rifle out of a popsicle refrigerator and pulls out some to show to the camera.
“This is the milk flavor. The picture is so cute,” she said in English, pointing to the manga packaging with a smile.
Finally, I took a bite of the ice cream I chose, saying, “The biscuits are so delicious.”
The 4 minute video has over 41,000 views on YouTube, but this is no ordinary vlog. A woman who calls herself YuMi lives in North Korea, perhaps the most isolated and secretive country in the world.
Created last June, her YouTube channel is one of the social media accounts that has popped up on the internet in the past year or two. North Korean residents claim to share their daily lives.
But experts say not everything looks like these videos, and the images contain signs that life for millions of impoverished people under Kim Jong-un’s dictatorship is far from the norm. It states that
Instead, they suggest that they likely like YuMi and others. It could be part of a propaganda campaign aimed at rebranding the country’s international image as a friendlier, more tourist-friendly place than the constant talk of nuclear weapons suggests.
YuMi’s video “looks like a well-prepared play” scripted by the North Korean government, said Park Seong-cheol, a researcher at the North Korean Human Rights Database Center.
For decades, North Korea has been relatively isolated from the rest of the world, severely restricting freedom of expression, free movement and access to information.
Its dismal human rights record has been criticized by the United Nations. Internet usage is strictly restricted. Even the privileged few allowed to use smartphones can only access heavily censored government-run intranets. Foreign materials such as books and films are prohibited, and severe penalties are often imposed on those caught in black market contraband.
Experts say this is why YuMi, who has access to YouTube as well as filming equipment, is no ordinary North Korean.
“It is impossible for residents to connect with the outside world,” said Ha Seung-hee, professor of North Korea Studies at Dongguk University.
YuMi isn’t the only North Korean YouTuber in the spotlight. Her 11-year-old girl, who goes by the name Song A, debuted on her YouTube in April 2022 and already she has over 20,000 subscribers.
“My favorite book is ‘Harry Potter’ written by JK Rowling,” Song Ah claims in a video, holding up the first book in the series. It’s especially impressive given North Korea’s typically strict rules that ban foreign culture, especially from Western countries.
The video shows Song A speaking in a British accent and sitting in what appears to be an idyllic children’s bedroom complete with globes, bookshelves, stuffed animals, framed photographs and pink curtains. I’m here.
![In a YouTube video uploaded on April 26, 2022, Song A, who allegedly lives in Pyongyang, North Korea, holds up a Harry Potter book.](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/230203143155-01-north-korea-youtuber.jpg?c=16x9&q=h_270,w_480,c_fill)
Painting everyday life in Pyongyang in rosy colors It can also give clues to the creator’s social status and identity.
YuMi’s videos include her visiting an amusement park and an interactive cinema show, fishing in a river, working out in a well-equipped indoor gym, visiting a limestone cave, and a young student in North Korea in the background. The state of waving the national flag is reflected.
Song A visits a packed water park, tours a science and technology exhibit, and captures the first day back at school.
Expert Park says these statements aren’t 100% wrong, but they’re very misleading and don’t represent normal life.
There are reports that North Korea’s wealthy elite, including government officials and their families, have access to luxuries such as air conditioners, scooters and coffee. And while the facilities featured in the YouTube video do exist, they aren’t available to most people and are only allowed for “a special class of special people,” Park said. says.
As the video suggests, these facilities are likely not open or not operating regularly, he said. I’ve heard that it’s only operated on weekends and special days such as video shoots,” Park added.
![People walk a snow-covered street near the Arc de Triomphe in Pyongyang on January 12, 2021.](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/210402105511-01-pyongyang.jpg?q=x_5,y_251,h_2767,w_4917,c_crop/h_270,w_480)
North Korea is notorious for frequent blackouts and power shortages. According to 2019 estimates, only about 26% of the population has access to electricity. CIA World FactbookThese blackouts are satellite imagery at night In 2011 and 2014, North Korea was shown to be shrouded in darkness, almost blending into the dark sea around it. It contrasts with the dazzling lights of neighboring China and South Korea.
YouTubers’ fluency in English and access to rare luxuries suggest that they are highly educated and likely associated with high-ranking officials.
A North Korean defector previously told CNN that some North Koreans are learning British English in English classes. british councilA UK-based organization also ran an English teacher training program in North Korea, sending teachers there for more than 12 years before it was canceled in 2017.
![Amanpour North Korea](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/230203184351-amanpour-north-korea.jpg?c=16x9&q=w_850,c_fill)
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North Korean propaganda is nothing new. Previous campaigns have featured Soviet-inspired posters, videos of military marches and missile tests, and images of Kim Jong-un on a white horse.
But YouTube videos and similar North Korean social media accounts on Chinese platforms such as Weibo and Bilibili point to a new strategy, experts say.
“North Korea is trying to emphasize that Pyongyang is a ‘normal city,'” Park said, adding that the leadership is “very concerned with how the outside world sees them.” added.
Research professor Ha said North Korea may be trying to describe itself as a “safe country” to boost tourism for its battered economy, especially after the victims of the Covid-19 pandemic. said there is.
Although it has not yet opened its borders to tourists, “the pandemic will end someday. North Korea is focused on tourism for economic purposes,” Ha said.
Before the pandemic, tourism ministry guides took visitors around the country with limited tour options. The tour was carefully choreographed and designed to show the country in its best light.
After the pandemic began, “there was talk[in North Korea]of abandoning the previous form of propaganda and implementing a new one,” Ha said. I started seeing vlog videos on YouTube after telling them to be creative.”
A 2019 article in North Korea’s state-run Rodong Sinmun, citing Kim, said that North Korean propaganda and news channels “bold established practices and old paradigms of writing and editing in the traditional way.” declared that it should be “destroyed to
The YouTuber’s use of English may reflect this effort to reach a global audience. YuMi and Song A both have English names in their channels which is useful. YuMi is also called “Olivia Natasha” and Song A is called “Sally Parks”.
North Korea has posted other kinds of propaganda on YouTube over the past decade, but official North Korean videos are often taken down by moderators.
In 2017, YouTube violated the platform’s terms of service and community guidelines by using the state-owned North Korean news channel “Urimin Zokkiri” and the “Dongpo Mail” channel run by Koreans in Japan who have pledged allegiance to Pyongyang. Deleted for the reason.
Another YouTube channel called Echo of Truth, allegedly run by a North Korean resident named Un A who filmed him enjoying his daily life in Pyongyang, was taken down in late 2020.
but the closure sparked protests Even if propaganda, some researchers said the video provided valuable insight into North Korea and its leadership.
When CNN reached out to YouTube for comment on these removed channels, as well as Song A and YuMi’s channels, a spokesperson said the platform “applies to, including with respect to content created and uploaded by restricted entities.” We comply with all applicable sanctions and trade compliance laws.”
“If an account is found to violate our Terms of Service or Community Guidelines, we will disable the account,” the statement said.
Experts said the YuMi and Song A videos could be an attempt by Pyongyang to reach viewers without attracting the attention of moderators.
And however scripted they were, they too provided a valuable window into the country. said the expert.
“People already know that (the video) was made for propaganda purposes…the public is already aware,” Ha said. But she added, “I think there needs to be proper education and discussion about how (such) content should be perceived, rather than just closing the door.”