How Did Kim Jong Il Use Film as Propaganda?

TL;DR

Kim Jong Il used cinema as an ideological weapon to glorify North Korea, reinforce loyalty to the ruling Kim family, and present an invented version of reality. His obsession with movies led him to control national filmmaking, prescribe its political purpose in "On the Art of Cinema," and even kidnap South Korean actress Choi Eun-hee to support his cinematic ambitions.

Transcript

(pensive music) (film whirring) - It's late afternoon on a warm winter day in 1978 and South Korean actress Choi Eun-hee is walking along a secluded beach in Hong Kong. 40 feet away, a woman she knows stands on the shore, motioning her to come over. A few strong looking men stand by her side. Choi feels uneasy,, like something bad is about to happe... Read More

Key Insights

• Kim Jong Il used cinema as what he called a powerful ideological weapon, shaping stories that glorified North Korea and protected his family's authority. Film was therefore not merely entertainment within the system, but a means of reinforcing an official version of reality.
• Kim Jong Il's personal mythology was repeatedly rewritten to strengthen his political image. North Koreans were told that his birth near Mount Paektu coincided with extraordinary natural signs, while the account presented in the transcript places his likely birth at a Soviet military base in 1941.
• Kim Jong Il's fascination with movies reportedly produced a collection of 20,000 bootlegged VHS tapes and DVDs. The collection was kept in an air-conditioned library staffed by 250 full-time employees and included Hollywood films, Japanese monster movies, cartoons, and James Bond productions.
• The 1967 struggle over North Korea's succession showed that film could build a cult of personality around a political candidate. After a competing faction celebrated its preferred successor in a movie, Kim Il-sung demanded more effective cinema that would secure his own leadership.
• Kim Jong Il became head of the Propaganda and Agitation Department after volunteering to guide North Korea's film studio. The department controlled movies, plays, and publishing, giving him responsibility for cultural narratives that supported the government and the ruling family.
• North Korean filmmakers were expected to function as extensions of the government. Kim Jong Il's "On the Art of Cinema" instructed them to apply their artistic abilities to ideological revolution and the party's efforts to build socialism and communism.
• North Korean films repeatedly featured farmer revolutions, extreme nationalism, personal sacrifice, music, colorful operas, and spontaneous praise for the leader. These recurring themes connected entertainment with political instruction and presented loyalty to the state as admirable behavior.
• Kim Jong Il's cinematic ambitions extended to coercion and kidnapping. In 1978, South Korean actress Choi Eun-hee was lured to a secluded Hong Kong beach, forced into a speedboat, and taken to North Korea to appear in films for the leader.

Questions & Answers

Q: How did Kim Jong Il use movies as propaganda?

Kim Jong Il treated movies as a powerful ideological weapon that could shape how North Koreans understood their country, leaders, and political duties. After taking control of the Propaganda and Agitation Department, he oversaw movies, plays, and publishing. Filmmakers were expected to promote socialism, communism, loyalty to the party, and a glorious narrative that helped keep the Kim family in power.

Q: Why was film politically important in North Korea?

Film was politically important because it could present an emotionally compelling version of reality to a large audience. A competing faction demonstrated this power in 1967 by producing a movie that celebrated its preferred successor. Kim Il-sung responded by demanding more effective filmmaking that would protect his authority, and Kim Jong Il volunteered to direct that propaganda effort.

Q: What was the Propaganda and Agitation Department?

The Propaganda and Agitation Department was the North Korean organization described as controlling movies, plays, and publishing. Kim Jong Il was promoted to lead it after volunteering to guide the national film studio. The position allowed him to shape stories about North Korea, promote the ruling party's ideology, and reinforce the political power of Kim Il-sung and his family.

Q: What did Kim Jong Il write about filmmaking?

Kim Jong Il wrote "On the Art of Cinema," a book presented as the guiding text for North Korean filmmaking. It defined filmmakers as extensions of the government and assigned them the task of advancing ideological revolution through storytelling. Their artistic skill was expected to support the party's efforts to build socialism and communism, making clever propaganda their central professional responsibility.

Q: What themes appeared in North Korean propaganda films?

The North Korean films examined in the transcript frequently featured farmer revolutions, extreme nationalism, women sacrificing their lives, musical performances, colorful operas, and spontaneous songs praising the great leader. These patterns combined dramatic entertainment with ideological messages, encouraging audiences to associate sacrifice, collective struggle, patriotism, and devotion to the country's leader with honorable conduct.

Q: How obsessed was Kim Jong Il with movies?

Kim Jong Il reportedly collected 20,000 bootlegged VHS tapes and DVDs in an air-conditioned library staffed by 250 full-time employees. His viewing interests ranged from Hollywood Westerns and films such as "Friday the 13th" and "Rambo" to "Godzilla," Daffy Duck, and James Bond. His father, Kim Il-sung, reportedly worried that this fascination had become unhealthy.

Q: Why was actress Choi Eun-hee kidnapped?

South Korean actress Choi Eun-hee was kidnapped so she could be forced to star in movies for Kim Jong Il. In 1978, she was lured to a secluded beach in Hong Kong, where several men grabbed her and forced her into a speedboat bound for North Korea. Her abduction showed how far Kim's ambition to improve North Korean cinema could extend.

Q: How did North Korea construct Kim Jong Il's origin story?

North Koreans were told that Kim Jong Il was born near Mount Paektu in a snowy log cabin as rain stopped, clouds parted, a double rainbow appeared, and a new star emerged. The transcript contrasts that legend with a likely birth in 1941 at a Soviet military base in Russia and says he repeatedly rewrote his backstory over roughly 20 years.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Kim Jong Il developed an intense fascination with cinema, reportedly building a collection of 20,000 bootlegged VHS tapes and DVDs. His father eventually turned that obsession into a political role, placing him in charge of the department responsible for North Korea's movies, plays, publishing, propaganda, and ideological storytelling.

• A 1967 political struggle demonstrated cinema's power within North Korea. A rival faction produced a film celebrating its preferred successor, prompting Kim Il-sung to demand stronger filmmaking that protected his authority. Kim Jong Il volunteered to lead that effort, connecting his interest in movies with the family's need to retain power.

• Kim Jong Il treated filmmakers as extensions of the government whose artistic abilities had to serve socialism, communism, and the ruling party. His book, "On the Art of Cinema," formalized this approach. His ambitions became so extreme that South Korean actress Choi Eun-hee was abducted in Hong Kong and taken to North Korea.