The purpose of this study is to analyze the discourse shown in the inter-Korean summit documentary films produced by the North Korean regime, in which the North Korean authorities try to convey a certain message to North Koreans. The inter-Korean summ...
The purpose of this study is to analyze the discourse shown in the inter-Korean summit documentary films produced by the North Korean regime, in which the North Korean authorities try to convey a certain message to North Koreans. The inter-Korean summit is a process in which the heads of state meet in person and gain mutual understanding and trust. Therefore, it has the potential to increase inter-Korean exchanges and reshape the existing terrain. Based on this importance, this study paid attention to the discourse shown in the North’s documentary films on all the past inter-Korean summits.
The target of this analysis is documentary films with a political purpose. The inter-Korean summit documentary films are categorized as an event documentary, which is characterized by its political character. They depict the regime’s policies and deeply reflect the regime’s future political course, unlike other types of documentary films. Therefore, the inter-Korean summit documentary films are important data that emulate the intentions of the North Korean authorities and the policy direction of North Korea's inter-Korean relations and the intention of the North Korean leader. Since the division, there have been five inter-Korean summits so far, and the North Korean authorities produced documentary films for each of the summits.
In this study, the narrative structure of the films was broken down into content and character, which were then analyzed by using semantic analysis. The study was able to reveal the continued and the changed discourse put forth by the North Korean regime between the Kim Jong Il period and the Kim Jong Un period. This study also analyzed whether the denuclearization foreign strategy of Kim Jong Un was reflected in the North’s foreign policy to also possibly influence the formation of the film, bringing up the newly formed dominant discourse.
The continuing discourse of the North Korean authorities based on the characteristics in the narrative structure of the inter-Korean summit documentary films is as follows. First, the films superficially convey the events of the inter-Korean summit film, but in depth, it deepens the myth of the inter-Korean summit as the achievement of the supreme leader of North Korea and emphasizes the need for excellent leadership of the leader. The films accentuate that the Supreme Leader who will lead the two Koreas is indeed the supreme leader of North Korea through the bilateral narrative structure. Second, the films reiterate the Theory of Socio-Political Body which states that the people must obey and support the supreme leader in any means and lead the unification themselves. Third, the films insist on the reunification based on the idea of 'ethnic solidarity(Uriminzokkiri).' Although the frequency of the mention of the spirit of the Korean people was lower during the Kim Jong Un period than that of the Kim Jong Il period, the North Korean authorities insisted on emphasizing of the spirit of our nation. Fourth, the films use propaganda effects that are easy for recipients to understand intuitively. Through this discourse, the North Korean authorities continue to promote the greatness of the North Korean leader through the Inter-Korean summit documentary films and continue to create discourse to solidify the ruling system.
The following are the changed discourses that were discovered through the films. First, the documentary films during the Kim Jong Un regime emphasize the active and progressive action of the supreme leader. This is drastically different from the Kim Jong Il period, which emphasized the absoluteness of the leader himself. Second, the films from Kim Jong Un regime aim to boast the leadership of Kim Jong Un, without mentioning the deceased former leaders. However, during the Kim Jong Il era, the films continuously mentioned the former leader, Kim Il Sung, to emphasize Kim Il Sung's authority and achievements. Third, the influence of the inter-Korean summit was extended to the international community. Fourth, the President of South Korea is shown to exercise bilateral relations with Kim Jung Un whereas with Kim Jong Il, the South Korean president was depicted as unilaterally giving thanks to the North Korean leader. Fifth, for the first time, the films during Kim Jung Un regime shows the leader accompanied by the First Lady. Through these continued or changed discourses of the South-North summit talks, the films revealed that the North Korean authorities have constantly transformed and reproduced myths surrounding their North Korean leaders.
This study reaffirmed that the North Korean authorities are effectively using documentary films as a powerful ideological weapon, demanding that they reflect upon the ideals of the party in a timely manner through the inter-Korean summit documentary films. Although the overall contents of the films remained similar from the Kim Jong Il period to the Kim Jong Un period, the characteristics of the figures varied greatly from one another. Based on these results, this study shows that the North Korean authorities are distorting and exaggerating the contents of the summit in the direction of maintaining their regime and reproducing the discourse as a medium of documentary films, strengthening their internal solidarity.