◆Birth of 'Stars'
Another noteworthy aspect of North Korean propaganda techniques related to hero-making is the title North Korean media gave to the fallen soldiers. On August 29, at a consolation event for families of fallen soldiers held at Mokran House, Kim Jong-un praised Russian deployment casualties as "stars" and said a new street being built in Pyongyang would be named "New Star Street" in their honor.
In the past, "star" in North Korea was mainly exclusive to Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il. As seen in expressions like "star of Korea" and "bright star," star was a word referring to the supreme leader. Giving fallen deployment soldiers the title "star" is a symbolic act that instantly elevates their status from earth to heaven.
◆Active use of tears
Throughout all these processes, tears always appear to create emotional sympathy in viewers. Cameras captured Kim Jong-un shedding tears excessively often. The cameras then cut to sobbing soldiers and finally end with grieving family members (authenticity unclear) wailing, maximizing the emotional amplification effect.
All of this is merely part of North Korean propaganda methods.
North Korea, which initially tried to hide the fact of Russian deployment, officially acknowledged deployment only after sustained international exposure and condemnation and rumors of deployment spread within North Korea. So how will they explain the hundreds and thousands of young people who left without knowing where they were going or what they would do, only to become corpses overnight?
The "deployment hero" drama that suddenly appeared in North Korean society is an insidious attempt by the North Korean regime to solve a troublesome problem through sophisticated propaganda.
More dangerous is that they will use these manufactured "deployment heroes" as models to mass-produce more fanatical "heroes."
In the next installment, we will examine how the heroic image created by the state takes root in residents' consciousness through North Korea's education system and brainwashing mechanisms. (Continu 2 >>)
Who are the North Korean Soldiers Deployed to Russia? Analysis by a Former 'Storm Corps' Member (1)
