Propaganda Analysis

Introduction

“Propaganda is a deliberate and systematic attempt to shape perceptions, manipulate cognitions, and direct behavior to achieve a response that furthers the desired intent of the propagandist.” (Jowett and O’Donnell’s, 2012).North Korea which is one of the former colonies of Japan is considered as a propagandist state. The country has a dictatorial form of leadership. North Korea government is guided by the Juche ideology that is geared towards promoting self-reliance and independence. In fact, North Korea is renowned for its isolation from the rest of the world. The North Korean government runs a “warfare propaganda campaign” on a continuing basis. Over the years North Korea has threatened the USA and Japan with Nuclear attacks. The campaigns are aimed towards promoting the Juche ideology, assisting the citizens to distinguish between what is wrong and right, show the nation’s power among others. In this essay, we examine the North Korea’s propagandist’s campaign. Specifically, we restrict ourselves to the analysis of the context, ideology, purpose, target audience of the propagandist campaign.

Analysis of Propaganda

The Context in which the propaganda occurs

North Korea propaganda takes into accounts the historical injustices and sufferings that the country has experienced over the years. The various propaganda used by North Korea portray the country as being a target of the world superpowers( the USA and the irk).The North Korean government has formulated various myths that are used in documenting the historical injustices that North Korea has undergone over the years. The public mood of North Korea engraves the propaganda in that there is a negative public prejudice towards the adversaries of North Korea (Jang, Hong & Frederick, 2015).

Use of Myths. It is true that during the past, North Korea has had a negative experience with the world superpowers. North Korea has conflicting relationship with Britain, USA, and Germany among other countries. However, the manner in which these interactions occurred has been formulated in such a way that it portrays North Korea as an inferior nation. The propagandists create beliefs in its citizens that irrespective of the fact that the country was inferior to the other nations eventually it emerged victoriously.

North Korea Glory and Suffering. Propaganda in North Korea is also apparent in the plight of the Americans colonists after they lost the battle to North Korea. In the battle with North Korea, many lives of Americans were lost. According to Merkel (2010), the suffering and tribulations that the Americans experienced when they lost the battle to North Korea are used to spread propaganda messages as they are the only reason behind which the Colonists suffered.

Besides the country propaganda on its military superiority is based on its past victory over Britain. The country’s victory over Britain is used as a reflection of the Country’s military strength and superiority. Moreover the Pearl Harbor has been used by the North Korean government to showcase its ability to stage a successful conquest over its enemies.

Modification of Myths and Images. North Korea government has had to modify some of the images and myths to show the nations transformation and those of its enemies. For instance, there is the myth on the transformation of Japan from a superior military country in the 1930s to a militarily weaker state in the country period. On the other hand North Korea has been growing its military strength.

Others. The North Korean government has also perfected the art of using hate and prejudice in its propaganda campaigns. The idea of North Koreans Xenophobia has been borne out of this. The government uses this hatred in the mass persuasion of the citizens. North Korea also has national stereotypes about itself. These stereotypes are founded on the country’s history. North Korea is portrayed as a country that is characterized with politeness, well developed traditions and a national pride.

Arousal of Emotions

The North Korean government continually uses a sympathetic tone and language that is aimed at portraying North Korea as being targeted by the USA government. The language used by the government portrays the USA as villain that is intent on invading North Korea (hero).The government’s mastery and use of the language is essential in that it attracts the sympathy of its citizens.

In North Korea the government has complete control over the Mass media. The complete control of the mass media is essential is that it enables the government to use music to arouse the emotions of its citizens. Since music is a combination of both sound and language it thus effortlessly achieves its intended purpose. The music distributed by the North Korean government spread incorrect and misleading information about the USA. For example, there are songs in North Korea that portray the Trump administration as a devil.

The various music compositions are also used by the North Korean government to recount the historical experiences of the country. Through music, the emotions of the citizens can be invoked when they recall the various tribulations the country has undergone in the past. The fact that in most of the past North Korean tribulations instances it emerged victoriously; this creates a sense of renewed hope that the country will emerge victorious over the USA administration. The Music compositions portray North Korea as a country that is continually being targeted by the powers that may be. The various music compositions in North Korea that range from patriotic songs, religious songs, military songs and the National anthem all collectively work in tandem to invoke a sense of unity among the North Korean citizens.

Moreover, the North Koran government uses various objects that symbolize power as means of propaganda intended in arousing the motions of its citizens. Some of the symbols of power include nationalism, patriotism, and unity. Patriotism symbolizes North Koreans as united citizens who are always ready to protect the country’s sovereignty against attacks by adversaries such as the USA. According to Myers (2015), the country uses the symbol of Nationalism to portray its citizens as individuals who are isolated from the rest of the world. As earlier mentioned, this portrays North Korea to its citizens as a state that is being targeted by not only the USA but also the rest of the world. Thus North Korea is a victim of the rest of the world witch hunt and hatred. Overall the above-mentioned symbols and other physical symbols such as murals are all geared towards affirming the North Korean’s citizen’s belief in their government.

Ideology and Purpose of the Propaganda Campaign

The goal of any propaganda campaign is usually to achieve a stated set of objectives and ideologies. The propaganda campaign in North Korea is founded on political ideology. Specifically the Juche ideology. According to the Juche, ideology man is a master of his actions and traditions. The Juche ideology is intended to emphasize the need of self-reliance of the North Koreans. That is the North Koreans themselves have the solutions to their economic, social and political problems. Thus they do not necessarily need the help of other countries. Besides the Juche ideology is also geared towards North Korea improving its military superiority. Moreover, there is also the ideological concept of attempting to promote the personality cult status of Kim-II Sung.

Purposes

The primary purpose of the propaganda campaign in North Korea is to lead the masses to the acceptance of the Juche ideology that is propagated by the North Korean government. The government aims at showing the citizens that they have the solutions to their problems. Therefore they should not rely on other countries, because they are the ones who are best tasked to solve their problems.

The Juche ideology that forms a vital part of the propaganda campaign is essential in that it is also used in the determination of what is either right or wrong in the Korean society. The Juche ideology helps distinguish between what is considered acceptable in the Korean society and what is not considered acceptable.

The campaign is also geared towards showing the North Korean citizens that countries such as the USA and other superpower are its adversaries who should not be relied upon. The move is aimed at reducing ties between North Korea and the other countries. According to the North Korean government, the other countries would not like to see North Korea excel. For instance, the USA government position on the issue of the manufacture of chemical weapons by North Korea is portrayed as a move by an adversary that is envious of North Korea’s military developments.

The propaganda campaigns by the North Korean government are also geared towards ensuring that the Koreans forget that they are isolated from the rest of the world. The government does this to reduce the impacts of isolation on its citizens. The government thus creates a notion where it is perceived as usual for North Korea to be isolated from the rest of the world.

Additionally the campaigns are geared towards reducing the perceived complexity in the organization of the world. The aim is to make the Koreans understand that the world is not that complex and that it can be understood easily. Usually, this is done to counter the complexity notion put forth by the USA.

The various ideologies incorporated by the North Korean government are in light of the countries past experiences and tribulations. Moreover, the country’s current position, more so about the USA form a vital component of these ideologies.

Identification of the Propagandists

The propagandists in North Korea are mainly made up of the ruling family and the government. As earlier mentioned despite freedom of speech being accounted for in the Nations constitution, the North Korean government exerts undue power over these media platforms. The widespread airplay given to the Juche ideology can be traced back to the government. It is in the interests of the government to implement the Juche ideology in the country. The state is the one that will benefit upon the implementation of the Juche ideology. Again the state’s unending control of the media stations serves to spread the government propaganda that it has extra power. Again as earlier mentioned that one of the purposes of the propaganda campaigns in North Korea is to ensure that the citizens of North Korea can distinguish between what is right and wrong. It is evident that the citizen’s distinction between what is right and wrong has the government as the principal beneficiary. Therefore on those grounds, the government is the propagandist.

The supreme ruling family is the other propagandists in North Korea. One of the purposes of the propaganda campaign in North Korea was to promote the cult status of Kim Sung II. It is Kim Sung II who came up with the Juche ideology. Nearly in all publications, the supreme nature of the leader is mentioned. It is apparent that the directives of promoting the cult status of Kim Sung II only stand to benefit the ruling family. Therefore on this ground, we can identify the ruling family as the propagandist in North Korea.

Target Audience

Citizens. The key target audience of the North Korea propaganda campaign is the average Korean citizens. The government is keen on ensuring that the Korean citizen is aware of the Juche ideology and implements it. The government does this through the control of the media outlets. The government regulates what it is to be reported to its citizens. As it was earlier mentioned one of the purposes of the propaganda campaigns was to facilitate the public’s distinction between what is considered wrong and right in the Korean society. Therefore it is apparent since it is the citizens who are supposed to distinguish between what constitutes right and wrong, that they are the target audience of the propaganda campaigns.

It was also observed that one of the purposes of North Korea’s propaganda campaign is to help its citizens forget the impacts of isolation. In this regard, it is clear that the Koreans citizens are the target audience.

Adversaries such as the USA. North Korea has had a strained relationship with other countries in the world for a long time. On its attempt to exhibit military superiority to its enemies Korea uses propaganda campaigns of an imminent launch of nuclear attacks. These campaigns are usually intended on instilling fear on North Korean enemies. The country wants to show the adversaries its military superiority and strength. On this account, therefore the USA, Japan and other enemies of North Korea are the targeted audiences.

International Bodies. The Juche ideology is founded on the need for self-reliance and independence. Therefore on this account, the international bodies are the intended audience of North Korean propaganda campaigns as it wants to show them its military superiority.

Conclusion

In conclusion, we have observed that the warfare propaganda used by North Korea government can be traced back to the historical tribulations and negative experiences. The warfare propaganda is a recurrent theme in North Korea daily operations. The country’s leader is repeatedly seen conducting military drills. Moreover, North Korea has continually threatened to invade the USA and Japan. However, the invasion has never come to happen and is unlikely to happen. The North Korean government uses this warfare propaganda to achieve its objective of promoting self-reliance among its citizens. Also, the nation uses these propaganda claims to demonstrate its military superiority.

References

Jang, W. Y., Hong, J., & Frederick, E. (2015). The framing of the North Korean Six-Party Talks by Chinese and North Korean news agencies: Communist propaganda and national interests. Media International Australia, 154(1), 42-52.

Jowett, G., & O’Donnell, V. (2012). Propaganda and persuasion (Fifth ed.). Newbury Park: Sage.

Merkel, U. (2010). Bigger than Beijing 2008: Politics, Propaganda and Physical Culture in Pyongyang. International Journal of The History of Sport.

Myers, B. R. (2015). North Korea’s Juche Myth. Sthele Press.