As North Koreans Shun State Propaganda, Kim Tries a Flashier TV Show

The goal, analysts say, is to manage people's expectations and rally them to face the country's hardships

- Dasl Yoon

North Korea's totalitarian leaders have long fed the population bland propaganda that paints the country as a utopian paradise. Movies show hardworking North Koreans who are well-fed and express deep loyalty to the leadership.

Now, as North Koreans—particularly urbanites and younger people—gain furtive access to foreign news and entertainment, the country's leader, Kim Jong Un, is trying a different tactic: television dramas that expose the regime's weakness.

The goal, analysts say, is to manage people's expectations and rally them to overcome the country's many hardships.

The result is a new television series that honestly depicts the everyday corruption that is rife in North Korea. Local officials embezzle grain, farmers fail to meet quotas, and people bribe their superiors. It also portrays family conflict in contrast to official support for family harmony.

The series has proven a hit with domestic audiences, according to state-run media. "The show captivated its audience because, above all else, it was true to life," according to an article in a North Korean monthly magazine.

"We have never seen Party failings and personal failings depicted so starkly," said Chris Monday, an associate professor at South Korea's Dongseo University who studies Russia and North Korea.

The 22-episode "A New Spring in Paehaek Plain" was the first new TV show to air in the Kim regime since 2023. The North Korean mission to the United Nations did not respond to a request for comment.