A review of the article titled “The Impact of Foreign Media on Perceptions of North Korea: A Textual Analysis of Defector Testimonies and Experiences” by Mary Wurtz

In introducing her thesis, Mary Wurtz opines that by relying on firsthand accounts from defectors, her key intention is to understand why North Koreans consume foreign media despite the danger it brings, the methods they use to access that information and the role that consumption has had on their perceptions. She adds that for the purposes of this project, foreign media means “any cultural product produced outside of North Korea, typically with a non-North Korean audience in mind.”

Since it is illegal in North Korea to access radio, books or music not allowed by the state, the perils of being found doing so can include imprisonment, torture and public execution which can extend to your family members too. Despite the fact that the all-powerful Korean Worker’s Party is designated as the only legal source of information, North Koreans still take the risk to access content produced outside the state. An environment has been created whereby citizens do not trust anyone hence spy on each other, no public gatherings are allowed where people could share experiences or frustrations and fear of arrest is the order of the day (Wurtz, 2020, pp. 5-8).

In what is called “quiet opening”, the border closure is simply on paper in that there is a gradual opening up whereby North Koreans purchase foreign media smuggled into the country from China, they manipulate the settings of their state-issued radios to pick up frequencies not sanctioned by the authorities and buy small laptops through black markets. These gadgets carry movies and television series mainly from South Korea and the United States. Many share this information with their neighbors even with the limitations in place and come together especially in the night to watch these programs (Wurtz, 2020, p. 9). 

The author concludes by seeking answers on why North Koreans risk their lives to consume foreign media more so what they are ready to sacrifice in order to watch television drama from neighboring South Korea or tune into an American radio broadcast. In acknowledging that the only way to get the experiences of North Koreans is through those who defected and left the state albeit illegally, Mary Wurtz is careful on what testimonies to rely on and in this case she chose interviews done in academic or journalistic settings to avoid falling into bias and deception. The flow of foreign media into North Korea has been facilitated by changes that allowed some form of market system which evolved from things like food to DVD players and smart phones thus giving them a new perspective to life, those who left for China in pursuit of greener pastures came back with beautiful stories of people outside North Korea with one doctor who ended up defecting asking “why do people in my country have to starve so much?” and  South Korean soft power has made their media products in North Korea offer an exposure to freedom, modernity and capitalism leading many to question the state propaganda given to them regarding their neighbors. However, the author notes that consumption of foreign media is not an immediate factor for change in behavior but provides an opening for gradual transformation that could lead to defection. She also maintains that the study has helped her learn that North Koreans are not necessarily brainwashed and that we should not look at the state in terms of being a global security threat but as a nation with a culture and social fabric.

Martin and Nakayama (2010, p.57) in explaining Everett Rogers’ diffusion of innovations theory, argue that people adopt new innovations once they confirm with their peers or influencers despite learning about it in the mass media first something close to gradual transformation as per this thesis. Although there is additional evidence to support the author’s conclusion that the media was not a top factor in change of behavior or decision to defect, there is an opening for further research on what would have happened if North Koreans especially those who defected would never have known that life is different outside their state. That not everyone is facing the kind of famine and persecution they are accustomed to. Let us take an example of the ongoing protests against the brutal murder of George Floyd by the police in the United States, if it had not been filmed and shared worldwide through social media, chances are that we would not have seen the kind of global reaction we saw yet this is not something new since blacks have died at the racial hands of the police for decades. Any one attending the protests can say that they are there because of the murder but questions remain whether they could have been on the streets without media exposure including on television.   According to Martin and Nakayama (2010, p.24), the advancement of the internet has turned the world into a “global village” and now we can know about or interact with people we have never met in person.

References:

Wurtz, M. (2010). The Impact of Foreign Media on Perceptions of North Korea: A TextualAnalysis of Defector Testimonies and Experiences. Undergraduate Theses. 43.

Martin, N.J., & Nakayama, K.T. (2010). Intercultural Communication in Contexts (5^th Edition).NY: McGraw-Hill.