[KS] Striking photographs of the DPRK from AP's David Guttenfelder, in The Atlantic

Sun Aug 7 13:43:32 EDT 2011

That they are not novel—that they have become stock images—actually makes these photographs interesting, at least to someone who uses images as a primary archive. These repetitive tour shots are interesting for the same reasons that a controlled press and propaganda posters are interesting: they constitute a master narrative that is not only telling in itself, but facilitates recognition of "shifts in the force." In other words, the appearance of new subjects in the tourist repertoire—new things tourists are being shown and essentially invited to disseminate through social networks sites—signals shifts in the master narrative. And then there is simply a lot to be learned from the repetitive tourist shots when we look beyond the "what" (the subject matter) to the "who," "when," and "how": who took the picture (photographer's nationality, reason for being in North Korea, etc.), when was it taken (year, time of year, national holiday—what's in the background?), and—my favorite—from what angle was it taken (authorized vs. unauthorized views). Familiarity with routine pictures, whether taken by tourists on  four-night-five-day tours during Arirang season or an AP reporter, facilitates recognition and appreciation of exceptional work, such as that of Eric Lafforgue and the mysterious "kernbeisser."

So Aidan, thanks for sharing the link.

Marsha

From: don kirk <kirkdon at yahoo.com<mailto:kirkdon at yahoo.com>>
Reply-To: Korean Studies Discussion List <koreanstudies at koreaweb.ws<mailto:koreanstudies at koreaweb.ws>>
Date: Sun, 7 Aug 2011 00:57:07 -0700
To: Korean Studies Discussion List <koreanstudies at koreaweb.ws<mailto:koreanstudies at koreaweb.ws>>
Subject: Re: [KS] Striking photographs of the DPRK from AP's David Guttenfelder, in The Atlantic

All those shots are from basic tourist trip -- I've seen everyone of those scenes, some when in NKorea on a tour that included the same  AP photographer nearly three years ago.
Don

--- On Sat, 8/6/11, Kwang On Yoo <lovehankook at gmail.com<mailto:lovehankook at gmail.com>> wrote:

From: Kwang On Yoo <lovehankook at gmail.com<mailto:lovehankook at gmail.com>>
Subject: Re: [KS] Striking photographs of the DPRK from AP's David Guttenfelder, in The Atlantic
To: "Korean Studies Discussion List" <koreanstudies at koreaweb.ws<mailto:koreanstudies at koreaweb.ws>>
Date: Saturday, August 6, 2011, 8:06 PM

As long as outsiders are escorted by North Korean minders, we will always see the same type of photos over and over again.

Let's hope when the Associated Press opens their office in Pyongyang, they will be able to offer a little more insight into North Korean life.

Kwang-On Yoo

The Editors Weblog<http://www.editorsweblog.org/>.org
AP opens office in Pyongyang, North Korea
Posted by Florence Pichon<http://www.editorsweblog.org/florence-pichon/> on June 30, 2011 at 3:48 PM
[kim-jong-il-smiling.jpg]<http://www.editorsweblog.org/kim-jong-il-smiling.jpg>
The Associated Press has covered a few events in North Korea over the course of the past year, but it has not delved into the darker side of life in the authoritarian regime. It sticks to softer topics, including a huge magic show<http://old.news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110418/ap_on_en_ot/as_nkorea_magic_show_6> and a parade<http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=11843525> that revealed Kim Jong II's son, Kim Jong Un, would be the country's next successor. Other AP news coming out of North Korea has stressed the country's nuclear capacities<http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/international/countriesandterritories/northkorea/index.html>.

That may change. After signing agreements with North Korea's state news agency, KCNA, the AP announced that it will open an office in Pyongyang. It will be the first permanent Western text and photo bureau in the country. It will also be the exclusive distributor of video from KCNA's archive.

The news bureau is not the first step the AP has taken into the country. Five years ago, the AP Television News established an office in North Korea.
[Associated_Press_AP_427370910.jpg]<http://www.editorsweblog.org/Associated_Press_AP_427370910.jpg>
The AP prides itself on unbiased, international coverage, but in a country ranked so low on the Reporters without Borders' Press Freedom Index, how can it deliver? North Korea was ranked second-to-last<http://en.rsf.org/press-freedom-index-2010,1034.html> (177 out of 178, beating only Eritrea) in last year's index.

AP has previously been criticized for coverage in an authoritarian country. Newsbusters<http://newsbusters.org/blogs/tom-blumer/2011/05/01/ap-report-cubas-may-day-reads-mostly-castro-propaganda-piece>, a conservative fact-checking website, condemned its coverage of the May Day parade in Cuba this year, claiming it left out important details. The demonstration was in support of economic changes by the Communist regime, but the reporters left out facts about the government busing in demonstrators or contextual details about food rationing.

The new office opens possibilities for Western media to more deeply understand the situation in North Korea, if the news organization is thorough in its reporting. Kathleen Caroll<http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/06/29/ap-associated-press-north-korea-bureau_n_887147.html>, the AP's top editor,<http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/06/29/ap-associated-press-north-korea-bureau_n_887147.html> told The Huffington Post that the news agency would not surrender its principles to satisfy the regime.

"The AP operates independently, regardless of Location. Period."

On Sat, Aug 6, 2011 at 8:07 AM, McCann, David <dmccann at fas.harvard.edu</mc/compose?to=dmccann at fas.harvard.edu>> wrote:
Isn't there a curious irony to the notion that on the one hand North
Korea has a reputation for being forbidden or inaccessible, while on
the other, any paying customer can visit the places the AP reporter
photoed?  Especially given the fact that "large parts of North
Korea ... are off-limits."

The challenge of these notions,  though, is to determine where the
crux of the irony is located.  What plays against what else for ironic
effect?  For one set I would propose "sign up on a tour" versus
"forbidden or inaccessible to foreigners."

I have also heard it reported on good authority-- a former NASA
astronaut with three space flights and continuing work with the
Agency-- that in the not-too-distant future, space flights, earth
orbit or eventually even the moon, will be available to anyone who can
pay to go.

What precisely is the point that Charles and Michael seem to wish to
register?  That any schmuck with a camera can take pictures of those
government-approved places and those people in North Korea?  I think,
ironically, that Aidan made exactly that same point, only-- as Charles
and Michael both noted-- they were indeed done well.

David McCann

On Aug 5, 2011, at 11:21 AM, Charles K. Armstrong wrote:

> With all due respect to Aidan, I agree with Michael that there wasn't
> anything particularly unprecedented or striking about the subject
> matter of the photos, although they were done well. There is a
> widespread notion that North Korea remains  forbidden or inaccessible
> to foreigners, and while there are certainly large parts of North
> Korea that are off-limits, pretty much any paying customer from North
> America or Europe can sign up on a tour and see the sights that the AP
> reporters visited.
> --
> Charles K. Armstrong
> Professor of History
> Director, Center for Korean Research
> Columbia University
> 930 International Affairs Building
> 420 West 118th Street
> New York, NY 10027
>
> Tel: 212-854-1721
> Fax: 212-749-1497
>
>
> Quoting "Robinson, Michael E." <robime at indiana.edu</mc/compose?to=robime at indiana.edu>>:
>
>> These are very nice, but not new scenes.  Very standard by my eye,
>> but nice to have a professional do them.
>>
>> Mike Robinson
>>
>> From: koreanstudies-bounces at koreaweb.ws</mc/compose?to=koreanstudies-bounces at koreaweb.ws>
>> [mailto:koreanstudies-bounces at koreaweb.ws</mc/compose?to=koreanstudies-bounces at koreaweb.ws>] On Behalf Of
>> Afostercarter at aol.com</mc/compose?to=Afostercarter at aol.com>
>> Sent: Friday, August 05, 2011 6:00 AM
>> To: Koreanstudies at koreaweb.ws</mc/compose?to=Koreanstudies at koreaweb.ws>; baks at jiscmail.ac.uk</mc/compose?to=baks at jiscmail.ac.uk>; members at asck.org</mc/compose?to=members at asck.org>
>> Cc: coyner at gol.com</mc/compose?to=coyner at gol.com>; news at nknews.org</mc/compose?to=news at nknews.org>; nkeconwatch at gmail.com</mc/compose?to=nkeconwatch at gmail.com>;
>> Philip at londonkoreanlinks.net</mc/compose?to=Philip at londonkoreanlinks.net>; nkleadershipwatch at gmail.com</mc/compose?to=nkleadershipwatch at gmail.com>
>> Subject: [KS] Striking photographs of the DPRK from AP's David
>> Guttenfelder, in The Atlantic
>>
>> http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2011/08/inside-north-korea/100119/
>>
>> Inside North Korea
>> AUG 2, 2011 |
>> 148<http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2011/08/inside-north-korea/100119/#disqus_thread
>> >
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> Earlier this year, David Guttenfelder, chief Asia photographer for
>> the Associated Press, along with Jean H. Lee, AP bureau chief in
>> Seoul, were granted unprecedented access to parts of North Korea as
>> part of the AP's efforts to expand coverage of the isolated
>> communist nation. The pair made visits to familiar sites accompanied
>> by government minders, and were also allowed to travel into the
>> countryside accompanied by North Korean journalists instead of
>> government officials. Though much of what the AP journalists saw was
>> certainly orchestrated, their access was still remarkable.
>> Collected  here are some of Guttenfelder's images from the trip that
>> provide a  glimpse of North Korea. [37
>> photos<http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2011/08/inside-north-korea/100119/
>> >]
>>
>
>
>