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

[Frank Hoffmann]

>(...) 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."


Then allow me to ask this: who would the result 
of such an analysis benefit, to what addresses 
would this be delivered to? Other than the 
intelligence services with their limited interest 
and narrow focus and their circular logic based 
on post-war social cryptics, whom does this kind 
of analysis serve?

I think what David McCann and others pointed 
out--and this was also stated at the mentioned 
Vienna conference (also by Aidan, if I remember 
that right)--is that there is very little 
"mystery" left about North Korea whatsoever.
Rather the opposite, we are almost over-informed 
about this state. There is, however, a growing 
divide between the information available in 
Korean language from South Korea and by overseas 
Koreans through official media, government
organizations, civil organizations, and Internet 
blogs and other social media vs. information 
available in English and Western languages. What
is available in Western languages in popular 
media (TV, magazines, books, blogs) is, when 
compared to such South Korean sources, indeed 
amazingly dull and endlessly repetitive. The 
blogging sites in/from (South) Korea, on the 
other hand, are full of very concrete information 
of all possible sorts of information (and 
misinformation) related to culture and social 
life in North Korea. Very often very concrete 
reports and observations (e.g. based on direct 
exchanges with North Koreans or visits to NK, 
really about all possible aspects.) Naturally, 
part of the reason, of course related to language 
and nationality, is that there is not anymore 
such a narrow focus as we find it in publications
of Western nations (atomic program, personality 
cult, famines). Until around 2000 that was not 
the case, but now, in spite of the heavy 
censorship and pressure going on again (more than 
50 or 60% of all NK artwork images and related 
blogger entries seem to have 'disappeared' from 
the Korean Internet sites now), reading through 
the blogs for whatever topic one is interested in 
seems to be far more effective than doing an 
analysis of "shifts in the force" based on the 
kind of changes you indicate (which would, in my 
understanding, just re-enforce the mentioned 
narrow focus the media here are already in for 
their free ride).

The "master narrative" is certainly interesting 
as part of a sociological analysis project when 
explaining how people think and act in a certain 
society: a wonderful laboratory with mouse cages 
and propaganda posters ... CocaCola red or Kim Il 
Sung poster red, what attracts mice the best? I 
wonder though, how much the "master narratives" 
still move and shake societies--maybe according 
to Hannah Arendt and her Cold War sociology of 
"masses" and "totalitarian" society that was so. 
Are today's masses Hitler's or Stalin's masses? 
Aren't they communication consumers now, 
Facebookers and YouTubers, cell-phone-filming 
their own revolutions, their own death (North 
Africa, Middle East), their own escape over the 
Tumen River? The focus on the "master narrative" 
might well be in the way of understanding "shifts 
in the force" of societies.

Regards,
Frank



>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


-- 
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Frank Hoffmann
http://koreaweb.ws