March in North Korea means high school
graduations and mandatory military service, and more recently, singing a South Korean song titled “Letter from a Private,” reflecting growing permeation of South Korean culture into the North. The song is well known in the South for reflecting the sentiments
of young men facing conscription.
“Recruitment for high school graduates is
underway at the moment,” a source from North Pyongan Province told Daily
NK on Tuesday. “Each year in March, villages go through a period of
sending people off, and scores of friends and draftees sing ‘Letter from a
Private’ together.”
He added that until last year, those singing the song were largely unaware of its southern origin, with even teachers, anxious for the departing students, frequently chiming in. “These days, however, draftees are not only aware of the fact that
it’s from the South, but they also talk about ‘Joint Security Area’ [a popular South Korean film set in the truce village at Panmunjeom that features the song],” he said.
Draftees deemed fit for duty after undergoing medical
examinations and haircuts at the municipal military mobilization
unit are given ten days to stay at home before being shipped off to the
provincial unit, according to the source. “The draftees
feel embarrassed about showing their military hair cuts and try to cover them
up by wearing hats. Singing this song provides them with some comfort, helping to soothe the sadness that comes with leaving family and friends,” he asserted.
The sound of these soon-to-be soldiers
playing the guitar and singing the lyrics “my shortened hair, at first looked funny; my reflection in the mirror stiffens, along with my heart” is audible throughout the
village. “At these sounds reverberating throughout the night sky, parents
cry, and elderly members of the village wish them the best, hoping they will
not starve,” he said.
The source explained these starvation concerns stem from the fact that soldiers are often at higher risk for malnutrition because unlike ordinary residents, who are able to do business at
the jangmandang, they are forbidden from engaging in individual economic activities. With
limited access to state provisions, which generally consist of little more than
rice and salt, soldiers often languish from a lack of protein and vitamins available
in other side dishes, suffering from chronic malnutrition and–in extreme
cases–starvation.
South Korean mothers cry when their sons are drafted because
they know a protracted period will pass without seeing them. North Korean
mothers, however, cry when their sons (or daughters) are drafted because they know the
suffering that awaits them, according to the source.
“South Korean songs are loved by North
Koreans because they give them a chance to express their feelings and emotions
away from being compelled to express their uniform loyalty to the
Suryeong [Kim Il Sung],” he said, speculating the popularity of the song to only increase with time.
This assumption is bolstered by a population constantly employing new methods to evade state oppression. While singing foreign songs is banned in the North, he explained that residents are not overly concerned with the consequences, having devised an excuse for such a situation: “they thought the song was Chilbosan music.” This music is produced in the North for propaganda purposes in
the South and reportedly employs techniques more relatable to those below the 38th parallel.
The full song with English lyrics is available below or here.
