North Korea recently released a new propaganda song extolling leader Kim Jong Un titled “Friendly Father,” but North Koreans who have heard the song or seen its music video cannot suppress their bitterness, at least in secret, Daily NK has learned.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, a Daily NK source in North Hamgyong Province said Thursday that the song “has been played on television every day,” but people are laughing bitterly “because the lyrics and images in the video are so different from reality.”
“Friendly Father” was first released to the public on April 16 at a celebratory performance marking the completion of the second phase of housing construction in Pyongyang’s Hwasong district. The lyrics focus on the people’s unwavering faith in Kim, the “great leader” and “kind father.”
Music video-level footage appeared on a screen behind the stage. The video showed Kim’s on-the-spot inspections and smiling people happily dancing or giving the thumbs up sign while singing the song.
The song praising and paying tribute to Kim has been played continuously on television and other media since its release. People who have heard it cannot criticize it openly, but they complain about it in secret.
“Watching the scenes accompanying the song, you’re reminded of a leader who cares warmly for everyone, from young children to the elderly,” the source said. “But the reality is that people are on the verge of death because they have nothing to eat.”
“Even in Hoeryong and Chongjin, more and more children and elderly people are collapsing from malnutrition, but no one is doing anything about it,” he said. “Children can’t go to nurseries, kindergartens or schools if their parents don’t have money, but the video shows children so happy they don’t know what to do with themselves, leaving people speechless.
“People feel disappointed and frustrated with the current reality, when money solves everything in the midst of continuing economic difficulties, with some even whispering that they hope the state will quickly fall into ruin. And they can’t help but frown at lyrics that say we’re headed for a better future.”
Young people are particularly critical of the song. Sensitive to the latest culture and trends, North Korean youth have little use for an anachronistic propaganda song that idolizes Kim.
According to the source, a 20-something resident of Hoeryong said, “Maybe because I’m so used to the music from the neighborhood below [South Korea], I can’t listen to it because it’s so cheesy, and I can’t watch the video because the singers’ movements are so awkward. He said he found the verse about Kim “making all wishes come true” particularly ridiculous.
He added: “Only rich parents can make wishes come true.”
People in Chongjin also find the new song nauseating. The source said that people get together and say, “I wish people could really live as happily as they do in the music video.”
“Before, people just nodded along when the songs came out, but now, perhaps because people are nervous because they are suffering extreme hardships, they are complaining about the excessive exaggerations. Young people who are unhappy with the state are laughing bitterly at the song, which they never sing. That’s the current reality.”
Translated by David Black. Edited by Robert Lauler.
Daily NK works with a network of sources living in North Korea, China, and elsewhere. Their identities remain anonymous for security reasons. For more information about Daily NK’s network of reporting partners and information-gathering activities, please visit our FAQ page here.
Please send any comments or questions about this article to dailynkenglish@uni-media.net.
