A recent North Korean TV drama “A New Spring in the Field of Manchurian Cranes” has become a hit by criticizing the exaggerations and lies of provincial farm officials, prompting mixed reactions from North Korean viewers.
“The 20-episode drama ‘A New Spring in the Field of Manchurian Cranes’ has recently gained popularity among people in local cities and counties like Pyongsong,” a Daily NK source in South Pyongan province said recently. “This is because the drama, set on a provincial farm, closely reflects reality.”
The drama connects directly to the “Exaggeration Prevention Act” that North Korean authorities adopted in May 2022. The law aims to prevent exaggerations and false reporting across society, particularly in agricultural production.
The show focuses on how rampant exaggerations, bureaucracy and formalism among officials at a farm in Paekhak (Korean for Manchurian cranes) village disappear after a new party secretary takes charge, bringing transformation and renewal to the farm. The drama conveys the message that when officials responsibly promote work and engage people with a servant’s attitude, farmers respond positively, and farmers can improve agricultural results when they take ownership of their work.
“The drama aims to motivate farm officials and farmers during peak agricultural season,” the source said. “It tries to tighten discipline and boost agricultural production by blaming poor farming on ‘officials who do nothing but exaggerate’ and ‘farmers who don’t take ownership of their work.'”
Viewers who have watched the drama generally agree that it accurately portrays farm life and criticize officials who constantly exaggerate.
According to the source, people say “it’s true that farm officials, who know farm conditions better than anyone, fail to help farmers and simply file false reports while enriching themselves.”
They also complain that officials “only care about filling their own stomachs and have never cared about farmers, even if they collapse from starvation,” and that farmers starve “because there’s no food, with officials working together to steal food since they only care about their own interests.”
Drama fuels discontent with regime among some
However, some viewers are uncomfortable with how the drama shifts blame for poor farming results onto officials.
“Some sympathize with farm officials, saying they have no choice but to exaggerate because they face intense pressure from above if they can’t fulfill state plans,” the source said.
People say they “can’t understand how the drama places all blame on officials when the real fault lies with authorities who force officials to exaggerate.” They also lament how authorities “take more than the target during autumn harvest while telling farms to obtain fertilizer and seeds on their own,” and that farmers “have no choice but to starve since authorities take even more than planned under various pretexts, leaving less for farmers.”
Consequently, people believe the drama “A New Spring in the Field of Manchurian Cranes” represents an attempt by authorities to escape responsibility for their own failures, ironically fueling discontent with the regime.
“Many people on farms say that failure to increase grain production isn’t because officials or farmers don’t work hard, but because of endless quotas from above when farms must solve everything on their own,” the source said.
