A North Korean woman in her mid-20s was publicly criticized during an ideological struggle session after making comments about celebrities’ appearance, Daily NK has learned.
A source in South Hamgyong province told Daily NK recently that the session was held by a local Socialist Patriotic Youth League branch at a farm in Kumya county in late May.
The young woman was targeted for public criticism over “problematic” comments she made while talking about celebrities with close friends in mid-May. She had said that Kim Won Il, the lead actor in the North Korean TV drama “Insam Diggers in the Year of Imjin,” was “good-looking because of his fair skin” and that Ryu Jin A, a Moranbong Band singer, has “the look of a new era.”
After learning about these comments, the youth league chapter head organized an ideological struggle session and made her stand on stage. “Saying that a male actor’s face is ‘good-looking because of his fair skin’ is dangerous acid that corrodes socialism,” the chapter leader said, before demanding to know what she meant by “the look of a new era.”
The chapter head severely reprimanded the young woman during the session. “We must nip reactionary cultural seeds germinating in our youth in the bud. Expressing bourgeois emotions undermines our socialist lifestyle,” the leader said.
The young woman was forced to publicly apologize for her comments, which were then printed in lecture materials for the county youth league chapter—much to her embarrassment.
Local backlash against heavy-handed response
“This young woman has always been a hard worker and was known for her cheerful personality, but this incident has damaged her reputation,” the source said.
Some young people in the county are reportedly upset with the chapter head for publicly criticizing the woman over such harmless remarks.
“Young people today are more likely to say ‘good-looking’ or ‘heartthrob’ than ‘handsome’ or ‘brawny,’ and to use expressions like ‘good vibes’ and ‘the look of a new era’ instead of clichéd phrases like ‘being revolutionary’ or ‘arousing fighting spirit.’ Some people think it’s strange to frame such natural language changes in ideological terms,” the source said.
“These trends can’t be stopped through heavy-handed controls. Criticizing and punishing people for this behavior backfires because it just makes young people more rebellious,” the source added.
