February 5, 2013 11:37 am
North Korea’s New Video Is Only Its Latest Propaganda About Attacking the U.S.
Update: The video’s been pulled off YouTube, but looks to be available still here.
A video released over the weekend through “one of North Korea’s official propaganda websites,” says the Atlantic Wire, portrays a sleeping Korean man dreaming about, essentially, the destruction of America. Roughly half way through, the video shows a burning U.S. city, draped in an American flag. According to the Atlantic, the text overlaying the disturbing visual reads “Somewhere in the United States, black clouds of smoke are billowing … It seems that the nest of wickedness is ablaze.”
The video comes on the tail of the successful launch of a satellite into orbit by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea back in December. That rocket launch is featured prominently in the above video.
“The video ends,” says Australia’s News Limited, “with the young man concluding that his dream will “surely come true”.”
But this odd video is just the latest in a long run of anti-US North Korean propaganda, much of which invokes the visual rhetoric of the bomb.
Photo: Business Insider
According to Business Insider the text reads: “When provoking a war of aggression, we will hit back, beginning with the U.S.”
Much of the propaganda attempts to frame the country’s rocket development as a unifying force, one combating the “American imperialists.” Similar themes are evoked in the new video.
Photo: Willisms.com
The rocket text reads “defend to the death with single-minded unity.” While the text says, “American imperialists, see the national power of Korea!”
Not all North Korean propaganda is so militaristic, however.
“Let’s develop Pyongyang, the capital city of revolution, into a world-class city.” Photo: Business Insider
But a lot of it is.
“Meet coercion with hard blows. Meet castigation with merciless punishment.” Photo: Willisms.com
America’s propaganda hasn’t been filled with flowers and roses, either. Here’s a 1944 work put out by the U.S. Army in advance of the eventual bombing of Nagasaki and Hiroshima, for instance:
Photo: Global Research
More from Smithsonian.com:
North Korea Made Its First Video Game: Pyongyang Racer
Faces From Afar: A Frightening and Fascinating Journey Through North Korea
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This delusional video is a case study on paranoid psychosis — afflicting an entire nation.
No, the North Koreans are not scary; they are pathetic. And they will need more than good nourishment to see the world straight.
Comment by Kafantaris — February 5, 2013 @ 12:25 pm
“We Are The World” … so epic Best Korea!
Comment by Ron C. — February 5, 2013 @ 1:52 pm
http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=1560
Notice the,We Are The World, background music. Remembering Diane Sawyer’s piece where she went into a N.K. school and asked the children, who were wearing Disney and Nike, where they thought those things came from. They had no idea.
Sad misinformed country. It’s too bad they don’t allow the people to inform themselves. However, knowledge is power.
Comment by stacyd. — February 5, 2013 @ 1:54 pm
“Hey, over here! Pay attention to me, to me! North Korea is relevant! We really, really do have nuclear weapons! And rockets that can deliver them! Really! Pay attention to me!”
Because if we do stop paying sufficient attention to them they are going to implode. Which is potentially a serious problem for the entire region. But continuing to stroke the over-sized egos of the leaders of that hermit kingdom has got to stop.
Comment by Sam Adams — February 5, 2013 @ 2:16 pm