Tropes and plot devices used in South Korean movies, television shows, and music depicting North Korea and interactions with North Koreans have changed over time, and often reflect attitudes and relations of a given era.
Stephen Epstein, Director of Asian Languages and Cultures and Victoria University of Wellington, joins the NK News Podcast to talk about how inter-Korean politics and identity are reflected in popular culture, gender, and media representation of North Korean defectors, and how some of them are even becoming media stars in their own right.
He also discusses collaborations with researchers like Christopher Green, and what the hit K-drama “Crash Landing on You” has to say about today’s North-South relations.
Stephen Epstein’s paper, “The Axis of Vaudeville: Images of North Korea in South Korean Pop Culture,” can be found here.
NOTE: the Korean word talbukja (탈북자) is often used in the show. It means North Korean defector.
About the podcast: The North Korea News Podcast is a weekly podcast hosted exclusively by NK News, covering all things DPRK: from news to extended interviews with leading experts and analysts in the field and insight from our very own journalists.