Quick Take: Kim Jong Un’s Words

According to a Radio Free Asia (RFA) report, Kim Jong Un’s recent speech to flood victims in North Pyongan Province attracted attention for his use of South Korean terms, which are banned in North Korea.[1] However, approximately half of the seven expressions cited in the report have been used regularly by North Korean print media for years, which seems to suggest a discrepancy between media language and daily colloquialism, at least in North Pyongan Province.[2] The other half of the seven examples have also appeared in North Korean print media, although rarely, which helps explain North Koreans’ reported “shock.” This may suggest that acceptable language is still evolving in North Korea despite the country’s efforts to standardize the language.

The terms in question included “주민 [inhabitants],” “TV,” and “음료수 [drinking water],” which have appeared regularly in the country’s print media since at least May 2005, including in Kim’s own speeches.[3] It is unusual for a Kim leader to directly address the people as “dear inhabitants [주민 여러분],” however: The more common expressions would be “comrades [동지들]” or “people [인민들].” Notably, Kim’s speech specifically referred to people “from the flood-stricken area” in this manner. The distinction between “inhabitants” and both “comrades” and “people” is that the former is in reference to people residing in specific areas.

The term “험지 [unfamiliar areas]” was used in North Korean print media only occasionally before September 2020, in the wake of the floods, but has appeared more often since then.[4]

Meanwhile, North Korean print media’s use of “폄훼 [slights],” “어르신 [the elderly],” and “병약자 [sick persons]” has ranged from extremely rare, rare, and on occasion, in that order.

In North Korea, nothing can be more important than the Kim leader’s words. In that vein, we have to assume that Kim’s language was chosen with the greatest of care, intended to maximize appeal to the masses. Without over-parsing the meaning of every change, it would be worth tracking the evolution of North Korean propaganda language over time, if not for signs of increased acceptance of outside influence, for hints of change in North Korean society.

1. [1]

   The Korean version of the RFA report is here. North Korea, in recent years, has cracked down on the penetration of outside cultural influence, particularly South Korea’s, by enacting the law on “rejecting the reactionary ideology and culture” (December 2020) and the law on the “protection of cultured Pyongyang dialect” (January 2023).

2. [2]

   “Print media” in this article refers to North Korea’s top two dailies: the party daily Rodong Sinmun and the cabinet newspaper Minju Joson.

3. [3]

   All corresponding English renderings in square brackets in this article are from “Respected Comrade Kim Jong Un Clarifies in His Speech Stand of Party and Government on Repairing Flood Damage and Consoles Flood Victims,” Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), August 10, 2024, http://kcna.kp/en/article/q/44e07e940bbb13792fd7d29f394a769a.kcmsf. North Korean print media have used “TV” in English characters since at least May 2005.

4. [4]

   A better translation for “험지 [unfamiliar areas]” would be “dangerous areas.”