North Korea cracks down on SARCASM (great idea!)
North Korea cracks down on SARCASM (great idea!): Kim Jong Un’s lackeys move to ban phrase mocking the dictator after it surges in popularity
- Roughly translated, the phrase is ‘You think you’re the general or something?’
- Kim Jong Un is known as ‘The General’ and the phrase is seen as mocking him
- It was used in a South Korean TV show illegally watched by North Koreans
- North Korean authorities are cracking down on its use and other illegal cultural imports which they feel are undermining the effectiveness of state propaganda
North Korea is cracking down on sarcasm among its citizens, specifically targeting a phrase that it states is disrespectful towards its supreme leader, Kim Jong Un.
The phrase was used in a South Korean drama – ‘Crash Landing on You’ – and the crackdown comes as part of the dictatorship’s ongoing efforts to root out South Korea’s cultural influence on its northern neighbours.
The specific phrase that it is investigating can be translated into English as ‘Are you the general?’, while the official translation would be ‘Are you the general or what?’
However, neither translation captures the sarcastic nuance of the phrase, which is closer to ‘Who died and made you the general?’ or ‘You think you’re the general or something?’ in Korean.
Kim Jong Un is often colloquially referred to as ‘The General’ and so the phrase is seen to be mocking his absolute authority, according to Radio Free Asia.
The phrase was used in South Korean TV show ‘Crash Landing on You’ (pictured) which tells the story of a South Korean woman who accidentally paraglides across the North Korean border to avoid an arranged marriage. She is found by a member of the North Korean military who vows to secretly help her return home
‘Law enforcement authorities have launched an investigation because some of the South Korean-style speech is [being used to] criticize the highest dignity,’ one anonymous source told RFA.
The source said that the phrase has become a common part of North Korean speech since last year, explaining that people ask ‘You think you’re the general or something?’ in order to point out ‘when someone inexperienced or young is acting stuck-up and thinks they are above themselves.’
The phrase has two elements to it, the source said. Not only are people joking with one another, but they are also mocking Kim Jong Un at the same time by comparing someone who is inexperienced with the leader, who ascended to the position of North Korea’s supreme leader after the death of his father in 2012.
How citizens in North Korea are consuming South Korean culture, such as TV shows and music, is also being investigated, with authorities saying that the use of the phrase is proof that such media is somehow getting into the isolationist country.
Younger citizens in North Korea have reportedly been the focus of the crackdown as they are suspected by authorities to be sharing illegal content between themselves using smartphones, the use of which has become more wide-spread.
Who died and made you the general?: The phrase North Korean authorities are cracking down on has a double meaning. It is used to point out when someone inexperienced or young is acting stuck-up, amd also mock North Korea’s supreme leader, Kim Jong Un (pictured in an undated photo shared by North Korean authorities on May 24)
RFA said that citizens could not only be punished for sharing ‘underground’ content such as movies or music, but also for using South Korean spelling or colloquialisms in speech and texts. Despite this, it has now become a trendy to speak in a dialect from the South’s capital – Seoul.
‘Many are interested in talking with a South Korean accent, so they watch South Korean dramas and become more and more addicted,’ RFA’s source said.
Authorities were reportedly not aware of the hidden meaning behind the phrase at first, but launched an investigation into where it had originated from. Upon learning of the back-handed double meaning, they began cracking down on its use.
Another source told the news outlet that its use demonstrated a shift from when people used to hold the supreme leader in a higher regard, and that the second meaning only perpetuated its use.
‘There’s a reason why people like to ask each other if they are the general,’ RTA’s second source said.
‘The people are unhappy with Kim Jong Un’s behavior of still clinging to nuclear and missile development even though the economy and people’s livelihoods are at rock bottom due to U.S. economic sanctions and the coronavirus crisis.’
Pictured: Hyun Bin (left) and actress Son Ye-jin (right), who star in the drama ‘Crash Landing on You’ pose at a showcase in Seoul, December 9, 2019. North Korean authorities are working to crack down on South Korea’s cultural influence, which they believe detracts from the effectiveness of the North’s propaganda and control over its citizens
In 2019, the Washington post reported that South Korean K-pop and western music and other media is reaching North Korea through the Chinese border on CDs or USB sticks, and that there was evidence that such media was undermining propaganda from the North’s regime.
In 2016, the supreme leader banned the country’s citizens from using sarcasm in their everyday conversations.
Satire directed towards the regime and even indirect criticisms of leadership will not be forgiven, sources in the North said at the time.
Among the phrases outlawed by Kim Jong-un at the time was ‘this is all America’s fault’, which could be seen as a criticism if spoken ironically.
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