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It is said that North Korea’s popular music is different from South Korea’s. 

It’s fair to say that North Korea has no popular music that we know of. In the North, the state decides on certain types of music and distributes it to the people. Hymns praising the top leader are considered the most typical North Korean popular music form. In addition, there are songs that promote the party’s policies and revolution. North Korea uses the phrase “people’s culture,” instead of popular culture, meaning that all art forms are centered on the people and should therefore reflect people’s feelings. But in the North Korean regime, it is the party that represents people’s feelings. That is, songs that promote the party policies comprise the music for the general public. 

Popular singers in North Korea include Hyon Song-wol, former director of the Samjiyon Orchestra, which staged performances in South Korea to celebrate the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics. At the time, North Korean performers were famous singers in their home country. In the North, there are no idol stars, and singers work as public officials. 

Unlike in South Korea, where musicians perform individually or are managed by entertainment agencies, all artists in North Korea belong to state organizations as qualified public officials. In South Korea, some people are scouted while walking on the streets or rise to instant stardom. But such cases are not found in the North. Some nonprofessional artists could be given opportunities to engage in music activities if they stand out at local competitions. When they are deemed qualified, they might be assigned to art troupes. 

Songs are more effective than writings or speeches in inciting people and delivering important messages. For that reason, music in North Korea is not for the individual pursuit of pleasure. Rather, it is regarded as a means of propaganda and agitation as well as ideological refinement for the public. Therefore, lyrics, which are put above personal feelings, should be clear and specific. 

What matters the most is the message, as far as North Korean songs are concerned. The melody is simply a means of delivering the lyrics. What South Koreans call “culture and art” is described by North Koreans as “literature and art.” “Literature” here implies stories, which typically have a beginning, body and conclusion to convey a certain message. If the message is delivered in a musical way, it becomes a song. If the message takes the shape of a painting, it’s an art. The message is absolutely important in any North Korean art form. 

North Korean art has a clear purpose of promoting the party policies among the public in an entertaining way. In North Korea, it is simply inconceivable to enjoy music itself, being unaware of its message. 

Lyrics or themes of North Korean songs are mostly inspired by literature. In many cases, collections of books about former leaders comprise the main theme of the songs. 

In North Korea, some stories have been reproduced over and over again as an important source of culture and art, just as Greek and Roman mythology and the Bible formed the basis of European culture. Tales about North Korea’s founder Kim Il-sung have constantly been recreated as new stories and art. That’s why the series of books about his anti-Japanese revolutionary struggle called Immortal History are considered so important. Similarly, the series Immortal Guide describes former leader Kim Jong-il’s revolutionary achievements. Those collections of books are still modified and supplemented to this day. The leaders’ instructions at construction sites and other economy-related fields are made into songs. The series Immortal Journey about current leader Kim Jong-un are also expected to provide a major theme for the country’s culture and art. 

While North Korean songs mostly praise top leaders and promote policies and revolution, some feature the themes of daily lives of the people and their emotions. Unlike revolutionary songs, the so-called “life songs” have an upbeat rhythm and they are pretty popular among local citizens. The songs are supposed to be sung in particular styles, such as “sweetly, cheerfully and at a fast tempo” or “brightly and merrily.” The singing styles are specified at the beginning of the songs. 

Art is affected by political and economic situations. In the 1980s, the North Korean economy was stable and Kim Jong-il was designated as the heir apparent to the regime. Around the time, the postwar generation began to enter the workforce as grown-ups. They weren’t really interested in anti-Japanese revolution or war. North Korea needed songs that would better reflect the emotions of the new generation. As a result, music with lifting, optimistic tunes emerged, with songs revealing personal feelings. Those “life songs” included Women are Flowers, Girls are Whispering and City Girl Comes to a Village to Get Married. 

The song City Girl Comes to a Village to Get Married was created in 1990. Composed by the people’s artist Ri Jong-oh and sung by popular singer Ri Kyong-suk, the song gained great popularity and was even made into a movie three years later. 

North Korea makes it its policy to distribute new songs to the people. Professor Jeon explains how the country introduces new music to the public. 

North Korea often holds a special show of new songs of the year or introduces new songs at concerts on national holidays. Sometimes, the media promotes them. The country’s official Rodong Sinmun newspaper carries the lyrics, the singing style and the music of the new songs. 

Locals may learn new songs at workplaces. Artists are dispatched to workplaces to teach workers new songs and help them carry out their music activities in each small unit they belong to. North Korea holds song contests to better promote new songs. 

In line with the emergence of various genres of music, such as life songs, popular music groups were created in North Korea. For instance, the Wangjaesan Light Music Band and the Pochonbo Electronic Ensemble were established in 1983 and 1985, respectively. Both were named after revolutionary sites where Kim Il-sung fought against the Japanese during the colonial era. The two bands became a huge hit, as they performed music that was clearly different from older ones. 

One of the secrets of their success was the use of electronic music. In North Korea, rock music and jazz using electronic instruments had previously been viewed as a taboo, as the music genres were believed to destroy people’s healthy thoughts. But the new bands stressed that they pursued Korean-style electronic music that was different from decadent Western electronic music. They actually incorporated electronic instruments into the existing orchestra or played traditional and electronic instruments together. 

The Wangjaesan Band mostly performed light music, while the Pochonbo Electronic Ensemble focused on songs reflecting the latest trends. The bands enjoyed tremendous popularity, signaling the beginning of North Korea’s electronic music. 

The creation of these electronic music bands shows that North Korea couldn’t ignore the global trend of electronic music in the 1980s. Although bands introduced electronic music, lyrics of the songs were mostly about socialism and patriotism. Still, I imagine North Korean residents found the music new and interesting, as different instruments and singing styles were used. 

From early on, North Korea has used music in politics cleverly. Former leader Kim Jong-il once said that a single song could replace ten million guns and swords. He used music for political purposes in earnest to initiate the so-called “music politics.” 

As the heir of Kim Il-sung, Kim Jong-il first worked at the Propaganda and Agitation Department of the Workers’ Party. The department is tasked with controlling all media agencies in the country and managing relevant content. To show his political ability, he reinterpreted his father Kim Il-sung’s anti-Japanese activities in a modern way and placed them at the center of North Korean culture. In the process, he adopted the most convenient and effective method, namely, music. Beginning in the 1990s, he brought music to the forefront. Kim Jong-il’s “music politics” was also called “song politics.” He highly valued music, which was effective in publicizing the party policies easily, quickly and conveniently and bringing people together. He used songs to unite people and encourage them to overcome any difficulties they faced. 

The current Kim Jong-un regime has carried on with “music politics.” A number of songs have been created for the new leader, with songs used to strengthen ideological training. An interesting example was the Moranbong Band, which was described as the North Korean version of a “girl group.” 

The inaugural performance of the Moranbong Band in 2012 was quite unconventional indeed. 

The Moranbong Band was organized by Kim Jong-un himself in 2012, right after he came to power. The band’s performance in July 2012 showed Kim Jong-un’s first appearance at an art show and his future strategy. The performance featured famous Western songs including Theme from Rocky, while Disney characters showed up on stage. Through the show, the North Korea leader was sending a clear message to the outside world. That is, the country is willing to embrace outside culture, even American one. Domestically, the message urged citizens to explore the world, not just remaining inside the country. Through the Moranbong Band, North Korea also attempted to depart from the past and bring innovation and change instead in the new era. 

The famous Moranbong band has not performed in recent years, being replaced by the Band of the State Affairs Commission that first appeared at the show commemorating the Lunar New Year’s holiday on January 25, 2020. At present, this band seems to be the most active music group in North Korea. 

The Moranbong Band performed at important events between 2012 and 2017. The appearance of the Band at the State Affairs Commission in 2020 shows that social mood became rather serious. The State Affairs Commission is the official state agency under the Cabinet. Since January 2020, the band has led North Korea’s popular music.

North Korea has delivered political messages and policies to the people through music. We hope North Korean music will entertain and comfort people as a means of expressing personal feelings and communicating with each other, rather than being exploited as a political tool.