Research
Menu
COVID-19 Notice: To protect the health of our team and our community, Stimson Center staff are working remotely. The Stimson office is closed to all visitors. All public events are now online. Staff remain available via email, phone, and video conference. During this time, the Stimson Center will continue its important work, informing policymakers and the public — here, on social media, and via email.
THE STIMSON CENTER
Engaging new voices, generating innovative ideas and analysis, and building solutions to promote international security, prosperity, and justice.
Engaging new voices, generating innovative ideas and analysis, and building solutions to promote international security, prosperity, and justice.
Copyright The Henry L. Stimson Center
Kim Jong Un’s New Year’s Address: The Art of Propaganda
Kim Jong Un’s New Year’s address got a makeover in 2019. Gone was the lectern and flowers in front of a large assembly hall, and in came an armchair and a more relaxed style. KCTV thankfully got rid of most of the absurd recorded applause that punctuated his speech in previous years, although snippets were still used at the start and end.
The broadcast was set up with a shot of the clock in Pyongyang striking midnight and then a shot of the central offices of the Workers’ Party of Korea.
The late-night shot of the Workers’ Party building is a frequently used scene in North Korean propaganda. It’s meant to show that even in dead of night, the lights are on and the party is working for the North Korean people.
Read full article.