**New Changes in North Korean Dramas**
North Korea's foreign propaganda monthly magazine, Geumsugangsan, reported on the 10th that the TV series "Baekhakbeol's New Spring," which began airing in April, has recorded high viewership ratings.
This drama captures the changing customs of North Korean society and recently concluded. It attracted viewers' attention with new emotions and styles of dialogue that were not seen in previous North Korean dramas.
"Baekhakbeol's New Spring" is a 22-episode drama produced by the 2nd Creation Team of the State Film Production Company, which first aired on April 16 on Korean Central TV and concluded its final episode on the 24th of last month.
It gained attention as it is a new drama introduced approximately two years after "The Memoir of a Prosecutor" aired in January 2023.
**Radical Changes in North Korean Dramas**
One of the most striking scenes in this drama features a man wearing a floral apron, preparing a meal for his wife and daughter.
The family accepts this as an everyday occurrence. In a patriarchal North Korean society, depicting a man participating in household chores and child-rearing as a caring father is considered a significant deviation from the norm.
Additionally, the emphasis on the poignant romance of youth is another point that sets this drama apart from traditional North Korean dramas.
In the show, agricultural researcher Gyeongmi (played by actress Ryu Gyeong) and prosecutor Yeongdeok (played by actor Choi Hyun) are portrayed as a couple who have been dating for over four years, but they experience conflict due to the opposition of Yeongdeok's mother.
In this process, Yeongdeok's line, "We did not form a bond to pierce a painful knife into my heart," which rejects a breakup, evokes cliches that could be found in past Korean dramas.
Considering that North Korean art has primarily focused on enlightening residents and state propaganda, often being stingy with personal emotional expression, this work can be seen as a new attempt that directly addresses the emotions of youth grappling with love and separation.
**The Essence of North Korean Dramas that Remains Amidst Change**
Actor Choi Hyun, who plays prosecutor Yeongdeok, has gained significant popularity among North Korean viewers, particularly young female viewers, through this work. The July issue of Geumsugangsan mentioned, "Choi Hyun is a newcomer who has recently appeared in films, but this time she attracted attention with her uniquely different portrayal among young women."
This drama was aired at a time when North Korean authorities enacted the "Anti-Reactionary Thought Culture Prohibition Law" in late 2020, which can impose sentences of up to 15 years for viewers of South Korean visual materials, aiming to block the spread of Hallyu.
Experts analyze that the drama incorporates more romance elements, considering the tastes of a younger generation accustomed to various foreign audiovisual materials.
However, despite these changes, the basic theme of "Baekhakbeol's New Spring" does not differ significantly from existing North Korean dramas.
It borrows motifs from the popular 1990s rural drama "Seokgaeul's New Spring," maintaining the typical narrative structure of North Korean dramas, where the protagonist, who is appointed as the Party Secretary of a failing farm, transforms flawed farm workers into patriotic farmers through love.
The Korean Central News Agency reported that "the new era rural revolution program and policies presented by the Party are reflected very specifically, realistically, and succinctly."
Image Source: Korean Central TV
