Illicit media, reflexivity and sociocultural change in North Korea

Abstract

Since the late 1990s the transnational spread of South Korean media, known as the Korean Wave or Hallyu, has filtered into North Korea through smuggling and black markets. The act of consuming or distributing foreign media contents is considered to be a grave crime against the state. Based on qualitative in-depth interviews with 60 North Koreans, this empirical study draws attention to North Korea's changing media culture in a digital age and addresses the sociocultural implications as the society is going through remarkable change from below at this important historical moment. The article argues for the significance of illicit media culture in the stimulation of everyday reflexivity and sociocultural change by demonstrating how reflexivity operates as an emotional and active mode of learning in North Korean society.