Media Anthropology Project 2: Secret State of North Korea
Danger, fear, punishment, exile, entrapment, hostile, corruption, prison, prisoner, escape, are just a few word that come to mind when I think of North Korea. This is a country whose society is not afforded the same rights as an a individual is in American. Like shown in the film Secret State of North Korea this is a country that lives in poverty, exile, and as prisoners. Like stated in the film they are treated as if they are insects plus are cut off completely from the outside world to afraid of the consequences at times to even try and seek better for their selves, to seek safety (Jones, 2014). There is no access to outside media like it is in the USA it is smuggled into the company. While North Korea is under the ruling of Kim Jung Un it has been a terrible ruling. He truly treats his people as if they are less than dirt, which speaks volumes. He forces his society to prove their dedication to him. He is consumer with his power plus rulings of the country and idolizing plus being a reincarnation of his grandfather. This is a country and society of very strong individuals who live to fight every day with very little help and resources. South Korea tries to help out by releasing red balloons with dollar bills to help families get though life. I have created a great flyer post card to go with for when they release these red balloons.
The message that I wanted to portray plus inspire is peace by using the color yellow.
“Yellow has always played a vital role in Korea’s rich history and culture. Usually, yellow symbolizes safety, and accomplishment. However the meaning can vary depending where you are or whom you talk to. In Korean shamanism there is a yellow amulet called Pujok in which the color symbolizes good luck” (Lee, 2013). In regional flags, the color yellow is used which have various meanings. Jeollabuk province’s flag has yellow markings, which symbolizes peace. The flag for the city of Chongju has a yellow symbol, which means glory (Lee, 2013). With all theses strong meanings shows the importance of the color yellow in Korean culture. I felt it was important to bring peace, safety, glory, or any of the multiple meanings when presenting my message because it brings the positivity that will be need to accompany my strong and direct message.
The front of my flyer postcard has a word cloud with multiple words that all represent the forms of Korean culture. Some words are very strong, and direct, and warning signs to instill fear and cause an individual to pay attention plus invoke change. The back has a vital message that could seem too direct but I feel that it is now a time where we need to be direct because individual’s personal freedoms, life, and death are into question now. Plus sometime individuals need a strong direct word of encouragement before they change. I choose a font that was more like handwriting to make it feel like it had a more personal touch. Plus like there was someone out there who desperately cared. I choose multiple colors on the front to make it eye catching but not over bearing so it could be passed along easily.
Reference
Jones, J. (2014, January 14). Secret State of North Korea. PBS. Retrieved February 11, 2016, from
Lee, k. (2013, May 28). Colors of Korea yellow . Seoul State of Mind. Retrieved February 11, 2016, from
