Victory Through Verse

North Korea Magnetic Poetry (PHOTOS)

Some sentences crafted by state-sponsored reporters in North Korea give the reader pause. Is this an angry Walt Whitman?

Photo Illustration by The Daily Beast

By William BootAug 21, 2015

galleries/2015/08/21/north-korea-magnetic-poetry/150821-collins-korea-poetry-embed10_bg3yrr — North Korea’s state-run media outlets—Naenara, the country’s newspaper, and KCNA, its wire service—churn out a non-stop commentary of white-washed propaganda from the Hermit Kingdom. This is dictator-style coverage: focused on the mundane activities of Kim Jong Un; massively glorified depictions of daily life for North Koreans; praise from similarly unscrupulous foreign governments (think Syria and Nigeria); and, of course, endless condemnations of American imperialism.
Photo Illustration by The Daily Beast

galleries/2015/08/21/north-korea-magnetic-poetry/150821-collins-korea-poetry-embed02_iugndd — But amidst the maniacal rants and heaps of overwrought prose, some sentences crafted by these state-sponsored reporters give the reader pause. Is this an angry Walt Whitman? A flowery Robert Frost? Take, for example, this scathing criticism of South Korea’s behavior: “We warned it enough to understand that its improper tongue-lashing would end in cutting off its head.” Or this dagger piercing into the American-North Korean relationship: “The U.S. is always steeped in such inveterate and morbid repugnancy toward the DPRK that it is behaving like a mentally deranged person.”
Photo Illustration by The Daily Beast

galleries/2015/08/21/north-korea-magnetic-poetry/150821-collins-korea-poetry-embed03_uwotry — There’s a rhythm to the propaganda. So, as North Korea screams empty promises of war against its southern neighbor, we’ve collected the finest verse from what could be dubbed the Hermit Kingdom's DIY Propaganda Poetry. Feel free to mix and match with the finest of Kim's scribe's word play.
Photo Illustration by The Daily Beast

galleries/2015/08/21/north-korea-magnetic-poetry/150821-collins-korea-poetry-embed04_yfgmcl — Photo Illustration by The Daily Beast

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galleries/2015/08/21/north-korea-magnetic-poetry/150821-collins-korea-poetry-embed07_blq6u6 — Photo Illustration by The Daily Beast

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galleries/2015/08/21/north-korea-magnetic-poetry/150821-collins-korea-poetry-embed09_izxgdc — Photo Illustration by The Daily Beast

galleries/2015/08/21/north-korea-magnetic-poetry/150821-collins-korea-poetry-embed01_sy9jyu — Photo Illustration by The Daily Beast

galleries/2015/08/21/north-korea-magnetic-poetry/150821-collins-korea-poetry-embed11_mcgemh — Photo Illustration by The Daily Beast

galleries/2015/08/21/north-korea-magnetic-poetry/150821-collins-korea-poetry-embed12_g9u77n — Photo Illustration by The Daily Beast

galleries/2015/08/21/north-korea-magnetic-poetry/150821-collins-korea-poetry-embed13_c1irj0 — Photo Illustration by The Daily Beast

galleries/2015/08/21/north-korea-magnetic-poetry/150821-collins-korea-poetry-embed14_wyvtns — Photo Illustration by The Daily Beast

galleries/2015/08/21/north-korea-magnetic-poetry/150821-collins-korea-poetry-embed15_muv2fb — Photo Illustration by The Daily Beast

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