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Journalism of Courage
Mickey Mouse and Winnie the Pooh took the stage in North Korea during a concert for new leader Kim Jong-Un,in an unusual performance featuring Disney characters.
Performers dressed as Minnie Mouse,Tigger and others danced and pranced as footage from Snow White,Dumbo,Beauty and the Beast and other Disney movies played on a massive backdrop,according to still photos shown on state TV.
The inclusion of characters popular in the West,particularly from the US,North Koreas wartime enemy,is a notable change in direction for performances in Pyongyang. Actors and actresses also showed off new wardrobes,including strapless gowns and little black dresses.
In recent years,performances such as the Arirang mass games featured performers dressed as panda bears in homage to North Korean ally China. This appears to be the first time Disney characters have been included in a major performance,though Winnie the Pooh and Mickey Mouse have been popular among children for several years. Backpacks,pencil cases and pajamas imported from China often feature Disney characters,and stories such as Dumbo have been translated into Korean for North Korean schoolchildren. However,it is unusual to make such images a central part of a North Korean performance and to publicise it on state TV.
It was unclear whether the Disney characters were officially licenced. US sanctions prohibit the import of North Korean goods to the US,but do not ban the sales of US consumer products in North Korea unless they involve officials or firms on the US Treasury Departments sanctions blacklist.
The performance was staged Friday by the Moranbong band,which was making its debut after being assembled by Kim himself,the state-run Korean Central News Agency said. Kim,who took power after his father,longtime leader Kim Jong-Il,died in December,has a grandiose plan to bring about a dramatic turn in the field of literature and arts this year, KCNA said. The dispatch made no mention of Disney characters,but said the concert included the traditional folk tune Arirang as well as a number of upbeat foreign songs.
Featuring Disney characters signals that Kim may be seeking to carve out a different image than his father and grandfather by easing restrictions on Western culture,said Koh Yu-hwan,a North Korean studies professor based in Seoul.
