North Korea in South Korean Pop Culture: Comedy, Communism & Crash Landing on You

This talk by Associate Professor Stephen Epstein examines how South Korean images of North Korea have evolved in recent years. How does South Korean popular culture reflect that evolution and, in turn, shape ongoing transformations in the understanding of its neighbour?

These questions have significant policy implications especially amidst the turbulent dynamics that characterise relations between the two countries: is the South Korean imagination making room for an inclusive but heterogeneous identity that accepts both parts of the divided nation? Or, is a hardening of mental boundaries emphasising cultural/social difference? In examining these questions, the talk will consider some important cultural texts in which South Korean imaginations of North Korea have expressed themselves, such as recent spy films, entertainment shows involving defectors, and the hit Netflix drama Crash Landing on You.

The lecture is an open lecture.