North Korea’s Budding Animation Industry
by Richardson ~ February 5th, 2007. Filed under: Economics, Engagement.
This AFP article highlights North Korea’s still nascent animated movie industry:
South Korean experts say the North’s animated movie industry brings the isolated country both precious hard currency and access to global IT expertise.
“Animation is one of the rare sectors where North Korea is following the global trend,” said Lee Kyo-Jung, an executive at the Korea Animation Producers’ Association (KAPA).
“It has been subcontracted to produce animation for North America, Europe and Asia,” Lee told AFP. Among the major clients are studios in France, Italy and China, he added.
The centre of North Korea’s animation industry is the April 26 Children’s Film Production House, known to the outside as SEK Studio. Its 1,600 animators have been downsized to 500 with the introduction of computerised equipment.
“SEK is one of the largest hard currency earners in North Korea,” said Nelson Shin, a North Korea-born US producer who worked on “The Simpsons”.
“SEK is a rare North Korean company that can directly engage in foreign trade and deploys representatives overseas,” said Shin, a frequent visitor to the North.
Since at least 2001, North Korea has also been trying to create a software production niche for itself. I’ve not heard how their baduk game, “Silver Star 2006,” fared in the South Korean market.
February 6th, 2007 at 6:29 am
I’m sure Anti-Semitic cartoon shorts would be a hit here in Corea.
February 6th, 2007 at 8:04 am
[...] (Hat tip DPRK Studies) Park Chan-Kyong [...]
February 7th, 2007 at 2:04 pm
Guy Delisle’s ‘Pyongyang: A Journey In North Korea’ was a pretty good first hand account of working at SEK.
February 9th, 2007 at 11:11 am
North Korean animation is actually quite good. (even from the political angle) Although I doubt people who grew up on Tom & Jerry and Loony Toons will like them.
February 19th, 2009 at 11:02 am
[...] Korea. GPI swooned over the nation’s tech potential in a 2006 report (PDF), singling out the animation industry in [...]
March 20th, 2009 at 12:04 pm
On february 6th, 2007 MARK wrote:
“I’m sure Anti-Semitic cartoon shorts would be a hit here in Corea”
Anti-Semitic? What the heck are you talking about? I hope that you’re not one of those paranoid jews whose very existence is dependent on the specter of victimization and oppression towards jews from a jew hating world.
North Korean animation and North Korean Cinema have nothing to do with “Anti-Semitism”. North Korea is so insular that most of it’s population doesn’t even know what a “Semite” is. They’re too worried about STARVATION to be concerned with the existence of the Jewish people.
And for you information Mark, it’s KOREA, not Corea… and a “Semite” is not a term reserved for just the jews. Here’s a reference to educate you http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semitic
March 20th, 2009 at 9:33 pm
Dan,
The North Korean regime instills an amazing degree of racism in its population. It would not surprise me at all if most had knowledge of Jews.
It looks like Mark made a typo - try not to go overboard about it. Probably you should follow the link to his website. Thanks.