Leiden University Student Repository

Wouda, Marissa (2023)

Romance in North Korean Comics: How do romantic constructs impact the narrative?

Bachelor thesis | Koreastudies (BA)

This thesis examines North Korean kŭrimch’aek, a topic that has yet to receive much scholarly attention. In particular, there will be a focus on the romantic aspects found in the narratives of kŭrimch’aek. Five different kŭrimch’aek were closely analysed and the findings discussed in the case study of this thesis. Though North Korean fiction has to comply with official state ideology, in the kŭrimch’aek several aspects showed that this does not imply flawless stories. Furthermore, romance can be seen more frequently in stories that have elements that justify actions that would generally contradict North Korean ideology. Ambiguities were found to be more prevalent in female characters, while male characters are more homogeneous. As fiction has the function to educate and to present model individuals, romance functions to enable readers to identify with these ideal protagonists. Lastly, romance adds an extra layer of depth to otherwise quite monotonous narratives.

North Korean fiction, comics, kŭrimch’aek, romance, model characters

Author

Wouda, Marissa

Faculty

Faculty of Humanities

Supervisors

Green, C.K.

ECTS Credits

10

Language

en