North Korea's Psychological Enigma: A Director's Insight into a Totalitarian State
Filmmaker Vitaly Mansky, who filmed in North Korea, offers insights into the psychology of its citizens, shaped by a life devoid of diversity and information about alternative realities. He contrasts the apparent lack of fear among ordinary North Koreans with the evident fear of Kim Jong Un, who, unlike his subjects, has access to global information and maintains an elaborate security apparatus.
Mansky's experiences highlight the deeply ingrained, almost instinctual, obedience within North Korean society, where even basic human emotions seem suppressed. He notes the absence of affection in North Korean media and the stark contrast with his own emotional response to the country's totalitarian system, comparing it to his feelings upon visiting Auschwitz.
The article further discusses the implications of North Korean soldiers' participation in the war against Ukraine, emphasizing their mechanical nature and the lack of consequence for their deaths within the North Korean system. Mansky concludes that North Korea is an anomaly, a unique and tragic consequence of circumstances, unlikely to be replicated.