Writing Assignment

David Donlevy

Ling 3600-Field Experience #1

The story I decided to focus on has to do with the winter Olympics currently going on in South Korea. The event that I looked to compare was Kim Jong Un’s sister, Kim Yo Jong, attending the opening ceremonies. This was an incredibly controversial topic, and an interesting one to see from different cultural viewpoints. I found three different stories in different publications across the world. The three articles came from Singapore, England and the United States.

The first article I read was in the Washington Post. The title, “The Ivanka Trump of North Korea captivates people in the South at the Olympics”, was interesting from the start. The article uses a quote from a CIA agent who is a Korean analyst that leads to the title of the article. The focus of the article seemed to be about how the people of South Korea viewed seeing her. There were countless comments about how she looked like her mother with her good posture and good mannerisms. They also compared her handwriting to calligraphy. The article also stressed that the South Koreans loved that she smiled a lot, and actually compared her expression to that of Mona Lisa. “I thought Kim Yo Jong was going to be so serious, but she smiled all the time, so she made a good first impression,” said Kwon Hee-sun, a 29-year-old South Korean woman attending the women’s ice hockey match at the Winter Olympics on Saturday night (Fifield, 2018). It was also interesting to note the discussion that she did not speak in public at all. The article seemed to spin the news in quite a positive light in regards to Kim Yo Jong. At the end of the article, it did state that U.S. Vice President Pence worried that she had been seen as a kind person, and that would be a type of propaganda that would make people think that maybe North Korea isn’t so bad toward their people.

In comparison, the next article I read was out of Singapore in the newspaper “The Straits Times”. The focus of this article was on Kim Yo Jong’s appearance and behavior. The article talked about how even though most South Koreans gave her a warm welcome at the opening ceremonies and this gave them a positive impression of her, it went on to talk about how she appeared to have her chin in the air, giving off the impression she believed herself to be royalty. “But her sometimes aloof expression and high-tilted chin also spoke of someone who sees herself “of royalty" and "above anyone else"”, leadership experts and some critics said (Kim Jong, 2018). The article focused on the point that she is in a very powerful position in North Korea, and not just because of her name. It discussed the respect others hold for her, especially the respect from her elders. The article also went into detail about her role in some of the human rights violations in her country of North Korea, and points to her as just as much of a culprit as her brother with the immense power she does hold.

Lastly, I read an article published in the Evening Standard out of London. The focus of this article was more on how the people of South Korea didn’t like the visit of Kim Yo Jong. It talked about hundreds of protesters who were out hours before she arrived, carrying signs pleading President Trump to bomb North Korea. It also talked about a march toward the stadium where the opening ceremonies were going to be held where people burned North Korean flags and also pictures of Kim Jong Un. It discussed her power within the regime, saying “Yo-Jong, the youngest daughter of Kim’s father and predecessor, has become ever more influential since being promoted to the country’s policymaking committee last year.” (H, 2018) The spin in this article was definitely more negative toward not just her brother, but toward her and her power in North Korea, than in any of the other articles.

It was interesting to read these articles and tie different things we are learning in class into them. Culture, perceptions, and values, and the relationships between those here in the US and in my life, compared to North Korea, are extremely different. Almost polar opposites honestly. I found it difficult to think through the scale of intercultural sensitivity when it came to this topic. North Korea and Kim Jong Un have such a negative appearance, and rightfully so. The things that happen within that country are wrong in countless ways, and not things that I, nor most other people throughout the world, can deal with. Who knows the meaning behind sending Kim Yo Jong to the opening ceremonies, and putting her on display. I can only think of it in the sense of a propaganda stunt, and one that I don’t buy into. I find myself in the denial stage when it comes to North Korea, and don’t know if there is a point I’ll move out of it when it comes to the current state of that country.

Bibliography

Fifield, A. (2018, February 10). The 'Ivanka Trump of North Korea' captivates people in the South at the Olympics. Retrieved February 19, 2018, from http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/the-ivanka-trump-of-north-korea-captivates- people-in-the-south/2018/02/10/d56119fc-0e65-11e8-baf5- e629fc1cd21e_story.html?utm_term=.760054fcc762

H. (2018, February 14). Kim's sister leaves mixed impressions in South Korea as she returns to Pyongyang. Retrieved February 19, 2018, from http://www.straitstimes.com/asia/east- asia/kims-sister-leaves-mixed-impressions-in-south-korea-as-she-returns-to-pyongyang

Kim Jong-Un's sister arrives in South Korea for Olympics. (2018, February 09). Retrieved February 19, 2018, from http://www.standard.co.uk/news/world/kim-jongun-s-sister- arrives-in-south-korea-ahead-of-the-opening-ceremony-of-the-winter-olympics- a3762161.html