Pyongyang (comic)
Encyclopedia
Pyongyang is a black and white graphic novel
by the Canadian Québécois
author Guy Delisle
, published in 2004
.
, the capital of North Korea
, where he stayed for two months. Acting as the liaison between a French animation
producing company (Protecrea
working for TF1
) and the SEK Studio
(Scientific Educational Korea) company, he struggles with the difficulties of outsourcing
and the bureaucracy of the totalitarian closed state.
The book has 176 pages, two of them drawn by a French colleague ("Fabrice").
It was drawn in Ethiopia, where Delisle's wife was working for Médecins Sans Frontières
.
Delisle does not expect to return to North Korea, writing, "I don't think I would be welcome there anymore."
's Nineteen Eighty-Four
, that he judged appropriate for a totalitarian state, CDs of Aphex Twin
and reggae, and presents like Gitanes
cigarettes and Hennessy
brandy.
Delisle encounters former colleagues working at SEK Studio
on an adaptation of Corto Maltese
comics. He also meets foreign diplomats, NGO workers in the World Food Programme
, and businessmen, such as French engineers installing an HDTV
transmitter.
During his two month visit, he stays at the Yanggakdo Hotel
, and visits other foreigners in the Koryo Hotel
. Accompanied by his guide, he visits the massive statue of Kim Il-sung, the Pyongyang Metro
, the legation quarter, the Diplomatic Club (former Romanian embassy), the Arch of Triumph, the Juche Tower
, the Friendship Museums, the USS Pueblo
, the enormous Ryugyong Hotel
, the Taekwondo Hall, the Children's Palace
, and the Museum of Imperialist Occupation.
Delisle is surprised by things such as reverse walking
, the absence of disabled and elderly people, North Korean music propaganda, the cult of personality
for past leader Kim Il-Sung
and current leader Kim Jong-Il
, the required presence of his translator and guide, nearly-expired water from the South, Coca-Cola
and kimjongilia
s. He also notes the extreme level of apparent brainwashing in the citizens of Pyongyang. When questioned regarding the lack of disabled people in Pyongyang, his guide asserts, and seems to genuinely believe, that North Korea has no disabled, and that the children of the "Korean race" are all born healthy, strong and intelligent.
Graphic novel
A graphic novel is a narrative work in which the story is conveyed to the reader using sequential art in either an experimental design or in a traditional comics format...
by the Canadian Québécois
French-speaking Quebecer
French-speaking Quebecers are francophone residents of the Canadian province of Quebec....
author Guy Delisle
Guy Delisle
Guy Delisle is a comic book author from Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. He studied animation at Sheridan College in Oakville, near Toronto, and then worked for the animation studio CinéGroupe in Montreal...
, published in 2004
2004 in comics
-February:*February 6: Marvel Enterprises and Electronic Arts announce a multi-year agreement in which EA will develop a new generation of fighting video games pitting Marvel superheroes against a new, original set of EA heroes....
.
Overview
Pyongyang documents Delisle's experiences in PyongyangPyongyang
Pyongyang is the capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, commonly known as North Korea, and the largest city in the country. Pyongyang is located on the Taedong River and, according to preliminary results from the 2008 population census, has a population of 3,255,388. The city was...
, the capital of North Korea
North Korea
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea , , is a country in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer zone between North Korea and South Korea...
, where he stayed for two months. Acting as the liaison between a French animation
Animation
Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D or 3-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. The effect is an optical illusion of motion due to the phenomenon of persistence of vision, and can be created and demonstrated in several ways...
producing company (Protecrea
Protécréa
Protécréa is a subsidiary of French broadcaster TF1, based in Paris. Productions from the company include the animated Paddington Bear and The Bellflower Bunnies, and the 1990s CNBC series Ushuaia: The Ultimate Adventure....
working for TF1
TF1
TF1 is a national French TV channel, controlled by TF1 Group, whose major share-holder is Bouygues. TF1's average market share of 24% makes it the most popular domestic network...
) and the SEK Studio
SEK Studio
SEK Studio is a North Korean animation studio, based in Pyongyang. It was registered in 1997 in order to take part at a festival of animated film in France...
(Scientific Educational Korea) company, he struggles with the difficulties of outsourcing
Offshore outsourcing
Offshore outsourcing is the practice of hiring an external organization to perform some business functions in a country other than the one where the products or services are actually developed or manufactured. It can be contrasted with offshoring, in which the functions are performed in a foreign...
and the bureaucracy of the totalitarian closed state.
The book has 176 pages, two of them drawn by a French colleague ("Fabrice").
It was drawn in Ethiopia, where Delisle's wife was working for Médecins Sans Frontières
Médecins Sans Frontières
' , or Doctors Without Borders, is a secular humanitarian-aid non-governmental organization best known for its projects in war-torn regions and developing countries facing endemic diseases. Its headquarters are in Geneva, Switzerland...
.
Delisle does not expect to return to North Korea, writing, "I don't think I would be welcome there anymore."
Plot
Delisle arrives in Pyongyang, bringing, in addition to the items that he was authorized to bring into the country, a copy of George OrwellGeorge Orwell
Eric Arthur Blair , better known by his pen name George Orwell, was an English author and journalist...
's Nineteen Eighty-Four
Nineteen Eighty-Four
Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell is a dystopian novel about Oceania, a society ruled by the oligarchical dictatorship of the Party...
, that he judged appropriate for a totalitarian state, CDs of Aphex Twin
Aphex Twin
Richard David James , best known under the pseudonym Aphex Twin, is an Irish-born electronic musician and composer described as "the most inventive and influential figure in contemporary electronic music"...
and reggae, and presents like Gitanes
Gitanes
Gitanes is a brand of French cigarettes, sold in many varieties of strengths and packages. It is currently owned by Imperial Tobacco following their acquisition of Altadis in January 2008, having been owned by SEITA before that. Originally rolled with darker or brun tobacco, in contrast to...
cigarettes and Hennessy
Hennessy
Jas Hennessy & Co., or more simply Hennessy, is a world-leading cognac house with headquarters in Cognac, France. Today, the company of Jas Hennessy & Co...
brandy.
Delisle encounters former colleagues working at SEK Studio
SEK Studio
SEK Studio is a North Korean animation studio, based in Pyongyang. It was registered in 1997 in order to take part at a festival of animated film in France...
on an adaptation of Corto Maltese
Corto Maltese
Corto Maltese is a comics series featuring an eponymous character, a complex sailor-adventurer. It was created by Italian comic book creator Hugo Pratt in 1967...
comics. He also meets foreign diplomats, NGO workers in the World Food Programme
World Food Programme
The World Food Programme is the food aid branch of the United Nations, and the world's largest humanitarian organization addressing hunger worldwide. WFP provides food, on average, to 90 million people per year, 58 million of whom are children...
, and businessmen, such as French engineers installing an HDTV
High-definition television
High-definition television is video that has resolution substantially higher than that of traditional television systems . HDTV has one or two million pixels per frame, roughly five times that of SD...
transmitter.
During his two month visit, he stays at the Yanggakdo Hotel
Yanggakdo Hotel
The Yanggakdo International Hotel is one of the largest working hotels and the second tallest building in North Korea, after the unfinished Ryugyong Hotel. The hotel is located on Yanggakdo , two kilometers to the south-east of the center of Pyongyang, the nation's capital...
, and visits other foreigners in the Koryo Hotel
Koryo Hotel
The Koryo Hotel is the second largest operating hotel in North Korea. The twin-towered building is 143 metres tall and contains 43 stories...
. Accompanied by his guide, he visits the massive statue of Kim Il-sung, the Pyongyang Metro
Pyongyang Metro
The Pyongyang Metro is the metro system in the North Korean capital Pyongyang. It consists of two lines: the Chŏllima line runs from Kwangbok station in the southwest to Ragwŏn station in the northeast, and the Hyŏksin line runs north, from Puhŭng station on the banks of the Taedong to...
, the legation quarter, the Diplomatic Club (former Romanian embassy), the Arch of Triumph, the Juche Tower
Juche Tower
The Juche Tower is a monument in Pyongyang, North Korea. The tower is named after the principle of Juche, developed by Kim Il Sung as a blend of autarky, self-reliance, nationalism, isolationism, Korean traditionalism, and Marxism-Leninism.Completed in 1982, it is sited on the eastern bank of the...
, the Friendship Museums, the USS Pueblo
USS Pueblo (AGER-2)
USS Pueblo is an American ELINT and SIGINT Banner-class technical research ship which was boarded and captured by North Korean forces on January 23, 1968, in what is known as the Pueblo incident or alternatively as the Pueblo crisis or the Pueblo affair. Occurring less than a week after President...
, the enormous Ryugyong Hotel
Ryugyong Hotel
The Ryugyong Hotel is a 105-story skyscraper under construction in Pyongyang, North Korea. Its name is also one of the historic names for Pyongyang. The building is also known as the 105 Building, a reference to its number of floors...
, the Taekwondo Hall, the Children's Palace
Mangyongdae Children's Palace
The Mangyongdae Children's Palace in Pyongyang is a public facility in North Korea where children are engaged in extra-curricular activities, such as learning music, foreign languages, computing skills and doing sports . It was established on May 2, 1989 and it is situated in Kwangbok Street, in...
, and the Museum of Imperialist Occupation.
Delisle is surprised by things such as reverse walking
Jultagi
Jultagi or eoreum is traditional Korean performance of tightrope-walking. It is included into South Korea's Important Intangible Cultural Properties number 58.-Origin:...
, the absence of disabled and elderly people, North Korean music propaganda, the cult of personality
Cult of personality
A cult of personality arises when an individual uses mass media, propaganda, or other methods, to create an idealized and heroic public image, often through unquestioning flattery and praise. Cults of personality are usually associated with dictatorships...
for past leader Kim Il-Sung
Kim Il-sung
Kim Il-sung was a Korean communist politician who led the Democratic People's Republic of Korea from its founding in 1948 until his death in 1994. He held the posts of Prime Minister from 1948 to 1972 and President from 1972 to his death...
and current leader Kim Jong-Il
Kim Jong-il
Kim Jong-il, also written as Kim Jong Il, birth name Yuri Irsenovich Kim born 16 February 1941 or 16 February 1942 , is the Supreme Leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea...
, the required presence of his translator and guide, nearly-expired water from the South, Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola is a carbonated soft drink sold in stores, restaurants, and vending machines in more than 200 countries. It is produced by The Coca-Cola Company of Atlanta, Georgia, and is often referred to simply as Coke...
and kimjongilia
Kimjongilia
Kimjongilia is a flower named after North Korean leader Kim Jong-il. It is a hybrid cultivar of tuberous begonia.Contrary to popular belief, the Kimjongilia is not a national flower of North Korea...
s. He also notes the extreme level of apparent brainwashing in the citizens of Pyongyang. When questioned regarding the lack of disabled people in Pyongyang, his guide asserts, and seems to genuinely believe, that North Korea has no disabled, and that the children of the "Korean race" are all born healthy, strong and intelligent.
See also
- ShenzhenShenzhen (comic)Shenzhen is a black-and-white graphic novel by the Canadian Québécois author Guy Delisle published in 2000....
, an earlier black and white graphic novel, with Delisle working in ShenzhenShenzhenShenzhen is a major city in the south of Southern China's Guangdong Province, situated immediately north of Hong Kong. The area became China's first—and one of the most successful—Special Economic Zones...
, GuangdongGuangdongGuangdong is a province on the South China Sea coast of the People's Republic of China. The province was previously often written with the alternative English name Kwangtung Province...
, Southern China.
External links
- Intervalles Shenzhen Pyongyang, exposition on Delisle's work for French-speaking audiences, scenography by Bekir Aysan.
- Guy Delisle web page, link to Pyongyang graphic novel on Guy Delisle's web page.