An introductionResting under the heavy hand of communism, bordered by the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the north, the Republic of Korea (ROK) to the south, and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) stands firmly in East Asia as a world power. Barely larger than the state of Virginia and a twelfth of the U.S. population, the DPRK persists as a player in the worldwide game of war.
Since the Second World War, North Korea has demonized the United States as their arch-enemy. Though it is the enemy's language, English remains the "most important and most popular foreign language in North Korea" (Song, 2002). This may sound like a contradiction, and it is. The DPRK's ideology does not always match perfectly with their true actions. Because of the nation's status as an authoritarian state, all publications are screened and, according to Song (2002), very little research on the role of English in North Korea makes it past its borders. Since the 1980s, though, several comparative studies on English language instruction have emerged between the two Koreas. Without these studies, this website would not be able to exist. Leavey, Fall 2017 |
Communist propaganda posters, North Korea, (Keren Su, n.d.)
Portraits of the late North Korean leaders Kim Il Sung (left) and Kim Jong Il are displayed in a classroom as a teacher conducts an English class, (Bloomberg, 2014).
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