ASIA / PACIFIC
December 21, 2015
THE ASIAN REPORTER n Page 3
North Korea’s newest fad: Boy General mobile-phone game
NEWEST FAD. A man plays a piano game on
his mobile phone in North Korea. Millions of North
Koreans are now using mobile phones, and not just
to make phone calls. Not long after the use of mobile
phones was opened up in 2009, some handsets came
pre-installed with games such as Tetris or janggi,
a chess-like game that is popular across East Asia.
As phones and to a lesser extent tablets have become
more sophisticated, so have the games available for
North Koreans to enjoy. (AP Photo/Eric Talmadge)
By Eric Talmadge
The Associated Press
YONGYANG, North Korea —
Millions of North Koreans are now
using mobile phones, and not just
to make phone calls.
The Associated Press recently got a
sneak peek at Boy General, the North’s
hottest new game release, a spinoff of a
new television animation series that is
both beautifully produced and genuinely
fun to watch — suggesting Pyongyang is
trying to win back an audience drawn to
the banned Chinese and South Korean
dramas that flow across its borders.
The app became an immediate hit after
its September release, particularly in
Pyongyang, where there are more mobile
phones and a population that generally
has more money and time to spend on
leisure activities. The even more popular
televised animation series returned to the
airwaves in August and runs on Sunday
evenings.
In the game, players are prompted to go
on missions to defeat the enemies of the
young general Swoeme, which means
“Iron Hammer,” a brave warrior-
commander of the Koguryo kingdom that
lasted for about 700 years and ruled most
of the Korean Peninsula and the heart of
Manchuria until its downfall in 668 C.E.
The concept and design of Boy General
are simple, and its map-like scenery is
reminiscent of the Minecraft game. Since
there is nothing like the App Store in
North Korea, the most common way of
obtaining the game appears to be sharing
it over Bluetooth.
Games are not new to North Korean
mobile-phone users.
Not long after the use of mobile phones
was opened up in 2009, some handsets
came pre-installed with games such as
Tetris or janggi, a chess-like game that is
P
popular across East Asia. As phones and to
a lesser extent tablets have become more
sophisticated, so have the games available
for North Koreans to enjoy.
With its state-of-the-art animation
values, often beautiful artistry, and enter-
taining characters and plot developments,
the television show has been a breath of
fresh air for North Koreans, who are
increasingly exposed to Chinese or South
Korean entertainment. State-run tele-
vision is dominated by bland fare of old
propaganda movies and news programs
praising the country’s leadership.
Boy General may be North Korea’s
answer to that challenge.
Both the television series and the game
clearly have the support of the ruling
regime. The show is a revamped and vastly
improved version of a 50-episode cartoon
that started in the 1980s and ran on and off
until 1997. In November last year, leader
Kim Jong Un himself ordered the
production of the 50 new episodes from the
April 26 Animation Studios. It’s not clear
who designed the game version.
The political message remains strong.
For starters, there is the obvious
analogy of Swoeme to leader Kim, who,
while still in his early 30s, has among his
many titles that of Supreme Commander
of the Korean People’s Army. They also
reinforce the official line that the nation
must remain united against the constant
threat of foreign invaders.
Koguryo, which like today’s North Korea
had its capital in Pyongyang, was
overthrown by an alliance between the
Chinese Tang Dynasty and the southern
Korean kingdom of Silla. The dastardly
and yet often comical villain is Hobi, a
snaggle-toothed, pig-nosed Chinese spy
who tried to assassinate Swoeme before he
rose to the rank of general.
But the real appeal of the game — and
many others now available in North
Korea — appears to be that it’s just fun to
play.
Another new or perhaps updated game
that came out this summer is called Tank
Battle, a shoot ‘em up in which the goal is to
destroy as many enemy tanks as possible.
One might expect the American flag to be
visible somewhere, but the nationality of
the enemy tanks is not specified.
For those of a more nurturing nature,
there is a virtual pet game, which explains
why from time to time faint meows can be
heard near gatherings of young North
Koreans. The virtual pet in their pocket is
lonely.
A game that looks a lot like Angry Birds
is still popular, along with a Bubble-
Popping game and for the very young,
Baby Piano, for tapping out songs.
Though local users are unable to connect
to the internet — North Korea instead has
its own domestic-use-only intranet — they
can send each other text messages, photos
and, for high-end users, videos.
Phones also come with dictionaries and
encyclopedias, and provide access to
e-books and some state-run news sites. If
you want to know the weather forecast,
you can call 112. KoryoLink, the county’s
mobile-service provider, also recently
introduced a selection of about 200
ringtones for a small additional fee.
But if North Koreans want to call or text
a foreigner, they are out of luck. Foreigners
are kept on a different network.
Eric Talmadge is Pyongyang bureau chief for The AP.
Band favored by North Korean leader cancels Beijing concerts
By Christopher Bodeen
The Associated Press
B
EIJING — An all-female band
formed by North Korean leader
Kim Jong Un cancelled its con-
certs in Beijing and abruptly left the
Chinese capital due to unspecified commu-
nication issues, possibly further cooling
relations between the traditional allies.
The Moranbong Band was scheduled for
three concerts in Beijing in what was
viewed as a visit to cultivate ties between
the countries.
The performance “cannot be staged as
scheduled due to communication issues at
the working level,” the official Xinhua
News Agency said, citing a news release
from unnamed “relevant departments.”
Band members arrived at Beijing’s
airport in North Korean Embassy vehicles
in the afternoon and departed aboard a
North Korean Air Koryo jet shortly after
4:00pm following a lengthy delay, Chinese
news website sina.com reported.
A staff member at the National Theater,
where the band was to give the invitation-
only performances, said the concerts were
cancelled, but did not give a reason. An
accompanying North Korean musical
troupe, the State Merited Chorus, also
pulled out because of the communication
issues, Xinhua said.
Calls to the International Department of
the Communist Party’s Central Com-
mittee, which organizes exchanges with
foreign political parties, rang unanswered
and there was no statement available
online.
Although North Korea is well known for
its unpredictability, the sudden cancella-
tion of the concerts could hurt relations
between Beijing and Pyongyang. Ties
between the sides have been noticeably
cooler since Kim assumed power in 2011.
The news release quoted by Xinhua said
China attaches high importance to
cultural exchanges with North Korea and
was “ready to continue to work with it to
promote the bilateral exchanges and
cooperation in culture and all other areas.”
The band’s abrupt departures might
Continued on page 7
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