Laughing North Koreans

This study analyzes North Korean comedy films from the late 1960s to present day. It analyzes their role in the culture of the film industry, the subjectivity of the viewer, and the impact popular actors and comedians have had on North Korean society.

Immanuel Kim is Korea Foundation and Kim-Renaud Associate Professor of Korean Literature and Culture Studies at The George Washington University.

Introduction: Let's Proceed With Laughter Chapter 1: Comedian Comedy: Faces of the Industry Chapter 2: I Spy a Spy: Social Anxiety and Farce in Boasting Too Much Chapter 3: Taming of the Chief: Interruptive Laughter and Gender Politics in My Family's Problem Chapter 4: Mind Your Manners: Comedy of Manners in Day at the Amusement Park Chapter 5: Love and Marriage: Romantic Comedy as Visual Culture