The General Uses Warp
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"The General Uses Warp" () is a
North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu (Amnok) and T ...
n song praising Kim Jong-il. The song was first released in 1996 by
Wangjaesan Light Music Band The Wangjaesan Light Music Band () is a light music (''kyŏngŭmak'') group in North Korea. It is one of two (with Pochonbo Electronic Ensemble) popular music groups that were established by North Korea in the 1980s, both named after places where ...
, with lyrics written by Chong Ryol () and music composed by Kim Un-ryong ().


Background

The song claims that Kim Jong-il and his father
Kim Il-sung Kim Il-sung (; , ; born Kim Song-ju, ; 15 April 1912 – 8 July 1994) was a North Korean politician and the founder of North Korea, which he ruled from the country's establishment in 1948 until his death in 1994. He held the posts of ...
could use '' chukjibeop'', a magic ability attributed to ''xians'', Taoist immortals, also known as ''suōdì'' in Chinese and ''shukuchi'' in Japanese. It literally means "earth-shrinking" and describes mythical techniques of rapid movement and
teleportation Teleportation is the hypothetical transfer of matter or energy from one point to another without traversing the physical space between them. It is a common subject in science fiction literature and in other popular culture. Teleportation is oft ...
. The story dates back to pre-war times, when a legend arouse that Korean guerilla fighters, including Kim Il-sung, used this ability to escape Japanese forces during the war for independence. This was one of many methods used to deify and exalt the leaders since the Kim Jong-il era, along with claims that Kim Jong-un can bring good weather when he travels. In 2019, however, Kim Jong-un instructed the propaganda workers to stay away from mystification of the leaders. While his father distanced himself from the public with such supernatural praise, the current supreme leader chooses to imitate his grandfather Kim Il-sung, who worked to create a friendly and relatable image.


Lyrics


Reaction

Despite being created to praise North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, the song became a meme and a source of parodies in
South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and sharing a land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed by the Yellow Sea, while its eas ...
due to its absurd themes. Praising North Korean regime is criminal under the South Korean law, but the use of this song and its parodies is tolerated as it is perceived as ironic and satirical. In 2012, when the website of the left-wing
Unified Progressive Party The Unified Progressive Party (UPP; ko, 통합진보당, RR: ''Tonghap Jinbo-dang'', Hanja: 統合進步黨) is a banned political party in South Korea. It was founded on 5 December 2011 as a merger of the Democratic Labor Party, the People ...
was hacked, the hackers used this song as background music on its main page. In 2020, the
Korean Workers' Party The Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) is the founding and sole ruling party of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, commonly known as North Korea. Founded in 1949 from the merger of the Workers' Party of North Korea and the Workers' Party o ...
newspaper ''
Rodong Sinmun ''Rodong Sinmun'' (; ) is a North Korean newspaper that serves as the official newspaper of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea. It was first published on November 1, 1945, as ''Chŏngro'' (), serving as a communication channel ...
'' published a purported anecdote from 1945 in which Kim Il-sung described methods of deception he used while fighting the Japanese forces, while denying the literal existence of ''chukjibeop'': This article was interpreted by South Korean and international media as a possible step back from the supernatural mystification of North Korea's leaders, in line with guidance that Kim Jong-un had provided a year earlier. However, the same article with minor differences was already published by the same North Korean newspaper in 2015 and again in 2018 without any media attention.


See also

*
Music of North Korea The music of North Korea includes a wide array of folk, pop, light instrumental, political, and classical performers. Beyond patriotic and political music, popular groups like Pochonbo Electronic Ensemble and Moranbong Band perform songs about ev ...
*
North Korean cult of personality The North Korean cult of personality surrounding its ruling family, the Kim family, has existed in North Korea for decades and can be found in many examples of North Korean culture. Although not acknowledged by the North Korean government, many ...
*
North Korean leaders' trains Since the establishment of North Korea, all its three leaders—Kim Il-sung, Kim Jong-il and Kim Jong-un—have been known to use high-security private trains as their preferred method of domestic and international travel. History Trains have hi ...


References


External links

* (Wangjaesan Light Music Band version) {{DEFAULTSORT:General Uses Warp North Korean songs Propaganda songs Propaganda in North Korea Patriotic songs 1996 songs Songs about Kim Jong-il