In an effort to purge Western cultural influence, Kim Jong Un’s government has banned words like “hamburger,” “ice cream,” and “karaoke.” Tour guides at a new resort in Wonsan have been ordered to use North Korean alternatives and avoid English or South Korean terms.
Examples include calling hamburgers “dajin-gogi gyeopppang” and ice cream “eseukimo.” Karaoke machines are renamed “on-screen accompaniment machines.” Touring staff undergo rigorous training, learning phrases and slogans aligned with the government’s ideological goals.
This ban is part of a larger crackdown described in a recent UN report, which notes increasing repression, death penalties for viewing foreign media, forced labor, and widespread surveillance.
The severe censorship extends over citizens’ access to films, TV shows, websites, and music—targeting anything deemed “hostile” to the regime’s values. The government’s efforts include public executions and warrantless raids to find banned content.
Kim Jong Un’s obsession with cultural purity exemplifies North Korea’s extreme isolation and the brutal costs faced by its people who attempt to engage with the outside world.
