North Korean Graphic Novels About the Korean War

North Korean graphic novels ( kŭrimch’aek ) about the Korean War are worthy of consideration because they challenge reader expectations, and these surprises provide insight into some North Korean state priorities in the new millennium. The action-packed narratives often deal with risqué topics, like male–female sexual relationships and life outside the DPRK. The narratives demonstrate a profound understanding of world history and culture. Overall, these texts exhibit the influence of the stylistic innovations introduced by Shin Sang-ok’s cultural transformation of the 1980s. The stories, however, also reveal a deeply nationalistic subtext in which the central female character is always forced to assess her loyalties to the nation.