A brief look into North Korean karaoke

North Koreans – just like their southern counterparts – enjoy going out for an evening of karaoke.

There is one key difference however, between a North Korean karaoke and a South Korean equivalent: North Korean karaoke songbooks only contain songs that are officially sanctioned by the DPRK regime. What kind of songs are allowed to be sung in a North Korean karaoke? One way to find out – without going to North Korea – is to go to a karaoke in China that North Koreans like to frequent. Here, you will find that karaoke songbooks include a separate section for ‘Chosun Songs’.

The photo above shows that songs which begin with the words ‘Our Leader’ take up the largest section of the songbook. In most countries, the equivalent is probably ‘Love’.

In the book of ‘Chosun Songs’, you can also easily find hymns in praise of the Kim Il-sung family. Funnily enough, the new ‘Song of Warrior Kim Jong-un’ has not yet been included in this songbook.

Although North Korean karaoke is distinguished by its repertoire, even North Koreans don’t like singing hymns in a karaoke. In fact, it is said that older Korean songs – from before the partition of the peninsula – are the most popular choices for North Koreans. Ironically, these are the same oldies that are popular with South Korean karaoke goers.