North Korea Quietly Emerges as Major Player in Animation Industry

SEOUL—”Far, far away, unknown and untouched by human civilization, lies a peaceful island covered in snow and ice. On this white island, deep inside a small secluded forest, is a tiny village inhabited by little animals. No one knows how they came to live on the island, but they naturally came to live together in the village situated in the little valley where the sunshine is warmest and the cold wind is least harsh.”

Thus begins the wildly popular South Korean cartoon series “Pororo the Little Penguin”—whose heroes and catchy theme are omnipresent throughout South Korea. Less widely known, however, is that the series has been produced in part by highly skilled animators in neighboring rival North Korea, one of the most isolated, impoverished, and technologically backward countries on Earth. Read more.