Friendly Father

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"Friendly Father"
Music video title card
Song
LanguageKorean (Munhwao)
Released16 April 2024 (2024-04-16)
Genre
Length3:51
Songwriter(s)An Pun Hui
Composer(s)Jong Chun Il
Audio sample
Chorus
Korean name
Chosŏn'gŭl
친근한 어버이
Revised RomanizationChingeunhan eobeoi
McCune–ReischauerCh'in'gŭnhan ŏbŏi

"Friendly Father" or "Friendly Parent"[a] is a North Korean pop song and propaganda hymn praising the country's third and current supreme leader, Kim Jong Un. It was written by An Pun Hui and composed by Jong Chun Il. The song was first played on 16 April 2024, at a ceremony celebrating the completion of new apartment buildings in the country's capital, Pyongyang.

"Friendly Father" received considerable media attention outside of Korea due to its popularity on social media platforms like TikTok, where hundreds of users uploaded videos of themselves listening or dancing to the song.

Release[edit]

"Friendly Father" debuted on 16 April 2024, sung live by Kim Ryu Kyong at a ceremony celebrating the completion of 10,000 new apartment units in the Hwasong district of Pyongyang.[2][3] Such ceremonies are common in North Korea and broadcast on state media to promote the ruling Workers' Party of Korea.[4] The music video for "Friendly Father" was released the next day and played on the state-controlled Korean Central Television.[2][5][6]

Style and composition[edit]

"Friendly Father" has been described as "upbeat" and "catchy". Peter Moody, a North Korea analyst and visiting professor at Korea University, compared the song's style to that of Swedish supergroup ABBA, pointing to the shared use of a "rich set of orchestral-sounding sequences".[7] This comparison was echoed by several users of the social media platform TikTok, where the song had gone viral.[7] Frances Mao of the BBC identified the song's genre as "synthy-electro pop".[7] The music was composed by Jong Chun Il.[8]

The lyrics of "Friendly Father" were written by An Pun Hui and praise North Korean supreme leader Kim Jong Un as a "trustworthy and loving leader".[8][9] The chorus encourages the listener to "boast about Kim Jong Un, a friendly parent".[10]

Reactions[edit]

North Korea[edit]

On the front page of its 20 April 2024 edition, the state-run Rodong Sinmun newspaper published an editorial which stated: "'Friendly Father' has created a storm of reactions among people all over the country ... and warmed the hearts of millions of people across the country."[11]

The Seoul-based Daily NK reported negative reactions from residents of North Hamgyong Province, who juxtaposed their living conditions with the song's lyrics. North Hamgyong is the most underdeveloped province of North Korea.[12]

South Korea[edit]

The Korea Communications Standards Commission blocked the music video for "Friendly Father" at the request of the National Intelligence Service. The commission also blocked 29 alternate versions of the video.[13] The South Korean government considers the video a violation of Article 447 of the Information and Communications Network Act, which prohibits the "distribution of illegal information", including North Korean government-produced content outlawed by the National Security Act.[14] The commission's official statement on the block read in part: "The video is typical content linked to psychological warfare against South Korea, as it was posted on a channel operated to connect with the outside world and is mainly focused on unilaterally idolising and glorifying Kim [Jong Un]."[13][15]

Outside of Korea[edit]

"Friendly Father" gained significant traction online in social media spaces outside of Korea, particularly on TikTok.[7][16] In the two weeks following the song's release, hundreds of videos were uploaded to TikTok of users listening or dancing to the song.[9]

Analysts have described the song's reception on TikTok as a mix of genuine enjoyment and comedic ridicule.[9] Emma Briant, a British specialist on propaganda and information warfare, argues that while the North Korean government likely did not expect the song to go viral on social media, they are nonetheless "not naive about how this may look to Western audiences". Briant further argues that "[the song] is obviously intended for this kind of mass distribution", but also that "North Korea does not necessarily put this out around the world expecting it to be taken seriously", opining that it was likely "created deliberately to be humorous".[17]

See also[edit]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ Although the song title is commonly translated as "Friendly Father", 어버이 actually means "parent(s)", not "father".[1]

References[edit]

  1. ^ 어버이 [Parents]. Naver Korean-English Dictionary. Naver Corporation. Archived from the original on 1 October 2023. Retrieved 16 May 2024.
  2. ^ a b "Kim Jong Un releases new song praising himself as North Korea's 'friendly father'". Sky News. 18 April 2024. Archived from the original on 3 May 2024. Retrieved 11 May 2024.
  3. ^ "'Great Leader, Friendly Father': Kim Jong Un Gets New Song In North Korea". NDTV. 19 April 2024. Archived from the original on 11 May 2024. Retrieved 11 May 2024.
  4. ^ "North Korean TV shows leader Kim Jong Un opening new apartment development project". Associated Press. 17 April 2024. Archived from the original on 16 May 2024. Retrieved 16 May 2024.
  5. ^ Palmer, Elizabeth (19 April 2024). "North Korea launches 'Friendly Father' song and music video praising Kim Jong Un". CBS News. Archived from the original on 3 May 2024. Retrieved 11 May 2024.
  6. ^ "North Korea releases song praising leader Kim as 'friendly father'". Reuters. 19 April 2024. Archived from the original on 21 April 2024. Retrieved 11 May 2024.
  7. ^ a b c d Mao, Frances (3 May 2024). "TikTok loves North Korea's latest propaganda bop. Why?". BBC. Archived from the original on 10 May 2024. Retrieved 11 May 2024.
  8. ^ a b Ri, Jun Mu (1 May 2024). 시대의 명곡: 친근한 어버이 [A Masterpiece of the Times: Friendly Father]. Minjok Tongshin. Archived from the original on 16 May 2024. Retrieved 16 May 2024.
  9. ^ a b c Smith, Joe (9 May 2024). "'It slaps': How a propaganda song praising Kim Jong Un went viral on TikTok". NK News. Archived from the original on 10 May 2024. Retrieved 11 May 2024.
  10. ^ Sarkar, Alisha Rahaman (19 April 2024). "North Korea debuts song praising 'friendly father' Kim Jong-un". The Independent. Archived from the original on 10 May 2024. Retrieved 11 May 2024.
  11. ^ Choi, So-mang (20 April 2024). 북한, '김정은 새 찬양가요' 반향 소개 ... '천만 가슴 뜨겁게 울려' [North Korea introduces a 'new song in praise of Kim Jong Un' – 'Millions of hearts warmed']. News1 Korea. Archived from the original on 16 May 2024. Retrieved 16 May 2024.
  12. ^ Lee, Chae-eun (25 April 2024). 김정은 찬양가 '친근한 어버이'에 北 주민 뒤돌아 '쓴웃음' [Praise of Kim Jong Un as a 'friendly parent' ridiculed by North Koreans through 'bittersweet laughter']. Daily NK. Archived from the original on 16 May 2024. Retrieved 16 May 2024.
  13. ^ a b Ng, Kelly (20 May 2024). "Friendly Father: South Korea bans TikTok hit idolising Kim Jong Un". BBC.
  14. ^ Lee, Sang-hyun (11 May 2024). "The National Intelligence Service has taken measures to block the video of 'Friendly Parents'". Maeil Business Newspaper. Archived from the original on 16 May 2024. Retrieved 16 May 2024.
  15. ^ "South Korea bans viral song glorifying Kim Jong-un due to 'psychological warfare' link". The Guardian. Reuters. 21 May 2024. Retrieved 22 May 2024.
  16. ^ Teo, Wendy (11 May 2024). "Friendly Parent: Viral song makes North Korean leader Kim Jong Un a TikTok sensation". The Straits Times. Archived from the original on 11 May 2024. Retrieved 11 May 2024.
  17. ^ Bennett, Lachlan (10 May 2024). "'Best K-pop since Gangnam style': North Korea's propaganda anthem is a 'banger' and it's going off on social media". ABC News. Archived from the original on 16 May 2024. Retrieved 16 May 2024.
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