"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 had uploaded videos of themselves listening or dancing to the song shortly after its release.
Release
"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
"Friendly Father" has been described as "upbeat" and "catchy".[7] 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", written by An Pun Hui, encourage the listener to praise Kim Jong Un as a "friendly father" and "great leader".[8][9][10]
Reactions
North Korea
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... 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
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][unreliable source?] 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
"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]
^ abRi, 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.
^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.
^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.
