AP be conscious cloud: The message in Pyongyang’s propaganda

TOKYO (AP) — Kim. Nuclear. Battle.

Nothing sums up the message embedded in North Korea’s propaganda better than those three phrases. That is exactly what the area hears — and what’s printed in this be conscious cloud, a visible demonstrate of phrases aged by the Korean Central News Agency’s English-language carrier.

The Related Press boiled down 1,542 tales filed between July 1 and Oct. 11 by the authentic North Korean news company to a checklist of the 183 phrases that seem most regularly. The resulting be conscious cloud unearths most likely the most most foremost patterns Pyongyang employs in its rhetorical wars with Washington.

Factual as crucial, it reflects the methodology the government needs to be seen by the outdoors world.

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‘KIM’ AND ‘NUCLEAR’

The principle takeaway (no shock) is that North Korean propagandists employ close to all of their time hailing be-all-cease-all chief Kim Jong Un.

The seems of his surname in KCNA reviews 2,793 conditions, methodology better than « nuclear » at 1,671, is the predictable results of the North’s inescapable cult of personality.

The reverence goes deeper. While it would no longer yell within the be conscious cloud, when the North Korean media mentions the chief’s title, or the names of his father and grandfather, it makes consume of a special font reserved severely for that aim. Even the dates on the pages of the ruling internet together newspaper reach from a calendar that counts the years in phrases of the initiating of Kim’s grandfather, Kim Il Sung. This twelve months in North Korea is no longer in fact 2017; it be « Juche 106. »

In contrast, the frequency of « nuclear » is telling attributable to the comparatively slim differ of contexts in which it is aged.

The principle mission of the North Korean media is to story Kim Jong Un’s frequent « on-the-space-steering » trips, the heaps of laurels he receives from international dignitaries, the vows of devotion from his countrymen. « Battle, » the Zero.33-most total be conscious within the AP cloud, is additionally aged no longer unprejudiced when speaking of a looming conflict with the us nonetheless in connection with the historic one — the 1950-fifty three Korean Battle, which North Korean propaganda makes consume of because the prime instance of American imperialism and barbarism.

« Nuclear, » alternatively, is nearly always aged in exactly two ways.

Or no longer it’s both cited in defense of the North’s construction of nuclear weapons as a unprejudiced act of self-defense, or in threats that Pyongyang is willing and ready to consume them to counter the « nuclear » blackmail of the us. That it displays up so vital attests to unprejudiced how obsessive the North’s rhetorical defenses of its nuclear program in fact are.

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LIKE A SNAPSHOT

A caveat would possibly perhaps well well perhaps be in record at this level.

By methodology of North Korean propaganda, be conscious clouds construct a extra impressionistic than scientific record. The qualified methodology to behold at this one is kind of a Polaroid snapshot. Or no longer it’s pretty blurry around the perimeters and a increased option will surely be priceless. But to anybody who can pay end attention to politics within the North, the phrases cease drop edifying-looking vital the establish expected.

« Celebration » and « navy, » as an example, are amongst the high-tier nouns — they’re rendered increased than completely different phrases which capability that — along with honorifics incessantly aged in connection to Kim and his forefathers. « Sanctions » — a serious purpose of Pyongyang’s ire — hovers within the high 10 as smartly. Tales about bouquets offered at monuments to the leaders are a staple on KCNA, explaining the pretty stable displaying of « floral, » and allies of the U.S. are usually written off as « puppets, » one more tough performer.

Clearly, this be conscious cloud does no longer yell each be conscious that KCNA aged. Utilizing a total put together known as a « stoplist, » we excluded phrases equivalent to « the, »  »an » and « irrespective of » for a classic reason: They had been generic phrases that added no proper which formulation to the graphical representation. Assorted phrases jettisoned incorporated classic numbers (« three, »  »seven ») and procedural phrases whose appearance would enjoy offered shrimp total insight (« government, »  »newspaper »).

For this be conscious cloud, international locations and cities had been additionally excluded (though it be charge noting the U.S. used to be the 2nd-most mentioned after North Korea itself).

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FRESH FROM THE NEWS

And then there are the extra most up-to-date, newsy additions.

ICBM — brief for intercontinental ballistic missile — made 475 appearances within the better than 1,500 KCNA English-language tales between July and October that had been analyzed, a interval that saw the North launching missiles at a file mosey. Hwasong, the title North Korea attaches to most of its lengthy-differ missiles, seemed 271 conditions.

President Donald Trump, irrespective of being the one-supreme villain within the North’s eyes, figures within the mix a shrimp bit lower than one would possibly perhaps well well quiz.

At 388 mentions, he falls far brief of « imperialists » (454), the extra generic KCNA timeframe for People. « Lunatic » and « dotard, » which would possibly perhaps well well be emerging as KCNA’s liked adjectives for Trump, are peaceable being damaged in and have not established themselves ample to arrangement the high A hundred checklist. Trump’s locking of horns with Kim Jong Un didn’t in fact internet going till leisurely August, which additionally would possibly perhaps well well fable for the much less appearances.

And what of « justice, »  »friendship, »  »dignity? » By methodology of be conscious deployment, sadly — nonetheless in all likelihood no longer impulsively — they continue to be relegated to the blurry fringe.

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Related Press clothier Penny Yi Wang in Bangkok produced the be conscious cloud for this narrative the usage of Voyant Instruments. Eric Talmadge, the author, has been the AP’s Pyongyang bureau chief since 2013. Observe him on Twitter and Instagram at @erictalmadge