An outside observer tends to imagine North Korean vocal culture as a land of loud revolutionary marches and patriotic operas, with no quieter themes allowed or tolerated. As always, however, the reality is more complex.
In comparison to the other Stalinist cultures, the list of permissible lyrical and personal themes in North Korean culture is, indeed, much more restrictive.
An outside observer tends to imagine North Korean vocal culture as a land of loud revolutionary marches and patriotic operas, with no quieter themes allowed or tolerated. As always, however, the reality is more complex.
In comparison to the other Stalinist cultures, the list of permissible lyrical and personal themes in North Korean culture is, indeed, much more restrictive.
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