Back in the 2000s, during the golden age of entertainment, there was a TV program called “X-Man.” The PD secretly designated a cast member as an X-Man, and that cast member had to lose a game on purpose. At the end of the game, the other cast members had to guess who that X-Man was. Since then, in Korea, a meme was created where team members who behaved in a way that was disadvantageous to their teammates at work or in sports games would say, “Isn’t that guy an X-Man?”
Since the heavy rains inflicted massive damage on Sinuiju and Uiju County in North Korea in late July, photos highlighting Chairman Kim Jong-un’s image as a “people-loving leader” have been steadily being uploaded. However, among the exclusive photography crew, B-cut photos that appear to have been taken by “X-men” are catching the eye.
![Kim Jong-un’s exclusive filming crew includes ‘X-Men’?[청계천 옆 사진관]](https://dimg.donga.com/wps/NEWS/IMAGE/2024/08/18/126570337.1.jpg "Kim Jong-un’s exclusive filming crew includes ‘X-Men’?[청계천 옆 사진관]")
On the 15th, North Korean media outlets such as the Rodong Sinmun reported that Chairman Kim visited the April 25 Inn in Pyongyang, where flood victims were housed. There, Chairman Kim met children who were eating and talked to them, touched them, and hugged them. The children, who were so touched by this, suddenly stood up, surrounded Chairman Kim, and offered him their drinks and bread. This is the content of the photo above. However, the exclusive photography team released one more photo.
In the photo, not only children but also bodyguards and officials are seen behind Chairman Kim. It seems like the officials gathered the children for a photo shoot and then the bodyguards sent them back to their original places. Also, you can see the busy camera crew and bread crumbs on Chairman Kim’s clothes.
The important thing in directing is that it doesn’t feel like directing. What if we were watching a drama or a movie and saw a staff member holding a boom mic behind the actor or a director directing the acting? It would be very awkward and would reduce the sense of immersion. The North Korean exclusive filming team is releasing such photos.
Next, North Korean media released a photo of Chairman Kim checking on whether flood victims’ children were ready to start school in Pyongyang on the 17th. In the photo, Chairman Kim is smiling brightly while looking at the children. However, the children are expressionless or smiling awkwardly. One child appears to be covering his smile with his hand. It seems that there is a set expression in North Korea that must be made in front of the highest power. In the previous photo, the children next to Chairman Kim had more sad expressions than smiling faces.
However, the exclusive filming team released one more photo. This photo shows the children who were mobilized for the filming ‘after the play’ leaving. In the photo, Chairman Kim is sitting blankly on a chair. No one is looking at Chairman Kim. It seems as if Chairman Kim has been ‘ostracized’.
I wonder if it was really necessary to release a photo showing an executive pulling a child toward Chairman Kim.
When Chairman Kim visited the tent village of flood victims, the photo also showed the unedited image of the official standing awkwardly and sweating profusely. Through this, we could feel that it was extremely hot inside the tent.
Not to mention the luxury Mercedes-Maybach passenger car that was exposed in the photos of the event to comfort disaster victims, which has already been mentioned several times in the domestic media.
The photo team that usually takes pictures of heads of state is meticulous not only in taking the pictures but also in selecting the pictures to be published. In particular, North Korean press photos are famous for producing the ‘perfect angle’ characteristic of socialism, like the photos above.
So, as a photojournalist, I’m really curious. Is there an ‘X-Man’ in the exclusive photography team for North Korean Chairman Kim? Or is it just the poor results of a new employee?
Or it could be an intention to expose the raw image or highlight Chairman Kim’s easygoing appearance. Since it is North Korea, the exact details are unknown. However, it is certain that the feeling of Chairman Kim’s photos has changed recently.
Reporter Song Eun-seok [email protected]
Photo studio next to Cheonggyecheon
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2024-08-18 17:07:09