"Super Wings Balloons on Kim Jong-un's Birthday?"... South Korean Animated Characters Spotted on North Korean TV

Character Balloons Appear on Chosun Central TV Broadcast Screen

North Korean state-run TV captured images of popular South Korean children's animation characters.

On the evening of the 16th, Korean Central TV reported on a commemorative performance held in Pyongyang city to celebrate Gwangmyeongseongjeol (the birthday of Kim Jong-il, former Chairman of the National Defense Commission). Among the audience was a person holding a balloon featuring characters 'Hogi' and 'Ari' from the animation "Chul-dong! Super Wings." "Chul-dong! Super Wings" is a story about airplane characters delivering packages to children around the world and the adventures they experience. Currently, seven seasons have been produced, and the eighth season is in production.

North Korea's Korean Central TV reported on the evening of the 16th about a performance held in Pyongyang city to celebrate the Gwangmyeongseongjeol (the birthday of Kim Jong-il, Chairman of the National Defense Commission). Among the audience, a spectator with a child (on the left side of the screen) is holding balloons featuring the characters "Hogi" and "Ari" from the popular Korean animation "Super Wings."
[Photo by Yonhap News]

Although this work is a South Korean animation, Guangdong Alpha Animation and Culture (Alpha Group) from China also participated in its production. The animation is popular in China as well, being used as educational material for young children, which suggests that the characters may have been introduced to North Korea through China. In 2019, a "North Korea episode" was produced as part of children's unification education materials.

There has also been controversy related to this animation in China. In 2021, reports emerged that the animation was removed from major Chinese video platforms following criticism that it depicted Chinese territory as smaller than it actually is. Chinese netizens criticized the cover image showing the main character of Super Wings standing on a map of East Asia that omitted Taiwan, Tibet, and other Chinese territories.

A child is riding a slide decorated with the South Korean animation character 'Pororo' in the program 'Visiting Pyongyang City Nursery' broadcasted by Chosun Central TV on March 6, 2014.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

Meanwhile, this is not the first time South Korean animation characters have been shown on North Korean TV. In 2014, one of South Korea's iconic animation characters, "Pororo," was seen on North Korean state TV being used as children's dolls and decorations on slides at childcare facilities. A program titled "Visiting Pyongyang City Nursery" aired scenes of children playing on slides decorated with Pororo figures at a facility known as an orphanage in Pyongyang.

Pororo was co-produced between 2003 and 2006 by South Korean companies Iconix, Ocon, Hanaro Telecom, and North Korea's Samcholli General Corporation. Out of a total of 52 episodes in seasons 1 and 2, 22 episodes were co-produced by the North and South. Although Pororo was never officially broadcast in North Korea, North Korean children are known to have seen Pororo and accessed character merchandise through copies brought in by Chinese traders.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.