North Korean literature

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Reading is a popular pastime in North Korea, where literacy and books enjoy a high cultural standing, elevated by the regime's efforts to disseminate propaganda as texts. Because of this, writers are held in high prestige.^[1]

The division of Korea following the Second World War led to a considerable cross-border movement, which included writers moving from North to South or from South to North.

North Korea's subsequent literary tradition was shaped and controlled by the State.^[2][3] The "Guidelines for Juche Literature", published by the official Korean Writers' Alliance [ko] (Korean: 조선 작가 동맹), emphasised that literature must extoll the country's leader, Kim Il Sung, and, later, Kim Jong Il.^[2] Only members of the Writers' Alliance are authorised to have their works published.^[2][4]