This catchy North Korean propaganda song is going viral on TikTok

This photo was provided by the North Korean government. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un delivers a speech at the National Mothers’ Meeting in Pyongyang, North Korea, on Dec. 3, 2023. Independent journalists were not granted access to cover the event depicted in this image distributed by the North Korean government. The content of this image is as provided and cannot be independently verified. The Korean language watermark on the image reads: “KCNA,” which is the abbreviation for Korean Central News Agency, according to the source. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP)

(NewsNation) – North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un’s propaganda music has found a new audience on TikTok, as young people around the world dance to the catchy number “Friendly Father.”

Communist countries have long used music as a means of spreading their propaganda, but under its current leadership, North Korea has taken this to the next level, with Pyongyang relying more heavily on electronic string instruments, rock riffs and girl groups that resemble South Korea’s globally popular K-pop bands.

This represents a significant departure from traditional propaganda anthems as the country attempts to modernize its message for the next generation.

“There’s a tendency to repost and engage in viral behavior without really realizing what you’re participating in,” noted Connor Blakley, founder of Youth Logic, a marketing agency targeting Gen Z. “Gen Z will do pretty much anything to feel important by getting more views.”

“Wait, this is awesome,” “This song needs a Grammy,” “It’s so dystopian in the catchiest way” – are just some of the enthusiastic comments under the TikTok videos with the song.

“Kind Father” premiered in April at a ceremony in Pyongyang to mark the completion of a housing project. In a music video released by North Korean state media, a military official cries in Kim’s arms while pilots, construction workers and children sing along. “People trust our kind father and follow him with all their hearts,” the song says of Kim.

Part of why the song has attracted so much attention around the world is that it is incredibly catchy, using rich, orchestral-sounding sequences and a female lead singer with an energetic beat reminiscent of ABBA, says Peter Moody, a North Korea expert at Sungkyunkwan University in Seoul.

“The only difference is the content of the song,” Moody said. “It’s almost as if North Korea is appropriating the pop culture of the outside world for its own purposes.”