North Korea is major player in animation industry

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Analysts say Pyongyang’s animation expertise likely reflects the patronage and personal involvement of the country's all-powerful leader Kim Jong Il, a noted film aficionado

Thus begins the wildly popular South Korean cartoon series “Pororo the Little Penguin”—whose heroes and catchy theme are omnipresent throughout South Korea. Less widely known, however, is that the series has been produced in part by highly skilled animators in neighboring rival North Korea, one of the most isolated, impoverished, and technologically backward countries on Earth.

Expert animators, poor communications

“North Korea employs animation to deliver various messages to the public, and North Korean animators have been sub-contracted by Japanese and European companies. That is why technically they are strong.”

Media experts say North Korean production values are top quality. The state-run SEK studio is one of the largest in the world, employing 1,600 staff working with state-of-the-art equipment.

Among its clients are the Korean-American studio KOAA, for whom SEK worked on a U.S. $6.5 million feature titled Empress Chung. Another North Korean studio, Samcholli, helped produce “Lazy Cat Dinga” for Hanaro Telecom.

Iconix trained the North Koreans in 3D animation, Choi said, adding, “They were very quick learners. If they find a way to solve their managerial and communication issues, I see a possibility that they might catch up with South Korean animators within the next decade or so.”

SEK studios in Pyongyang animated 10 or 52 episodes of the first season of “Pororo,” he said, but Iconix found communications with their North Korean collaborators too cumbersome to continue.