This is a continuation of the North Korean propaganda series. Click here for the table of contents.
Top: Through the combined strength of the whole people,
온 민족의 단합된 힘으로
Bottom: let’s crush America’s scheme to provoke nuclear war!
미국의 핵전정도발책동을 짓부시자!
Evil gentleman (검은 신사)
The division of the Korean war will only end with corpses!
조선전쟁에서 차례질것은 오직시체와 종말뿐!
Don’t forget the American imperialist wolves!
잊지말라 승냥이미제를!
Let’s love guns and sincerely learn military affairs
전민이 총대를 사랑하고 군사를 성실히 배우자!
Do-or-die defense (결사옹위)
Unity of one heart (일심단결)
American imperialists, look closely at our country’s power!
미제는 조선의 국력을 똑바로 보라!
<Oplan 5027 = South Korea and USA’s plan if North Korea invades>
There’s nowhere to hide
이행성우에 미할자리가 더는 없다
We’ll judge our mortal enemy, the American imperialists who deserve to die, until the very end!
불구대천의 원쑤 미제와 끝까지 결판을 낼것이다!
Get rid of the enemy with no mercy! (적들을 일층무자비하게 소탕하라!)
We’ll judge the people who mess with our pride wherever they are!
우리의 자존심을 건드리는 자 어디에 있든 결판을 낼것이다!
Let’s expel the American imperialists and unite Korea!
미제를 몰아내고 조국을 통일하자!
Military Demarcation Line (군사분계선)
Death to the Yankee bastards! (양키놈들에세 죽음을!)
Next, we’ll be looking at army posters. I am attending a funeral for my great uncle and visiting with my parents who are flying down from Alaska, so the next post probably won’t be for a few days.
I think a better translation for one of the posters might be “Wicked Man”. I really enjoyed this fascinating post.
@Jacob
Yeah, I had a hard time deciding how to translate that poster. I wasn’t sure whether to translate 검다 as the color or as a meaning. I’ll probably ask a Korean about it, thanks for reminding me about it
Your translation of 양키놈들 as “Yankee Pigs” is wrong. The more correct sense-to-sense translation is “Yankee Bastards” or “Yankee Fucks.” North Korean sources in English employ the former.
I also strongly suggest that you change your translation of 검은신사 as “Black Gentleman.” This comes across in completely the wrong way in English. “Brutal Man” or “Evil Man” are better alternatives.
Lastly, it is important for you to examine North Korean sources in BOTH Korean and English to see how translations are handled, and be mindful that word-to-word translation does not capture sense content.
@Reader
Yes, I agree that ‘Yankee Bastards’ is a better translation (fixed)
I agree that black gentleman is definitely a bad translation, but I think it still needs gentleman (correct me if I’m wrong) to give a certain sense of looking sophisticated vs. being bad. I think the middle ground is pretty good (evil gentleman)
Yes, for the translations I’ve been very direct which probably doesn’t convey the full meaning. I’m always open to hearing what people think (like you did, thanks!) so these translations can be improved.
“Evil Gentleman” works. Yes, 신사 can mean “gentleman.”
long live America
O.I.F Veteran 07-09
The propaganda poster collection is amazing, but there is no dates… Some are very recent, other may date back to the fifities I guess.
And what is the origin of the posters displayed ?
I’m looking for accurate date concerning north Korean propaganda posters and themes, focusing on anti US propaganda.
Thanks in advance if you can help me
Laurent
Sorry, I don’t have any of that information