North Korean propaganda promotes wheat in diets amid growing ties with Russia

a so-called “potato revolution,” where state propaganda sought to elevate potatoes as a staple food to replace scarce rice, though the campaign met with limited success. Under Kim Jong Un, rice has been reinstated as the centerpiece of national cuisine. State media, including the 2015 film Rice Flower (벼꽃) about a heroic female rice farmer, has glorified rice consumption, reviving the Kim Il Sung-era slogan “rice is socialism” as “let us protect socialism by rice.” Since 2022, however, increased economic ties with Russia have brought an influx of wheat to North Korean markets. In response, state propaganda has begun to champion wheat as a valuable yet underappreciated source of nutrition, alongside its continued praise of rice. The new TV serial New Spring in Paekhakpeol (백학벌의 새봄) exemplifies this effort to rehabilitate wheat’s image, linking it to positive social values while minimizing references to Russia’s role in its supply. Wheat-based products are not entirely new to North ...