ABSTRACT
This chapter compares the abled bodies of military members in North Korean parades and the disabled bodies of some North Korean defectors. Photographs are believed to reveal the truth about this politically isolated country. Yet, the photographs have to be critiqued because North Korean government is aware of the power of photographs, so they staged not only abled but also identical bodies in parades. However, photojournalists fragment the bodies and deny individuality by highlighting the masses and specific body parts. The bodies of North Korean defectors are also believed to reveal some truth and their disabled bodies are seen to embody the country. Seeing North Korea as a ‘disabled’ nation denies its political economic autonomy and subjects it to control by the international community. In addition, the disabled bodies of defectors are said to record state brutality; yet disabilities are hidden from view. The reason why photojournalists lure viewers to look, but deny them a full view may be explained by an emphasis on how North Korea can be known rather than what North Korea is. In this way, photographs do not reveal any truth about North Korea but is a means through which photographers and viewers exert control on the country.
