North Korean Propaganda: Now With More Elder Scrolls!

from the oblivion-or-oblivious? dept

Wed, Feb 27th 2013 2:26pm — Timothy Geigner

Well, it's been a couple of days, so I guess it's time to update you on the latest version of North Korean propaganda that tries to impress our sense of humor. You should recall that the reclusive nation released a bizarre video about the coming destruction of New York City, complete with video game footage from Modern Warfare 3. That was followed up by their brothers-in-dumb, the Iranian government, who thought the best way to show off their new flying machine was to photoshop its image over a mountain, rather then show it actually...you know...flying.

Well, North Korea is back at it, with another odd video, with all the effeminate flame animations you've come to expect and text that I sure as hell can't read. With that said, I'm sure the text says something about how the North Koreans have developed the latest in orc technology and elven code systems, being as how they decided to use the soundtrack for The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion to set the mood.

I'd like to take this moment to offer a small bit of advice to my friends in Pyonyang. If you put a video out on YouTube to tell the rest of the world how crazy awesome powerful you are, so much so that you're going to smash America, part of that video should be to demonstrate that you can come up with an inspirational tune. I mean, if you can't even put together something like Call Me Maybe, it's kind of difficult to take your plans for our destruction seriously.

In the meantime, hey Bethesda? You guys want to DMCA this or are you laughing as hard as I am?

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Filed Under: elder scrolls, north korea, propaganda

29 Comments

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Lennart Regebro, 27 Feb 2013 @ 2:30pm

As a totalitarian dictatorship, the bureaucracy is probably insane, especially considering being a part of that bureaucracy is the only way to be sure you have food.

So for the propaganda department to even have the permission to use a North Korean inspirational tune, it probably requires years of shuffling paper.

But taking a tune from one of the evil empires is just one YouTube away.
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Anonymous Coward, 27 Feb 2013 @ 2:39pm

Hmmm
You an tell it's a backward country, not one "Fus Roh Dah" in the whole video. Much cooler than those lame flames.
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Chosen Reject (profile), 27 Feb 2013 @ 2:40pm

Plot twist: Call Me Maybe was actually written by the guys in Pyongyang as a first attempt to destroy civilization.

And the score? NK 1, USA "Here's my number"
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Josh (profile), 27 Feb 2013 @ 2:46pm

Now all they need to do is put the Oblivion music over the MW3 footage, maybe claim Ezio was actually working for them the whole time, and they'll have a truly inspirational video.
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Carlos Sol�s a.k.a. ArkBlitz (in the rest of the I (profile), 27 Feb 2013 @ 2:47pm

Disregard of foreign copyright as a war tactic?
I am almost sure that they intentionally use footage from US games just to taunt the "imperialist" MPAA and affiliates.
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GMacGuffin (profile), 27 Feb 2013 @ 2:48pm

Can't they even afford Adobe After Effects for some at-least-familiar-looking fake flames?
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DannyB (profile), 27 Feb 2013 @ 3:01pm

Re:
> Can't they even afford Adobe After Effects for some
> at-least-familiar-looking fake flames?

By 'afford' I assume you mean 'pirate'?

Maybe they are unfamiliar with The Pirate Bay?

Could North Korea destroy The Pirate Bay by setting up their own site in competition with The Pirate Bay?
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gnudist, 27 Feb 2013 @ 3:02pm

Re:
Heh.... "afford"
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Baldaur Regis (profile), 27 Feb 2013 @ 3:10pm

Re: Disregard of foreign copyright as a war tactic?
"I am almost sure that they intentionally use footage from US games just to taunt the "imperialist" MPAA and affiliates."

Thus ensuring they will NEVER enjoy 'A Good Day to Die Hard' or the latest offering by Adele. Poor Bastards.

...
...
...

oh.
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Anonymous Coward, 27 Feb 2013 @ 3:14pm

This is a challenge. We should respond with our own crappy video, showing many N.Korean military and government officials falling over with "FUS ROH DAH!" being played.
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Anonymous Coward, 27 Feb 2013 @ 3:18pm

Re: Disregard of foreign copyright as a war tactic?
Considering that Hollywood wants us to be more like North Korea and that they have a strong influence in politics, it's safe to say that North Korea is ahead of its time.
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Anonymous Coward, 27 Feb 2013 @ 3:36pm

Hey, leave them alone! They just got Oblivion over there.
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Anonymous Coward, 27 Feb 2013 @ 3:47pm

Next thing you know, Hollywood will make a sci-fi movie called "Oblivion". Then, many years later, they will make a completely different sci-fi movie called "Oblivion". Oh wait...
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Anonymous Coward, 27 Feb 2013 @ 3:49pm

uhm...huh?
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Anonymous Coward, 27 Feb 2013 @ 4:19pm

Well, i guess North Korea and Iran are at some kind of competition to see who has the most impressive fake army or something.

No wonder people are fretting about the imminent cyberwar - i bet with the new blood in their leadership, the Koreans are ready to confront the chinese in an invasion of WoW for the strategic resources in the gold selling market.
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Anonymous Coward, 27 Feb 2013 @ 4:55pm

The video is not propoganda at all, it's advertising. If there are any MMORPG players here who have paid someone to help you level up and got that service from an online advertisement, guess what....you just help NK sustain its economy.
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DarkWolf901, 27 Feb 2013 @ 4:59pm

In our tongue he is Dovahkiin, Kim Jong-un!
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Jesse (profile), 27 Feb 2013 @ 5:01pm

Fus Roh Fail!
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S7, 27 Feb 2013 @ 6:00pm

I can't wait for Bethesda to have it removed for a copyright violation on the music. Oh, is that a scroll I see in the video, or just a piece of paper. They had better hope it's not a scroll.
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Anonymous Coward, 27 Feb 2013 @ 7:23pm

ROFL! I just DMCA'd them fuckers.
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zem, 27 Feb 2013 @ 7:52pm

i used to be a north korean dictator until intook an arrow in the knee
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Bergman (profile), 27 Feb 2013 @ 9:39pm

It's actually a fairly brilliant tactic.

Given the average tech level of the North Korean people, I imagine the videos look extremely professional and modern.

The people there don't have access to Western media, so they are oblivious to all of us pointing out how silly the videos look, and how poorly they're made.

The propagandizing gets done, and on a TINY budget compared to what actually making a decent video would cost.
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Anonymous Coward, 27 Feb 2013 @ 10:04pm

Oh C&�p!!! North Korea knows us too well. They are using our own weakness to eradicate us.
Beware: the NRA was right. Now our enemies are using *GASP* Violent Video Games **Scary psyko soundtrack**

Oh what will become of us.
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Ninja (profile), 28 Feb 2013 @ 3:35am

I wonder if threatening/nation-prizing/whatever-it-is videos are covered by fair use? If I were the copyright holder for the song I'd let it on and I'd use ContentID to monetize on the accesses of the rest of the world wanting a laugh =D
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Anonymous Coward, 28 Feb 2013 @ 5:35am

Standard issue white guy in Seoul, SOUTH Korea...

This video is funny. It basically is saying that Uncle Sammy is using the "Nuclear Issue" to cover up atrocities/crimes it has been committing all over the world and specifically mentions the last 70 years of provocation against the peaceful(can't stop laughing) people of the north

The last part with text says:

Protector of the people.
The US must answer.
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TaCktiX, 28 Feb 2013 @ 6:18am

Re: Hmmm
Fus ro dah was a Skyrim thing, not an Oblivion thing. They're just remaining faithful to original source material. Didn't Oblivion have a portal to hell/the underworld/place you don't want to go in it?
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jsf (profile), 28 Feb 2013 @ 7:00am

Music is From Elder Scrolls: Skyrim
Not to be too nit picky, but the music is from Elder Scrolls: Skyrim, not Oblivion.
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Anonymous Coward, 28 Feb 2013 @ 10:48am

Re: Music is From Elder Scrolls: Skyrim
No, it's Reign of the Septims, which is from Oblivion. Please, play Oblivion again before making such a statement.
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Anonymous Coward, 28 Feb 2013 @ 3:06pm

Re:
You have failed this city!
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