Wacky. From South Korean TV Show Invents Friendly Rivalry With North:
During a visit to Pyongyang in 2003, Kim Young Hee, the creator of Exclamation Point, saw a North Korean quiz-show series and was determined to bring it to the South. “In the South there is still an unnecessarily negative view of the North,” says Mr. Kim. “I wanted to change that.”
The South Korean producers took footage from episodes that aired in North Korea last year and edited in new scenes shot in Seoul, on a set that is a replica of the North Korean stage. The producers have redubbed parts of the Northern emcee’s dialogue to make it appear as if she is bantering with the South Korean host. Casual viewers often think the quiz is a direct competition, despite disclaimers to the contrary.
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The show reveals plenty of differences between the two Koreas. The dialects spoken on either side of the demilitarized zone have diverged. South Koreans have adopted many English words. North Koreans haven’t. Sometimes, the show resorts to subtitles to explain what the Northerners are saying.The North Korean children seldom smile, and they often use military language. Answering a vocabulary question, kids from the North rattled off the words “arsenal,” “military supplies,” “platoon leader,” “battalion commander,” and “detached force.” The South Korean children, dressed in colorful, brand-name clothing, laugh and joke with the moderator.