Hedgehog (N.K.) Scaring Strong Tiger (U.S.)

North Korea showed a play on Monday that conveys a strong anti-American sentiment to the Russian delegation, led by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, which is visiting Pyongyang.

A source in Moscow said that the North Korean authorities guided the Russian minister to Pyongyang College of Foreign Languages after a meeting with the North Korean counterpart and staged a Russian language play written and presented by the university-affiliate high school.

The play adapted a children’s story written by former North Korean leader Kim Il-sung called “A Hedgehog that Beats a Tiger.” The story is about a hedgehog (North Korea) scaring a tiger (the U.S.) which boasts that it is the strongest in the woods. The hedgehog pricked the tiger’s nose, which is its vital spot, and later the tiger became afraid of merely seeing a chestnut bur.

North Korea is known to cite this story when it explains to its people the reason for using the “brinkmanship diplomacy” in dealing with the U.S. According to the North, if the country fortifies the entire nation like a hedgehog and fights the U.S., the U.S. will make a concession thinking that there is no need to try to get hurt. The Russian audience was impressed by the students’ fluent Russian and acting skills, but was reported to be embarrassed to hear some cruel lines such as “I will make a skewer with your tongue.”

Ki-Hyun Kim kimkihy@donga.com