North Korea’s YouTube cyberpropaganda, cognitive warfare and weaponized narratives

Abstract

In recent years, North Korea has increasingly utilized YouTube as a platform for conducting cyber propaganda, specifically as a form of cognitive warfare. The objective of cognitive warfare is to influence and manipulate human minds and thoughts by employing weaponized narratives as a strategic tool. Weaponized narratives play a pivotal role in shaping the audience's perception and attitude, effectively aligning them with the desired intentions of the communicator. The threat posed by North Korea has significant implications for South Korea's national security. However, there remains a scarcity of studies examining the utilization of North Korea's YouTube propaganda within the context of cognitive warfare, which represents a dimension of hybrid warfare. To address this gap, this study aims to analyze the risks and impacts of North Korean YouTube propaganda narratives on the audience. Through the application of a qualitative analysis method known as narrative analysis, this study thoroughly examines various narrative elements present in the videos uploaded on “Songah's Vlog”, including videos, images, audio, and textual narratives. The research findings, contributions, and policy suggestions derived from this study are thoroughly discussed