Emotional Appeal
Just like America during the Cold War, South Korea used innumerable propaganda against Communism. The newspaper article from 1968 shown above is about a South Korean child being forlornly shot by North Korean spies. Supposedly, the story is that North Korean soldiers crossed the border and attacked small villages in the south searching for food and supplies, even after the armistice. Usually, the villagers obeyed, as they were defenseless. However, on this day, a South Korean child, Lee Seung Bok, refused. He said, quote on quote, “나는 공산당이 싫어요,” or “I hate Communism,” in Korean. Furious, the North Korean soldiers tortured the boy and shot him to death, along with many of his other family members (which is a fact). But, up to this day, we are not sure whether or not Lee Seung Bok had spoken those specific words. Nonetheless, this incident is one of the most used examples of propaganda against Communism in South Korea. It was drilled into textbooks and became a high priority question on tests. Because the South Korean government had considered this event of so much importance, they built an entire memorial dedicated to the boy. This is a great example of ‘Emotional Appeal,’ because it arouses emotions, inspiring citizens to follow along. Therefore, the South Korean government's use of the Emotional Appeal propaganda technique was highly effective because most people during the time, especially parents, were probably frightened about the incident, and believed the government’s words without hesitation. The citizens of South Korea were easily convinced that Communism was a bad thing, and the South Korean government used the Emotional Appeal tactic very usefully.
"“I Hate Communists!”; Remembering Lee Seung-bok." ROK Drop. GI Korea, 9 Dec. 2005. Web.
<http://rokdrop.com/2005/12/09/i-hate-communists-remembering-lee-seung-bok/>
"“I Hate Communists!”; Remembering Lee Seung-bok." ROK Drop. GI Korea, 9 Dec. 2005. Web.
<http://rokdrop.com/2005/12/09/i-hate-communists-remembering-lee-seung-bok/>