Posters of Valor: Visualizing the Korean War through Philippine and North Korean Cinemas

Purpose: This article examines how Philippine and North Korean cinemas capture and memorialize the legacies of the Korean War through a comparative analysis of movie posters. By contrasting these visual artifacts, the study explores how each nation frames the war to shape collective memory, advance state narratives, and construct historical identity seventy-five years after the outbreak of the conflict. Method: This research project utilized a qualitative approach centered on visual analysis as an analytical tool, guided by the Agenda-Setting framework. The study analyzed a total of eight movie posters—four from North Korea (e.g., 72 Hours, Wolmi Island) and four from the Philippines (e.g., Korea, 10th Battalion at the 38th Parallel Korea)—to uncover recurring themes, symbols, and ideological cues. Results: The findings reveal that North Korean movie posters emphasize state-centered valor, ideological vigilance, and military might, often employing the color red and straightforward titles to project national strength and “Songun” (military-first) politics. In contrast, Philippine movie posters focus on the human cost, depicting emotive characters and relational tensions to frame the participation of Filipino soldiers as acts of individual bravery, sacrifice, and democratic duty. Conclusion: The article argues that while both countries use film posters to preserve war memory and lionize their military forces, their narrative strategies differ significantly: the Philippines humanizes the war through commercial cinema, whereas North Korea instrumentalizes it for state propaganda. Ultimately, both nations reinforce national identity by transforming the historical events of the Korean War into persistent visual legacies.