The U.S. played an important role within the Korean War. Although they assisted South Korea during the war, artists from both states criticize the U.S. military for various reasons. First of all, North Korean artists adopted a realistic technique in order to express the cruelty and brutality of the U.S. military. A series of paintings depicted the U.S. soldiers in action of torturing Korean people and burying children alive (Fig 15). One of these paintings A North Korean Man Being Burnt Alive shows a Korean man with a determined look despite his situation of being burnt and tortured which demonstrates the nation’s disobedience towards the U.S. The use of realistic approach increases the sense of presence of the brutal actions (Fig 16). This approach is originated from Socialist Realism, which was an artistic style formulated as the aesthetic for international communism. (Bowlt, 40) In a speech given out in 1975, Kim Il Sung also stated that “we must hold fast to the creative method of socialist realism in the creation of the arts” and emphasized the necessity in reflecting the reality when a work is produced. (6 May 1975) Therefore these paintings are created to be perceived as a record of a historical scene instead of a mere representation. This demonstrates North Korean’s strong belief in the sufferings and destruction brought by the U.S. This hatred towards the U.S. also reflects the idea of Korean War as a war between Korea and America instilled by the state. It proves that these paintings are not necessarily made to cater to the state’s aesthetic but instead it is a product of education.

Different from the blunt and straightforward depiction of the cruelty of U.S., South Korean artists adopted a more metaphorical approach. They criticize the fact that imperialism, capitalism and the military culture is still affecting the South in nowadays society. For instance, Marketing V-Scenes of Hell was painted to demonstrate the artist’s opposition towards capitalism (Fig 17). In the work, Coca-Cola, Maxim, and other commercial ads are portrayed as devils of the Western culture which tortures the Korean people and crush them into death. Paintings such as Modern Korean History - Rice Planting by Shin Hak Chul even depict the southern part of the painting and of the peninsula as a place for garbage of capitalist culture, while the northern part of farming communities are portrayed as an idealistic utopia (Fig 18). Furthermore, contemporary artist, Kim Gyoo Sik uses soft-toned photography to present plastic toy weapons which make one forget the violence inherent in weapons (Fig 19). This is an ironic work of art which suggests that the military culture has penetrated Korea’s everyday lives being enjoyed by both children and adults. “You finally become a real person after your military service”, this mantra of nowadays society indicates the extent of military penetration. (Han, 40-41) It affected the way of thoughts and brought practices of military into the society. For instance the strict hierarchical relationship in workplace or at school is partly caused by the remnants of military culture. It became the dominant culture of South Korean’s society. (Han, 41-44)