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The Boy General is an extremely famous tale and cartoon from North Korea. Here’s our take on things.

While people do not immediately think of animated cartoon shows when thinking of North Korea, North Korea has quite a few domestically produced animated shows that have become very popular with the local populace. The most famous of these shows without a doubt is Boy General (소년장수) which is a show based during the Goguryeo dynasty.

The show is produced by the SEK Studio (Scientific Educational Korea Studio), which started producing shows in September 1957. Boy General had its initial run from 1982 until 1997. Originally the series was just planned to be a short mini-series consisting of 10 episodes, but due to the massive popularity of the series, it was extended to 50 episodes with each lasting around half an hour. Due to the enormous popularity of the first rendition of the show in 2014, it was announced that the show would be making a grand return with another 50 episodes set to air between August 2015 – December 2019.

The Boy General Plot

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Boy General follows the exploits of a young warrior (Seo-me) who is fighting off invaders from Japan and China. Boy General is split into three different parts with the first one focusing on Seo-Me’s teen years, the second part shows his time as a general and finally the last part, which focuses on his time after marriage. The show won over the hearts and minds of North Koreans with its historical context and engaging storylines.

Where can I watch the Boy General?

You can check out the first episode of this classic show below:

More about Boy General:

• Due to the popularity of the show, North Korea released a smartphone game based around the series in 2015. Unfortunately, it is only available on North Korean smartphones for now at least.
• It is possible to buy the entire DVD collection of the show at the foreign language bookstore in Pyongyang if you come on tour with us to North Korea. See our upcoming list of tours by clicking here.
• Interested in North Korean Films / Shows? Check out our guide to the best North Korean films by clicking here.