North Korean migrant women’s celebrity in South Korea’s platform economy

This article expands the analytical framework of post-feminism by situating it within a non-Western migratory context. Drawing on critical feminist approaches that conceptualise post-feminism as transnational discourse defining women’s subjectivities through neoliberal politics, the study examines North Korean migrant women’s self-representation within South Korea’s internet celebrity industry. It explores how post-feminism operates within the unique geopolitical context of the Korean division, emerging as a provincialised form of discourse shaped by vernacular gender dynamics and complex histories of marginalisation that transcend national borders. Specifically, the article presents a case study of Nolse Nara TV, a YouTube channel led by North Korean vlogger Nara. Employing feminist multimodal critical discourse analysis, the study investigates how Nara’s influencer identity aligns with post-feminist sensibility while tactfully navigating the intersections of gender, ethnicity, class and national identity. By examining the operation of post-feminism through this vernacular yet compelling case, the article offers broader insights into how its discursive and material power are further intensified for women whose marginality is historically grounded and politically charged. The article also calls for continued feminist engagement with self-representational practices of those whose social struggle has lost its political terrain in ever-expanding neoliberal politics.