Squirrel and Hedgehog () is a North Korean animated series made by SEK Studio. Squirrel and Hedgehog is one of the most popular animated series in North Korea. The show was supposedly discontinued in 2012, which was around the time North Korean state television changed its broadcasting schedule, which cut several animated programs along with it.
The first episode of the show, produced in 1977, is based on a short novel published in a North Korean children's magazine in the 1970s. The short film was so popular with the public that the crew decided to turn the show into a series. In 2006, the producers said the show would be in production.
The series was re-aired on Korean Central Television since July 2023 for the show's 46th anniversary. It is currently being re-aired as of July 2025.
A sequel is currently in production, according to a report from the Rodong Sinmun, the official newspaper of the ruling party of North Korea.
Characters and locations Flower Hill A loosely defined territory composed of a variety of terrains such forests, tundras, and deserts. The territory is inhabited by a plethora of creatures, most of whom reside in their own individual villages corresponding to their species. These creatures most commonly include squirrels, hedgehogs, and ducks, with minorities of animals such as bears and rabbits being present as well. Flower Hill operates as a democratic, diverse, communitarian, and heavily militarized federation of villages attempting to live and prosper in harmony in spite of the imperialistic aggression from their neighboring territory and archenemy, the Weasel Empire.
In the first episode of the series, "Lesson for the Squirrel" Flower Hill, or at the very least Squirrel Village of which both Geumsaegi and Juldarami originate from, exists as a humble and rural village within the forests of Flower Hill, operating as a democratic and communitarian society, defended solely by a brown bear known in English as Gom, though most commonly referred to as "Uncle Bear", a large, rugged, well-meaning but slightly narcissistic and arrogant bear who serves as protector of Squirrel Village. However, when Mice from the neighboring Weasel Empire sway Bear into accepting a package of alcohol (Likely meant to be vodka) from them, he becomes severely drunk and passes out. Once rendered unresponsive, Weasel and Mice soldiers from the Empire would assault the Village and proceed to pillage and burn it with no retaliation from its residents.
Following this brutal and devastating attack on the village, Bear would be deemed unreliable and a liability to the continued existence of the Village, and was likely relieved of his duties subsequently after. Squirrel Village would thus establish its own military with assistance from neighboring Hedgehogs, and would proceed to wage war against the Weasel Empire for the attack on the Village. From this moment forward, Flower Hill would undergo a significant period of militarization, stockpiling an arsenal of firearms, tanks, battleships, artillery, and other such equipment to defend itself from the Weasel Empire.
Symbolism and historical representation Flower Hill has served as the primary subject of discussion of whether Squirrel And Hedgehog serves as a creative work intended to instill and enforce anti-American, anti-Japanese, anti-South Korean, and or general anti-Western sentiments amongst the youth of North Korea.
Flower Hill has been claimed by viewers and critics of the show on many occasions to serve as an allegory for North Korea and its conflicts both past and present with opposing nations such as the United States, Japan, and South Korea.
Many have cited Flower Hill's passivism and humble rural environment and lifestyle, in contrast to the brutal and aggressive imperialism, industrialism, and militarism of the Weasel Empire, as being a correlation between pre-divided Korea and the Empire of Japan respectively. This is credited significantly further by the response of Flower Hill to the assault on the squirrel village by the Weasel Empire in the series, that being to significantly militarize itself in order to effectively defend itself from further threats by such imperialistic forces, a plot point that is in direct parallel with North Korea's own authoritarian, militaristic, and Stalinist policies born out of decades of historical trauma inflicted by Imperial Japan through the brutal colonization of Korea.
These events in the show have been associated by viewers and critics with historical and/or real world events and ideas, most prominently, the invasion and annexation of Korea by the Empire of Japan, as well as one of the fundamental policies of North Korea's state ideology and politics, Songun ("Military First"), an idea turned into state policy by the first Supreme Leader of North Korea, Kim Il Sung, one which dates back as far as the 1930s during his years as a guerrilla fighting against the Empire of Japan. Songun is a policy that prioritizes the Korean People's Army as being a fundamental and intrinsic part of North Korea's innerworkings and politics. This ideology was implemented as a policy in North Korea in 1962, however would be discussed by Kim-Il Sung decades prior in a plethora of his own written works, with him emphasizing a strong, fierce, ideologically homogenous military being essential to the establishment and continued existence of an independent Korea following the decades of brutal colonialism and occupation of the Korean peninsula by the Empire of Japan, emphasized even further following the Korean War between North Korea and the U.S led U.N intervention in support of South Korea.
These historical events have been compared to the events of the first episode of the series, in which the passive, rural territory of Flower Hill is assaulted by an aggressive, militaristic, Imperial Empire whose brutality includes the pillaging and burning of a village inhabited by vulnerable and passive squirrels. The only virtual difference being, that whereas the Korean peninsula was successfully occupied and annexed by the Japanese, and decades of brutal imperial rule ensued. Flower Hill would instead successfully defend itself from suffering such a fate, with this being interpreted as North Korea's way of illustrating "what could've been" if it had military prowess.
Furthermore, other such correlations made between Flower Hill and North Korea, include how Flower Hill operates. With the territory being depicted as a communitarian utopia, which can be interpreted as being socialist or communist in practice, alongside this, the illustration of Flower Hill as a utopian commune is also correlated to how North Korea prefers its people to view their country through extensive propaganda such as Squirrel And Hedgehog. It has also been claimed on numerous occasions that Uncle Bear represents the Soviet Union, not only due to bears famously being associated with Russia, but also due to Uncle Bear's status as protector of the squirrel village, which represents North Korea. This is further evidenced by how the leadership and inhabitants of the squirrel village relieve Bear of his duties following his failure to protect them from the Weasel Empire's attack. This has been historically connected to North Korea's fierce desire for independence along with their attempts at distancing itself from the Soviet Union politically, economically, and militarily, despite having required substantial assistance from outside second world nations to continue thoroughly functioning. Bear's consumption of alcohol reminiscent of vodka, an alcoholic beverage originating from Russia, has also been used as evidence to claim that Bear serves as a representation of the Soviet Union.
SEK Studios, upon being made aware of these claims, would deny them by stating that Flower Hill, along with the antagonists of the series, such as the Weasel Empire, do not serve to represent any past or present political entity such as North Korea or Japan. With the studio instead stating that Flower Hill served to inspire patriotism and dedication to North Korea in the same vein amongst the youth of North Korea, rather than to directly symbolize any nation in particular.
Flower Hill character synopses Geumsaegi (/Golden, Code name "Pang-ul-ggot") - He is courageous, strong willed, and patriotic, with him formerly serving as the de facto leader, or at the very least, held a position of leadership within the squirrel village. He serves in the series as an operative and scout of Flower Hill, masquerading as a mouse within the military of the Weasel Empire under the code name "Pangulggot", serving alongside his comrade, Juldarami, as they both foil the plans of the Empire. The series follows him as he ascends within the ranks of the Empire, foils the schemes of the Empire in their conquest of Flower Hill, grows increasingly closer to the General Commander, and successfully impedes the attempts of antagonists such as Mulmangcho, and those who know his identity from exposing him as a spy of Flower Hill. This charade continues onward into season two, however with the Empire having been dissolved by Flower Hill following the conclusion of season one. Geumsaegi now must infiltrate the military complex of the wolves, a faction just as imperialistic and barbaric as the weasels who have picked up where the Empire had left off in its conquest of Flower Hill, and have even attempted to assimilate remnants of the Empire under their own command. Juldarami (/Striped Squirrel) - He is similar to Geumsaegi, being brave, strong willed, and immensely patriotic. He is a scout and operative serving on behalf of Flower Hill, with him serving in his own position within the military complex of the Weasel Empire, fluctuating between various positions of leadership in the military of the Weasels in a similar vein to Geumsaegi. When not on his own escapades, he serves to assist Geumsaegi in his own missions, to foil any plots to expose the both of them as spies, and carry out the broader agenda of Flower Hill. Given that he and Geumsaegi serve alongside one another as undercover operatives, along with the shared experiences garnered from that, They both share a deep and affectionate bond with one another. In the first episode of season two, "Operation Noose", during the siege of a cruise ship by Mulmangcho, Oegwipari, and other stragglers of the recently dissolved Weasel Empire in order to capture important documents belonging to Dr. Mole, Juldarami in a split second decision takes a bullet for Geumsaegi, with him being killed as a result. This tragedy sets the stage for the season, likely serving as a deliberate plot point to further radicalize its viewers into adhering to the nationalistic and anti-imperialist rhetorics that the show projects. Bamsaegi (/Brown) - Bamsaegi is a main character in the second season, following Juldarami's injury. The younger brother of Geumsaegi, he initially trained to become a scout for the military but after hearing about the weasels' defeat; he dropped out to join the scientific field instead and become an assistant to the MacGuffin of the season, Dr. Dudeoji. Because he was confident that the weasels were killed, he dropped his guard immensely and took in a disguised Mulmangcho and Oegwipari. After his folly leading to Dudeoji's capture, he would become a scout again.