Interesting it's set centuries ago

It's interesting that Pulgasari is set a few centuries ago, instead of being a contemporary monster-on-the-rampage flick like most such films. But the reasons are obvious.

The North Koreans couldn't depict a modern-day monster stomping their army and destroying their cities, as this would go against all their propaganda about the "invincibility" of their armed forces (and anyway, Pulgy couldn't possibly have reason to do harm to the People's Paradise in the first place). They couldn't even have Pulgy be a North-Korea-friendly monster turned loose to destroy America or South Korea, because that too would infer that the NK military was incapable of doing the same.

And of course, any indication that the Great and/or Dear Leader Kims needed the help of another monster, either to defend their own fiefdom or to make war on their enemies, would be totally unacceptable, especially since he's bigger not only than them but than their statues.

No, the only safe way to do this film is to set it in the medieval past, as the filmmakers did, socialist metaphors and all. This allows Pulgasari's class consciousness and solidarity with the masses to be expressed in full. It gives him an early claim to being in the vanguard of Marxist thought and the class struggle. The Kims could point to him as a glorious inspiration from their nation's collective past. And the director gets not to be executed.

A teacher's aid any re-education camp would be proud to have.

Juche!