Dynastic Rule: Personality cult of Kim Jong Un expands as North Koreans wear his pins to show total loyalty
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Citizens of North Korea are required to wear pins over their hearts, which for decades bore images of either the country’s founder, Kim Il Sung, or his son Kim Jong Il, or both. The existence of pins dedicated to Kim Jong Un had not been verified until state media published photos in July showing officials wearing his pins at a ruling Workers’ Party meeting.
The pins are part of a state-sponsored mythology surrounding the Kim family which treats Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il like gods. They are memorialized with numerous statues across North Korea, their birthdays are two of the country’s main holidays and their portraits are hung in all homes and offices.
The personality cult began to take shape during Kim Il Sung’s early years in power. It was initially built on his role as a guerrilla fighter against Japanese colonial rule in Korea and was later expanded to include his leadership in the Korean War and the establishment of North Korea as a socialist state.
The North Korean government employed extensive propaganda to deify Kim Il Sung, along with the educational system that constantly reinforced his image as the “Great Leader” and “Eternal President.” Over the decades, the regime engaged in historical revisionism to exaggerate Kim Il Sung’s achievements and contributions.
Few question current leader Kim Jong Un’s hold on power, but few images honoring the 40-year-old have been displayed in public since he took power in late 2011 upon his father’s death. Recently, however, he has begun taking steps to boost his own personality cult while also trying to further move out of the shadow of his father’s and grandfather’s legacies.
In May, his portrait was publicly displayed along with those of the two other Kims for the first time at a Workers’ Party-run training school. In January, Kim announced he would no longer pursue peaceful unification with South Korea, a decadeslong policy cherished by his father and grandfather. Observers also say North Korea appears to be refraining from using terms like “the Day of Sun,” a reference to the April 15 birthday of Kim Il Sung.
“The latest series of efforts to idolize Kim Jong Un is assessed as a move to dilute his predecessors while establishing his authority as a leader” different from them, said Kim Inae, a deputy spokesperson for South Korea’s Unification Ministry.
She observed that Kim was also likely trying to boost internal solidarity behind his leadership as he grappled with economic hardships and the influence of South Korean pop culture.
The state ideology of Juche was central to the personality cult. It emphasized self-reliance, independence, and the unique role of the leader in guiding the nation. The Juche ideology reinforced the idea that the leader was the ultimate source of wisdom and guidance for the people.
Content retrieved from: https://www.milwaukeeindependent.com/articles/dynastic-rule-personality-cult-kim-jong-un-expands-north-koreans-wear-pins-show-total-loyalty/.
