North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un has once again appeared in official images of the regime galloping on a white horse, in an exaltation of his “economic leadership” in the country.
The record is in a documentary released by the dictatorship this week, which shows the economic challenges of the country, highly affected by the Covid-19 pandemic and international sanctions.
The video does not, however, mention Pyongyang’s recent missile launches, which began the year with seven weapons tests, including the test of its most powerful missile since 2017. long-range missile launches.
“The overall theme of the documentary is Kim’s devotion and hard work for the people,” Rachel Minyoung Lee, from the 38 North program at the Stimson Center in Washington, told AFP.
The documentary begins and ends with footage of Kim riding a white horse, a symbol of her family’s dynastic rule. A similar expedient had already been used on other occasions, such as in 2019, with the dictator riding on a sacred mountain on the border with China.
North Korea is preparing to celebrate this month the 80th anniversary of the birth of the late dictator Kim Jong-il. In April, it will celebrate the 110th birthday of the current leader’s grandfather, Kim Il-sung. Images of Kim on a white horse “are used to remind viewers that Kim Jong-un is a descendant of Kim Il-sung, who is a holy figure,” says Yang Moo-jin of the University of North Korean Studies.
The propaganda piece uses a series of analogies to address the country’s severe difficulties, with images of Kim carefully descending steps while the narrator describes how his “body was completely weakened” by hard work. It’s an attempt to humanize Kim, says Yang. “They seek to portray him as a leader who loves his people very much and, as a result, works hard and gets tired.”
The videos, released on the occasion of the Lunar New Year, may be an attempt to highlight Kim’s vitality, according to Cheong Seong-chang of the Center for North Korean Studies at the Sejong Institute. “This shows his strong determination and motivation for the new year,” said the expert.
The official press also published rare images of Kim’s wife, Ri Sol-ju, and an aunt of the dictator, Kim Kyong-hui, in a performance at the Mansudae Theater in the capital, celebrating the New Year.
Ri was last seen publicly on September 9, when she joined her husband to visit Kumsusan’s Sun Palace, which houses the embalmed bodies of the dictator’s grandfather and father, on the anniversary of the country’s founding.
“When [Kim] appeared in the theater’s auditorium with his wife, Ri Sol Ju, amidst the welcome music, the audience gave thunderous applause,” the official KCNA news agency reported.
TV footage showed Ri in a traditional red and black hanbok dress talking and smiling with Kim during the performance. Afterwards, the couple takes the stage to greet the artists. The dictator’s personal life is shrouded in mystery and the couple is believed to have three children, according to the South Korean Intelligence Service.
The video also features the first appearance since January 2020 of Kim’s aunt Kim Kyong-hui, a former senior official with the Workers’ Party of Korea. She appears sitting next to Ri. Kim Kyong-hui was a key figure in the young leader’s early years in power, but disappeared from the media after he ordered the execution of her husband, the powerful Jang Song-thaek, accused of treason in 2013.
Source: Folha
