North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s ascent into power is directly attributed to his father Kim Jong-il and his grandfather Kim Il-sung. In possible hopes of stepping away from the shadows of his father and grandfather, the current North Korean leader is reportedly promoting a new ideology.
Reports from North Korean state media suggest that Kim is looking to break away from the shadows of his father and grandfather that loom over his tenure as the nation’s leader. This comes as Kim has reportedly removed the portraits of his father and grandfather in the official buildings of Pyongyang in order to emphasize his rule as the nation’s divine leader. Kim has also been referred to by the title used on his grandfather Kim Il-sung, as the “Great Leader.”
The South Korean spy agency also revealed that the term “Kimjongunism” had been pushed around governmental circles in North Korea. The isolated nation has yet to formally use the term.
“The signal cannot be clearer,” wrote North Korea expert Fyodor Tertitskiy of Kookmin University in Seoul on the site NK News. “Kim Jong-un does not like certain aspects of the system that his father and grandfather have forged — specifically the one tying the successor’s legitimacy to his deference to his predecessors. The current leader wants to be his own autocrat.”
It should be noted that this is not the first time an ideology was named after a North Korean leader. Kim’s grandfather, Kim Il-sung, coined “Kimilsungism” in the 1970s, back when the Soviet Union was rejecting personality cults. The state media also began to embrace “Kimjongilism” when Kim’s father, Kim Jong-il, emerged as Kim Il-sung’s successor.
In other related news, North Korea is currently facing a food crisis. In response, Kim has urged citizens to consume swans, according to state media, in order to curb the famine the nation is experiencing following the floods and typhoons that affected the country on top of the pandemic.
North Korean state newspaper Rodong Sinmun announced Monday a plan to breed black swans that would help solve the food crisis the nation is currently facing.
“Black swan meat is delicious and has medicinal value,” said the newspaper.