He is the most beloved man in North Korea.
Perhaps because there’s a strict law that
tells you to love him or else.
Kim Jong-Un has become the subject of many
news features and documentaries and the stories
surrounding him are more interesting than
the facts about his real life.
To the outside world he is a crazy despot
who has a strange friendship with Dennis Rodman of all people
but to North Koreans, he is a being sent by
the gods to save them from turmoil and bring
them to paradise.
So today we are exploring these myths and counting
down to the 10 reasons why North Koreans think
Kim Jong-Un is a god.
Number Ten: Daddy Was a God
In order to be a god you must also have parents
who are gods.
The late dictator, Kim Jong-il, was a mythical
being to North Koreans as well as Kim Il-Sung,
Jong-Un’s grandfather.
The “Kims” are said to have descended
from a bloodline that was chosen by ancient
gods to save North Korea.
According to an official biography, Kim Jong-Il
was born atop a mountain considered to be
sacred by North Koreans.
During his birth on that winter night, a star
appeared in the sky and immediately the season
changed to spring as if to herald his coming
into the world and roll out the red carpet
for North Korea’s savior.
But in actuality, according to North Korea’s
Soviet allies, Kim Jong-Il was born in a small
Siberian village in 1941, far from any mountain
and nowhere near the Korean peninsula.
However, the myth was cemented by the North
Korean population and extending the same mythical
personality to Kim Jong-Un who is now equally
considered heaven sent.
Number Nine: Hamburger Meister
Who doesn’t love burgers?
Nice crispy slices of bacon. Maybe an avocado.
It’s just so perfect and has become an icon
in the American diet as well as one of the
world’s most recognized sandwiches.
And the world has Kim Jong-il to thank for
that.
Calling it “Double Bread with Meat”, Kim
Jong-Un’s father was considered to be the
creator and father of this delicious piece
of delicacy that he sees as the national dish
of North Korea.
Who would not want to sing praises to the
son of the man who brought us the hamburger?
Kim Jong-Il, during his last days made every
effort to secure Kim Jong-Un’s position
as his heir as well as deeply etch his cult
of personality into the minds of a subjugated
nation.
Claiming that the hamburger was an invention
of his was a small piece of a bigger puzzle
that helped secure Kim Jong-Un’s now incontestable
power.
Number Eight: Despot Style
Shortly after Kim Jong-Il’s death, his signature
grey military overall was being celebrated
by the international fashion community according
to North Korean State media; according to
fashion designers, the Kim Jong-Il model
is something unprecedented in the world’s
history.
Fast forward to Kim Jong-Un’s rise to power,
his haircut has made quite a statement to
the country as well.
As the closely cropped haircut with a bushy
top grew in “popularity”, North Korean
men have been known to cut their hair the
same way as Kim Jong-Un as they see him as
a man of immense style, calling the style
of haircut “Ambition”.
If you ask us, you really have to be pretty
ambitious to walk in a sea of people with
with that haircut
No wonder that Kim Jong-un was voted
the “Sexiest Man Alive” by The Onion in
2012
Number Seven: Blessed Bowels
Like his father and his grandfather before
him, Kim Jong-Un, according to North Korean
media and his biographers, are perfect human
beings and are highly evolved that their bodies
have done away with bowel movement.
It is strongly believed by North Koreans that
Kim Jong-il and Kim Jong-un’s bodies were
so perfectly “calibrated” that they never
need to urinate or defecate.
Their official biographers also states that
they can consume food and their bodies would
absorb all of the nutrients and, somehow,
get rid of unneeded elements in the food without
any kind of toiletry
Number Six: The Shining Sun
North Koreans revere their leaders highly,
and that’s an understatement.
Placing portraits of their leaders in their
homes, offices, and even schools gives a little
bit of an eerie vibe that you may only encounter
in a George Orwell novel but that is daily
life for an average North Korean.
Each success, big or small, is attributed
to their leaders – dead or alive – and
with good reason
They are all expected to adore them like one
would adore a relic from a Saint or like a
religious zealot.
The Kims have quite a monopoly on this in
order to strengthen their image for whatever
purpose
Like his father and his grandfather before
him, Kim Jong-Un is showered with titles from
the ceremonial to the ones that they seem
to have just come up with on the spot.
In 2012, in addition to being satirically
declared The Sexiest Man Alive by The Onion,
a 1800-foot hillside carving was made and
dedicated to him by his country and reads:
“Long Live [The] General, Long Live The
Shining Sun.”
The Shining Sun was among his many titles
but he is mostly known as The General or The
Supreme Leader, following the tradition of
titles such as “The Eternal Leader” for
Kim Il-Sung and “The Generalissimo” or
“The Great Leader” for Kim Jong-il.
Number Five: Heir to Greatness
Kim Jong-Un was undoubtedly as great as his
father, at least according to North Korean
state media.
Apparently so, in his youth, Kim Jong-Un was
already an expert sailor that could have given
a few tips to the pros.
What’s even more amazing was the fact that
Kim Jong-Un learned how to drive by the age
of three and was really good at it as
well; something that most youth in the Western
everybody else in the world must envy
Adding to his extensive resume of skills and
talents
Kim Jong-un is also a celebrated composer
and musician sharing his fame and talent across
the globe.
Number Four: Time Lord
Aside from the United States, North Korea
has a degree of disdain towards other countries
aside from hating on the US
North Korea’s bitterness against Japan,
however, comes with an interesting story.
For decades, North Koreans held a strong belief
that during their occupation in 1919, they
stole Time from the country.
Yes, Time; which, according to them, was an
injustice to the North Korean people.
On August 15th, 2015, this “injustice”
was corrected when Kim Jong-Un himself gave
time back to the North Korean people, winding
their clocks back by half and hour.
Number Three: No Contest
Years after Kim Jong-Un took control of the
country, he declared that elections should
take place in order to show to the world that
North Korea was not a totalitarian regime
and gave its people a form of democracy that
allows them civil liberties.
In this electoral move, Kim Jong-Un won 99.9%
of the votes, showing that he is only 0.1%
more popular than his father.
According to news reports from media agencies
outside of North Korea, people were not allowed
to choose another candidate but they must
cast votes in a “specially designated”
booth.
Number Two: Picture of Youth
While it is not quite mythical or god-like,
Kim Jong-Un is known as the youngest world
leader.
While there is much speculation about his
true age and date of birth, this fact has
worked wonders for the North Korean leader
to his advantage.
With learning how to drive at the age of 3,
and being a master sailor before he reached
his teens, being the youngest world leader
adds more wood to the fire of his cult of
personality that North Korea sings praises
over and creates parades for.
On a similar note, the speculation about his
true year of birth is within the years 1982,
1983, or 1984; which puts him in his mid 30’s.
Number One: A Global Event
The North Korean PR machine is an incredible
thing that it can really make people believe
the things they say about their leaders.
Starting in schools and conditioning children
to devote their lives to glorify Kim Jong-Un
and his father, as well as his grandfather,
songs are always sung about their lives and
the mythology that envelops it.
Taking our Number One spot is the myth North
Koreans are led to believe that Kim Jong-Un’s
birthday is a global event.
Just like Christmas or New Year’s day, North
Koreans are told that Kim Jong-Un is beloved
by all the people in the world that they celebrate
his birthday and mark it as a special occasion
that warrants parades and festivities akin
to the ones done within the hermit state.
This pushes Kim Jong-Un’s godlike status
in the minds of the North Korean people because
what deity would not want to have a feast
day dedicated to him and celebrated internationally?
