The portraits of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un were hung side by side with those of his two late predecessors, according to photos released by state media on Wednesday, in the latest sign of boosting his idolization to near the level of his grandfather Kim Il-sung and father Kim Jong-il.
North Korea has been strengthening the personality cult of the current leader since Kim took office in 2011 following the sudden death of his father Kim Jong-il in communism’s second hereditary succession of power.
The portraits of the three were hung on the walls of a classroom at a newly built school for the country’s ruling party officials while Kim was in attendance on Tuesday, according to the photos released by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). The photos were also carried by the Rodong Sinmun, the North’s main newspaper.
It marks the first time that North Korea’s media has shown portraits of the three displayed together.
The KCNA previously had reported on Kim’s attendance at the Central Cadres Training Sch
ool of the Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK) in Pyongyang on May 15, but at that time, only portraits of the two late leaders were shown.
“It is very meaningful as displaying Kim Jong-un’s portrait alongside those of his predecessors signifies his equal standing with the former leaders,” said Hong Min, a senior research fellow at the Korea Institute for National Unification.
Hong said such a display could become widespread in other locations. Portraits of the two late leaders are displayed in almost every major facility and even in people’s homes nationwide.
Seoul’s unification ministry said the alignment of the photos is very exceptional, suggesting that the move could be part of the regime’s new phase of propaganda aimed at elevating the young leader’s status.
“We will continue to closely monitor North Korea’s trends, paying special attention to the idolization of Kim Jong-un,” said an official on the condition of anonymity.
During an opening ceremony of the school on Tuesday, Kim expressed his satisfactio
n with the successful completion of the building, saying that “the world’s best school has taken on its majestic appearance as the ‘pedigree farm’ for training the backbone of the Party,” according to the KCNA’s English dispatch.
The visit follows another visit just six days earlier on May 15. He had also inspected its construction on March 30.
The training school, which traces its roots back to the Central Party School established in 1946, is the highest educational facility to train WPK officials.
The construction of its new campus began in April last year, reflecting North Korea’s priority on educating future party officials as it seeks to tighten social discipline against the inflow of outside information amid economic difficulties.
Over the course of the yearlong construction period, Kim visited the site three times, a move that could show his commitment to the education of party officials, which is essential for the long-term maintenance of the regime.
Source: Yonhap News Agency