North Korea’s Efforts to Portray Kim Jong Un as the ‘Father of the Socialist Family’

North Korea announced on the 15th that Kim Jong Un had overseen the test launch of a newly developed ground-to-sea missile on the 14th. [Photo: Yonhap News]

Since the beginning of this year, it has been seen that North Korea has been stepping up its attempts to solidify the regime through the use of the late Kim Il Sung and to idolize Kim Jong Un.

According to the Ministry of Unification’s assessment in the “Recent Political and Economic Trends in North Korea,” released on the 15th, “North Korea is proud to idolize General Secretary Kim and maintain his authority by using images of the late President Kim as a ‘Supreme Commander in Wartime,’ ‘Parent of the Socialist Family,’ and ‘Ideological Leader’ since the beginning of the year.”

They added, “General Secretary Kim mentioned ‘conquering South Korean territory’ at the party’s plenary meeting in December last year, reminiscent of ‘Making One Unified Nation’ used by the late President Kim in the North Korean government policy on September 10, 1948.” They analyzed, “General Secretary Kim is emphasizing to the citizens that he is the supreme commander who inherited the late President Kim’s will of military unification.”

Movements also highlight General Secretary Kim as an “ideological leader” like the late President Kim. At the North Korean Central Research Forum held on the 5th of last month, “Kim Jong Un’s Revolutionary Idea” was praised as “the sole idea of guidance for the party and revolution,” and the Central Research Forum was a means of promoting the late President Kim’s Juche Ideology from the past.

A government official from the Ministry of Unification explained in a meeting with reporters, “The party regulations (2021) in North Korea specify ‘the principle of Kim Il Sung & Kim Jong Il’ as ‘the sole idea of guidance,’ but when we look at the content of the recent Central Research Forum, there is a possibility that this section of the party regulations could be revised in the future.”

They interpreted, “The intention is to elevate General Secretary Kim’s idea to the highest ideology of the state to build an image of an excellent ideological leader who, like his predecessors, proposed an independent governing ideology and secure his political standing.”

The Ministry of Unification also stated that North Korea is trying to strengthen the image of Kim as the “Father of the Socialist Family.”

Kim made public appearances about children and youth. For example, he chose to witness a student performance on New Year’s Day, glorifying it as a “benevolent father of the entire nation.” The attendance of the North Korean supreme leader at the student New Year performance is the first in 30 years since the late Kim Il Sung in 1994.

Since Kim’s daughter Ju Ae made her public appearance in November 2022, the Ministry of Unification has analyzed that the frequent exposure of Kim accompanied by his daughter is intended to emphasize Kim’s fatherly image through the portrayal of a loving father and daughter.

“Propagating the image as the father of the socialist family, after the era of the late President Kim’s support benefits has gone, is proof of economic difficulties and weakened collectivism,” A Ministry of Unification official added. “Negative perceptions of the North Korean regime are increasing among North Korean citizens due to the spread of foreign culture, and especially, opposition to the Baekdu bloodline succession has been strengthening since Kim took power.”

Meanwhile, regarding Kim’s “Provincial Development 20×10” policy in the State Affairs speech last month, the Ministry of Unification commented, “It proves that there is considerable discontent due to chronic economic difficulties and the gap between Pyongyang and other provinces.”

It also pointed out, “North Korea acknowledges its underdevelopment and attempts to raise expectations among the populace by proposing a ten-year plan. However, the viability of local development initiatives lacking fundamental measures like giving up nuclear weapons and engaging in reform and opening is limited.”