Loyalty Pledges and Tears: Kim Jong Un’s Subtle Messages for North Korea’s Future

Kim Jong Un’s Tribute to Late Father Kim Jong Il
Notable Public Displays of Emotion

Recent activities of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un show subtle changes, from shedding unusual tears in public and frequently showcasing his daughter to receiving pledges of loyalty from party and military officials at a memorial event for his father.

The Korean Central News Agency reported on the 17th that Kim Jong Un paid tribute to the late Kim Jong Il at the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun on the 16th, the 12th anniversary of his death. Kim Duk Hoon, the prime minister; Jo Yong Won, the party secretary; and Choe Ryong Hae, the chairman of the Standing Committee of the Supreme People’s Assembly, were among the party and government officials who joined the tribute.

Prominent Figures in Attendance

If you look at the photos released that day, Choe Son Hui, the foreign minister; Kang Sun Nam, the defense minister; Jung Kyung Taek, the chief of the General Political Bureau of the People’s Army, and Oh Soo Yong, Lee Il Hwan, and Park Tae Sung, the party secretaries, also participated. The images also captured Kim Yo Jong, the deputy director of the Workers’ Party, and Park Jung Cheon, the party’s military-political guidance director.

The agency reported that the participants pledged loyalty to Kim Jong Un and achievements in national rejuvenation. North Korean media mainly conveyed a nationwide mourning atmosphere on the 12th anniversary of Kim Jong Il’s death, looking back on Kim Jong Il’s activities and emphasizing the superiority of military-first politics.

Meanwhile, there are interpretations that Kim Jong Un, who has recently shown tears in a row at official events and has accompanied his daughter Kim Ju Ae to various military-related events in succession, is signaling his will to pass on power to the fourth generation.

By. Hyun Ho Lee