- Title: North Korea bolsters leader Kim with birthday loyalty oaths
- Date: 6th May 2024
- Summary: SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA (RECENT - MAY 3, 2024) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF RESEARCHER AND PRESIDENT OF SAND (SOUTH AND NORTH DEVELOPMENT) INSTITUTE, CHOI KYONG-HUI HOLDING OATH AND SPEAKING (SOUNDBITE) (Korean) RESEARCHER AND PRESIDENT OF SAND (SOUTH AND NORTH DEVELOPMENT) INSTITUTE, CHOI KYONG-HUI, SAYING: “This oath consists of five articles, all of which are aimed at idolizing Kim
- Embargoed: 20th May 2024 02:56
- Keywords: Kim Jong Un North Korea birthday daughter leader leadership oath
- Location: SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA / UNIDENTIFIED LOCATION, NORTH KOREA / VARIOUS FILMING LOCATIONS
- City: SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA / UNIDENTIFIED LOCATION, NORTH KOREA / VARIOUS FILMING LOCATIONS
- Country: North Korea
- Topics: Asia / Pacific,Government/Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA002021106052024RP1
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: For the first time since leader Kim Jong Un took power in 2011, North Koreans were asked to take loyalty oaths on his birthday, a South Korean research institute said, amid other steps the country is taking to solidify his rule.
The loyalty oaths, which Reuters could not independently verify, were administered on what is believed to have been Kim's 40th birthday on January 8, according to the South and North Development (SAND) Institute, a Seoul-based organisation that released photos of the oath in an ornate folder on Friday (May 3).
North Korea has never officially confirmed Kim's birth date, and traditionally such oath ceremonies have been held on the anniversaries of the birthdays of his father and grandfather, the nuclear-armed country's previous rulers.
“Since he reached the age of 40 (this year), we could see many efforts to upgrade his position in the nation to absolute his power. We believe the idolisation of Kim Jong Un is being manoeuvred by himself. From this year, Kim Jong Un is being called ‘the father’ or ‘the great father,’” researcher and president of SAND Institute, Choi Kyong-hui, told Reuters.
Choi said that North Korea could move to designate Kim's birthday as an official anniversary as soon as next year.
For the first time this year, North Korea stopped referring to the April 15 birth anniversary of founding leader Kim Il Sung as the "Day of the Sun," according to a Western tour agency that has partners in Pyongyang, and analysts who study state media.
Kim has also been showing off his daughter at official visits to everything from factories to missile launches, in what analysts said is aimed at bolstering the family's claim to power.
Last month North Korea released a new song featuring North Koreans of different backgrounds ranging from children to troops and medical staff exuberantly belting out lines such as: "Let's sing, Kim Jong Un the great leader" and "Let's brag about Kim Jong Un, a friendly father".
(Production: Dogyun Kim, Jihyun Jeon, Heejung Jung, Minwoo Park) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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