North Korea has unveiled a new song extolling leader Kim Jong Un as a “friendly father” and a “great leader” in what appears to be a propaganda initiative aimed at bolstering his image within the reclusive state.
The music video for the song premiered on Wednesday on the state-controlled Korean Central Television, showcasing North Koreans from various backgrounds, including children, troops, and medical personnel, enthusiastically singing lines such as “Let’s sing, Kim Jong Un the great leader” and “Let’s brag about Kim Jong Un, a friendly father.”
A live performance of the song, accompanied by an orchestra and attended by Kim, was also broadcast on state television during a ceremony commemorating the completion of 10,000 new homes.
The Kim family dynasty, which has governed North Korea since its establishment after World War II, has historically sought to bolster its authority through the cultivation of personality cults.
The upbeat song titled “Friendly Father” emerges at a time when North Korean state media has altered the name of a public holiday, leading to speculation that the move is intended to reinforce Kim’s position. Instead of referring to the annual holiday celebrating the birth of the country’s founder Kim Il Sung as “Day of the Sun,” state media has largely adopted the more neutral term “April holiday.”
These adjustments may signify Kim’s endeavor to establish his own legacy distinct from that of his predecessors, suggested an official at South Korea’s Unification Ministry.
