A badge (portrait emblem) featuring only the face of Kim Jong-un, Chairman of the State Affairs Commission, was spotted for the first time at an official North Korean event on the 30th. It appears that the solo idolization of Chairman Kim is now being actively pursued.
On the 29th, Jo Yong-won, the Party Organization Secretary, wore a badge (portrait emblem) engraved with Chairman Kim Jong-un's face on the left chest while participating in a discussion during the second day of the 10th plenary meeting of the 8th Central Committee of the Workers' Party. June 30, 2024 (Photo by Yonhap News)
In photos from the second day of the 10th plenary meeting of the 8th Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea, released by the Korean Central News Agency, all attending officials appeared wearing portrait emblems with Kim Jong-un's face on their chests. These photos were published not only by the external media outlet KCNA but also in the Workers' Party organ newspaper Rodong Sinmun, which is read by North Korean citizens.
It is known that the solo portrait emblem of Kim Jong-un was produced after Kim Jong-il's death in 2012, but this is the first time that its actual use inside North Korea has been confirmed. Officials from the Central Special Zone Development Guidance Bureau of North Korea responded to reporters' questions during the 5th inter-Korean working-level talks in 2013 about whether "Kim Jong-un's portrait emblem has been released" by saying, "It was made in early 2012. There are two types: a round shape and a square shape."
The portrait emblem is a representative idolization item of the Kim family. It is mandatory for all North Korean citizens, from ordinary residents to the highest-ranking officials, to wear it on their chests. After Kim Jong-il's death, portrait emblems featuring both Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il were mass-distributed, and most residents wore them.
The fact that the highest-ranking officials attending the plenary meeting wore portrait emblems featuring only Kim Jong-un's face is interpreted as a measure emphasizing the "exclusive idolization of Kim Jong-un."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
