The People Still Love Him

Image VIA

Maybe there’s a touch of Stockholm Syndrome involved, but amazingly, Kim Jong-un is still a popular chap with the people he is repressing so hard. The following quote comes from a report on NK News about a recent survey of defectors who have escaped from North Korea:

A survey of North Korean refugees attracted some attention several weeks ago. According to the survey, a full 63 percent of recently arrived refugees believed that Kim Jong-un enjoys support amongst a majority of the North Korean public.

Such findings are not all that surprising for people who interact with North Koreans frequently enough. Indeed, while the protruding belly, plump cheeks and rather bizarre haircut present a somewhat comical picture to Western audiences, a significant number of North Koreans feel much hope about the third incarnation of Kimhood, finding the young leader attractive and somewhat charismatic.

But why? One reason touted is that he looks like his grandpa, Kim Il-sung, but the odd thing about that is that Kim Il-sung’s rule was pretty darned barbaric:

His rule was remarkably brutal: the emphasis on a hyper-Stalinism at home and often adventurous, aggressive foreign policies brought terrible tidings for his people.

Having said that, Kim Il-sung was a guerrilla fighter which gave him a bit of street cred and a massive famine kicked off after he died; it was as if the Gods were mourning his loss. Although, in reality, the famine was totally his fault, his son got the blame.