Kim Jong Un Not Doing Too Well

Vermilion wrote:https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-52508437

The supreme leader has returned?

It's actually his sequal, Kim Jong Deux.

Memes on Imgur saying the "return" was made using a body double.

What's going on in North Korea?

Activity in Kim Il-Sung Square in Pyongyang has re-ignited speculation about the health - and whereabouts - of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

The removal of two massive portraits of Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il - Kim's grandfather and father respectively - were reported by the Seoul-based and US-backed NK News website yesterday.

And it was further reported a statue of Kim Jong-il had also been removed.

https://www.newschain.uk/news/removal-p ... ng-un-8337

I've seen speculation that suggests that one or more possible scenarios could be unfolding...

1: Kim Jong-un Died.

The Dear Leader cannot have a portrait and statue in this square unless they're dead. If they're making room for Kim Jong-un's statue and portrait, then he's gone.

In that case, the ruling body may be trying to ease the populace into the idea of whatever new order is coming next.

2: Expanding Succession Options

Kim Jong-un, presumably still alive (or if not then whomever is now in charge), may be embarking on a campaign of de-emphasizing the cult surrounding Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il. This would go some way to explaining why Kim Jong-un didn't attend his late grandfather's birthday celebrations.

By disassociating the state with the Kim family's patrilineal line of succession, the road would be cleared for a nontraditional successor to acquire legitimacy - the much-discussed sister, perhaps. Maybe even a military junta, if you want to tie this back to the first scenario.

3: Hard Times for the Dictatorship

The nasty fact of life for dictators throughout history is that times of trouble (e.g. falling far behind rival powers) very often breed resentment among the handful of people who actually create the power that the dictator wields, and prop them up with it.

If they aren't being kept rich, fat and happy by the dictator, Kim Jong-un is in trouble. And when that happens, history tells us that aristocracies will, in difficult times, when the incompetence of the government becomes harder to hide, demand concessions from their monarch.

But North Korea isn't entirely closed off - China has long been a key component of the regime's support base. If they don't believe that Kim Jong-un is working in their interests (oh but he does so enjoy palling around with their trade war adversary Trump), if he isn't subservient enough, if he won't deliver like his father and grandfather did, then... who knows. Maybe the Chinese are finally done with the Kim family.

Without a clear idea of what's going on behind the scenes within the North Korean political structure, we'll just have to wait and see.

Every house in NK is required to have portraits of their former leaders on the wall (which must be kept dust free), if Kim Jong Un has to join them, some houses may find themselves running out of space.

Also, regarding statues, tourists visiting must make sure that when they take a pic of a statue, the entire statue must fit into the frame as it's otherwise considered disrespectful, you cannot zoom in on just the head or feet. Michael Palin's crew found that when making their channel 5 show.

Look, if I want to worship the Dear Leader's loafers, I'm going to worship his loafers. Got it? Good.

Sits and waits