Seoul:
For the first time since leader Kim Jong Un came to power in 2011, North Koreans were asked to take a loyalty oath on his birthday, a South Korean research institute said, amid other steps the country is taking to end its rule. strengthen.
The loyalty oaths, which Reuters could not independently verify, were administered on what was believed to be Kim's 40th birthday on January 8, according to the South and North Development Institute (SAND), a Seoul-based organization that released photos of the oath. in an elegant folder on Friday.
North Korea has never officially confirmed Kim's birth date, and traditionally such oath ceremonies are held on the anniversaries of the birthdays of his father and grandfather, the nuclear-armed country's former rulers.
“Kim Jong-un's choice to hold a wedding ceremony on his fortieth birthday, while he has been in power for thirteen years, signals a shift towards political assertiveness, deviating from the approach of his predecessors,” SAND said in a statement. analysis.
SAND President Choi Kyong-hui told Reuters that North Korea could mark Kim's birthday as an official birthday as early as next year.
The Kim dynasty family has ruled the country since its founding after World War II, strengthening their grip on power by building personality cults around themselves.
For the first time this year, North Korea has stopped referring to founder Kim Il Sung's April 15 birthday as the “Day of the Sun,” according to a Western travel agency with partners in Pyongyang and analysts studying state media. .
“We should see this as part of North Korea's efforts to further strengthen Kim Jong Un's leadership propaganda campaign,” Rachel Minyoung Lee of the Washington-based 38 North program said of the decision to call “Day of the Sun.” delete.
She noted that while such efforts are not new, they have come in phases over the years, with North Korea visibly accelerating efforts to strengthen Kim's leadership in certain years.
Kim has also featured his daughter on official visits to everything from factories to missile launches, which analysts say should strengthen the family's claim to power.
Last month, North Korea released a new song in which North Koreans from different backgrounds, ranging from children to military and medical personnel, exuberantly belted out lines like, “Let's sing, Kim Jong-un, the great leader” and “Let's boasting about Kim Jong-un, a kind father”.
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