North Korean State Media Strengthens Promotion of Kim Jong-un's Activities

Utilizing External Messaging Ahead of Strategic Weapons Deployment

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jang Hee-jun] An analysis has emerged that North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un’s public activities are being selectively conducted around weapons in the nuclear and missile sectors, which have high strategic and tactical value, thereby strengthening external messaging. Additionally, North Korean state media has significantly increased the use of photos when reporting on Kim’s public activities, which is also seen as an effort to reinforce Kim’s “image politics.”

On the 22nd, Hong Min, head of the North Korea Research Division at the Korea Institute for National Unification, analyzed at the institute’s monthly forum titled “Kim Jong-un’s Public Activities and Governance Strategy: Trends and Characteristics” that Kim’s public activities have generally decreased since the early days of the COVID-19 outbreak in 2020.

In particular, in the military sector, visits to weapons facilities sharply increased during the period of nuclear weapons advancement in 2016?2017, dropped to zero in 2018 when the South Korea-U.S. summit was held, rose again after the Hanoi summit collapse the following year, and then markedly declined after 2020.

Hong explained, “The pattern has shifted from inspecting all weapons to selectively visiting those that are meaningful and can be used as external messages.” He noted that the focus is on weapons with high strategic and tactical value that are about to be deployed in the field or can be promoted as major achievements, utilizing these visits for external messaging or to showcase internal accomplishments at necessary times.

Hong also pointed out that the frequency of Kim’s public activities has generally increased compared to his predecessors and diversified in type. While previous leaders’ public activities mainly consisted of “on-site guidance,” a representative governance activity of North Korea’s top leader, under Kim Jong-un’s era, this has expanded to include unit inspections, training guidance and observation, meeting leadership and attendance, visits and tours, and commemorative photo sessions.

Especially, Hong analyzed that the increased use of photos and videos of Kim’s public activities highlights the prominence of “image politics.” Although the number of photos was proportionate to the frequency of public activities during the early years of his rule from 2012 to 2016, the number of photos increased even as public activities decreased after 2020. Furthermore, while the number of photos per public activity during Kim Jong-il’s era was typically one to two, under Kim Jong-un, an average of ten photos are published per event.

Hong noted that photo sessions with defense scientists and other event participants have also started to increase again since last year. He speculated, “As public activities centered on meetings and events have increased, photo sessions have also increased, which might serve as a form of public engagement replacing on-site guidance activities.”

He added that with the North Korean Workers’ Party’s official newspaper Rodong Sinmun becoming colorized during Kim Jong-un’s era, a variety of color photos have appeared, thereby strengthening the “image politics” that mobilizes many photos.

However, public activities have generally been on a declining trend since Kim Jong-un took power. He consolidated power with an average of 179 public activities annually from 2012 to 2016, but the number notably decreased after the 7th Party Congress in 2017 and the outbreak of COVID-19 in 2020.

Hong cited the transition to a party-centered governance system after the 7th Party Congress and the restrictions on on-site activities such as on-site guidance during the pandemic period after 2020 as reasons for the decline, with public activities focusing more on party-government-military political meetings.

He explained, “Since the COVID-19 outbreak, about 21 different types of meetings, including Secretariat meetings and party-related councils, have been created. Because meetings are held either when there are issues or regularly, there are frequent periods when (Kim Jong-un’s) activities are unidentified when meetings are not held.”

Kim’s public activities have been recovering this year, and there is a forecast that they could return to pre-COVID-19 levels next year.

Hong predicted, “I think state governance through major party meetings will continue next year. Public activities are expected to become more active, but the number is anticipated to be around 100, which is the level before 2020 but after 2017.” He also forecasted that in the mid to long term, Kim’s public activities will be streamlined to focus on specific types that suit his governance style, thereby assigning greater meaning to them.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.