Taeyoungho: "Kim Jong-un, who praises Hello Kitty, should be sentenced to labor reform"

North Korean Foreign Ministry Posts Propaganda Anecdote About Sock Factory
Kim Jong Un: "Hello Kitty Socks Are Pretty... Is There Winnie the Pooh?"
Taeyongho: "Isn't This a Violation of the Anti-Reactionary Thought Law? Try Punishing Them"

'Defector diplomat' Tae Yong-ho, a member of the People Power Party, criticized the anecdote that North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un was greatly pleased while looking at children's socks decorated with foreign characters, saying, "Stop trying to package the image with tricks." This is a criticism of the North Korean authorities, who have strongly controlled the influx of foreign culture, for packaging the unauthorized use of characters as the supreme leader's 'spirit of caring for the people.'

On the 28th, through 'Weekly North Korea Trends,' Representative Tae stated, "According to the Anti-Reactionary Thought and Culture Elimination Law, North Korea punishes those who introduce or spread the culture of 'hostile countries' with labor reform through education," adding, "The North Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs recently revealed that Kim Jong-un visited the Pyongyang sock factory and was pleased to see children's socks decorated with Sanrio's 'Hello Kitty' from Japan, saying they were 'pretty.' According to North Korean law, Kim Jong-un himself should be subjected to labor reform through education."

Tae Young-ho, member of the People Power Party./Photo by Dongju Yoon doso7@

Earlier, on the 21st, the North Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs shared an anecdote about Kim Jong-un related to the factory under the title 'The Story Told by the Pyongyang Sock Factory.' The Ministry stated, "(Kim Jong-un) looked at the 'Kitty' socks with a cute cat drawn on the ankle and said they were 'pretty,'" and "He asked if there were also 'Pooh' socks and said with joy, 'Children would like to wear such sample children's socks.'"

It was considered somewhat unusual that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs introduced the anecdote about Kim Jong-un while using the names of foreign characters as they are. Especially since 'Hello Kitty' and 'Winnie the Pooh' are characters from Japan and the United States respectively, and considering that the North Korean leadership has consistently fostered hostility toward the U.S. and frequently expressed anti-Japanese sentiment, this behavior appears contradictory.

North Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kim Jong-un Shares Anecdote "Hello Kitty Socks Are Pretty"

Representative Tae pointed out, "It is necessary to note that the place where Kim Jong-un's remarks about American and Japanese cartoon character socks were published is the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which North Korean residents cannot see," evaluating the anecdote as a message directed outward. He suggested that this was an attempt to create an image that Chairman Kim Jong-un is not a 'closed leader' who rejects and punishes foreign things unconditionally.

He continued, "As North Korea faces increasing human rights pressure from the international community, this is merely a trick to evade it somehow," analyzing, "Regarding North Korea's Anti-Reactionary Thought and Culture Elimination Law, which the international community has criticized as the most brutal evil law of the 21st century, they are presenting the image of 'Look, our supreme leader is making efforts by using characters from hostile countries for the people.'"

Representative Tae also emphasized, "Now, when people are dying of starvation due to a severe food shortage, no one will be fooled by North Korea's tricks," adding, "If North Korea truly cares about the human rights of its people, the priority should be to immediately stop nuclear development and missile provocations and come to the denuclearization negotiation table."

Kim Jong-un emphasizing the 'domestication of women's stockings' during his visit to the Pyongyang Sock Factory in August 2014. / Rodong Sinmun

Meanwhile, the 'Pyongyang Sock Factory' introduced by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is known to have been constructed on June 20, 1962, under the direction of President Kim Il-sung 61 years ago. It is presumed that the promotional anecdote was posted on the website on the 21st to coincide with this timing. Previously, in August 2014, Kim Jong-un visited the factory and held a pair of black women's stockings, ordering 'domestication.' At that time, the Rodong Sinmun extensively reported this news on its front page.

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