North Korea urges 'absolute trust' in leader Kim Jong-un on 10th anniversary of his father's death
North Korea's top newspaper on Friday daubed its front page with a large portrait of late leader Kim Jong-il to mark the 10th anniversary of his death, calling for "absolute trust" in his son and successor Kim Jong-un.
Rodong Sinmun, the official daily of the ruling Korean Workers' Party, published the large colour portrait of a smiling Kim Jong-il wearing metal-brimmed glasses and sporting bouffant hair, with the current leader declaring the "great general" will live eternally in the hearts and minds of his people.
"The Kumsusan Palace of the Sun is being overwhelmed by people's intense longing and grief for the great leader Kim Jong-il", a newspaper editorial said under a headline reading "The Great Leader Comrade Kim Jong-il is the eternal leader of the party and revolution and the sun of Juche", the North's ideology of self-reliance.
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Kumsusan refers to the mausoleum in Pyongyang where the embalmed bodies of Kim Jong-il and the North's founder Kim Il-sung, the grandfather of Kim Jong-un, are preserved.
"All people and soldiers should have absolute trust in the general secretary, have their fate and future completely entrusted to him and guard his safety and authority," it said.
The newspaper urged people to ratchet up efforts to meet the first-year goals of its five-year development plan unveiled at a January party congress under Kim's leadership as the country faces deepening economic difficulties due to international sanctions and self-imposed isolation to fend off the pandemic.
It is people's "moral duty" to the late leader to "follow his son's guidance faithfully", the daily said, quoting Kim Jong-un as saying "the general lives in my heart, soldiers' and people's hearts eternally".
"We must hold the great general in high esteem as the eternal leader of the party and the people and succeed the general's great revolutionary achievements," it said.
Kim died on December 17, 2011, after having ruled the reclusive regime since the death of his father Kim Il-sung in 1994.
Wang Chen, vice-chairman of the standing committee of the Chinese National People's Congress (NPC), attended a memorial service at the North Korean embassy in Beijing to convey President Xi Jinping's "warm greetings and best wishes" to the North's leader, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).
Ten years after Kim Jong-un assumed power North Korea is better armed but deeply isolated and more dependent on China, despite actions by the young leader that raised, and dashed, hopes of economic transformation or international opening.
Kim's pursuit of nuclear weapons defined his first 10 years in power, but analysts say the path has left him isolated and facing perhaps the greatest challenges yet.
"Kim Jong-un appears to be satisfied with what he has achieved in building up nuclear deterrence with the North's own resources and efforts. Now he is wondering; "Why can't we do the same on the economic front?" said Professor Yang Moo-jin of the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul.
"Barring any direct insults against the leader himself or further sanctions from the US, Kim is likely to focus on improving people's living standards and easing food shortages in the coming years instead of conducting further nuclear or ICBM (intercontinental ballistic missile) tests," Yang said.
The North is expected to hold a plenary meeting of the party's central committee later this month, where it is noteworthy to watch what signals the North may send toward the South and the US, he said.
The US has kept North Korea on its list of state sponsors of terrorism, a state department report showed on Thursday. The North was added to it in 2017 when North Korean agents assassinated Kim Jong-un's half-brother Kim Jong-nam in Malaysia, using a toxic nerve agent.
After pushing the China-North Korea relationship to a historical low by prioritising the development of nuclear weapons and missiles then criticising Beijing for supporting sanctions, Kim managed to quickly repair ties, said Zhao Tong, a strategic security expert in Beijing.
China now accounts for the vast majority of North Korea's limited international trade, and the governments in both countries share the goals of promoting socialist ideology and countering Western influence, he said.
"Despite Kim's preference to diversify North Korea's international partnerships, he is likely to continue relying heavily on support from China and a small number of other like-minded countries," Zhao added.
Additional reporting by Reuters
This article originally appeared on the South China Morning Post (SCMP).
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