The pins are part of a state-sponsored mythology surrounding the Kim family which treats Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il like gods.
For the first time, North Korean officials have been seen wearing lapel pins with the image of leader Kim Jong Un, another sign the North is boosting his personality cult to the level bestowed on his late dictator father and grandfather.
Few question current leader Kim Jong Un's hold on power, but few images honouring the 40-year-old have been displayed in public since he took power in late 2011 upon his father's death. Recently, however, he has begun taking steps to boost his own personality cult while also trying to further move out of the shadow of his father's and grandfather's legacies.
She said Kim is also likely trying to boost internal solidarity behind his leadership as he grapples with economic hardships and the influence of South Korean pop culture. "The question is, now that Kim has stepped out from the shadow of his predecessors, whether he will undertake policy adjustments to break with North Korea's past economic failures," Easley said.
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