Kim’s besotted public takes centre stage in new video ‘love letter’
NORTH Koreans sing enthusiastically about their love for “friendly father” Kim Jong-un in a music video premiered at a ceremony in Pyongyang.
The song was performed to mark the completion of the second phase of a 10,000-unit housing development.
Celebrations included a firework display, the release of balloons in the colour of the national flag and a military flypast that left a trail of red smoke in the sky.
Mr Kim, wearing a black leather jacket, arrived with bodyguards in an armoured limousine said to be a gift from Vladimir Putin, the Russian president.
Members of his security team flanked the North Korean dictator while carrying bulletproof briefcases.
He stepped on to a red carpet, waving to crowds who could be seen leaping with excitement. Some were seemingly overcome with emotion.
Analysts believe the grand display is part of a growing effort to build a “cult of personality” around Kim, who has ruled the reclusive regime for the past 12 years. The ceremony was broadcast on state-run Korean Central Television on Wednesday. Singers performed on a rooftop stage opposite Mr Kim and his entourage.
The upbeat tune “Friendly Father” praises their leader for the “brighter future” he offers North Koreans, Seoulbased news site NK News reported.
Mr Kim is shown in the video enjoying the adoration of his troops and the flag-waving members of the public – many presumed to be residents of the newly built apartments.
The estate completes part of Mr Kim’s 2021 promise to deploy the military to build 50,000 new flats in the capital within five years.