North Korea's new leader Kim Jong-un is showing a growing resemblance to his grandfather and the country's founder Kim Il-sung, but the similarities may be a deliberate attempt to justify the young leader's inheritance of power, North Korean defectors in Seoul said Thursday.
The communist state formally declared Kim Jong-un to be its new leader last month following the Dec. 17 death of his father and former leader Kim Jong-il. The young Kim is believed to be in his late 20s, but images and footage of his attendance at recent public events conjure up the physical appearance and mannerisms of his grandfather.
According to Yonhap News Agency's analysis of decades-old footage of Kim Il-sung posted on YouTube and recent images of Kim Jong-un released by North Korean state television, the new leader is a spitting image of his grandfather in attire, appearance, gestures and manner of walking.
North Korean defectors in Seoul said the resemblance is likely to be a deliberate and carefully planned strategy to project the image of the much-revered Kim Il-sung on the young and inexperienced new leader in the process of solidifying power in the regime.
"Some North Koreans say the current situation in the country is worse than at the end of Japan's (1910-1945) colonial rule (over the Korean Peninsula)," said An Chan-il, a defector who now heads the World Institute for North Korea Studies in Seoul. "It appears that (the North Korean regime) is trying to convey the message that 'Kim Il-sung has appeared in difficult times' by showing a striking resemblance between Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-un."
In one video clip of Kim Jong-un's visit to a tank division on New Year's Day, the young leader walks with both hands in his coat pockets and sticks out his stomach while moving his hips from side to side. Archives showed his grandfather walking in the same way during a visit to China in the 1950s.
Kim Jong-un is also seen laughing out loud on several occasions and locking arms with a soldier for a photo shoot at the base. His grandfather, during a visit to Vietnam in 1957, could be seen coming down a flight of stairs arm in arm with the country's president, Ho Chi Minh, while sporting a broad smile.
Moreover, the two Kims are often seen wearing the same type of coat, gloves and hairstyle.
"Kim Jong-un's appearance is similar to that of Kim Il-sung aged 33 on his return trip from Russia, but it seems to have been fabricated," An said. (Yonhap)
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