North Korea has publicly unveiled a portrait badge featuring the face of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un for the first time.
Rodong Sinmun reported on the proceedings of the second day of the 10th plenary meeting of the 8th Central Committee held on June 29. In the photos released by the newspaper on June 30, all the speaking officials were seen wearing badges with Kim’s face.
While there have been occasional mentions that badges featuring his face were being produced within North Korea in the early stages of Kim’s rule, this is the first official confirmation.
The portrait badge of North Korea’s supreme leader is a must-wear item for everyone, from the general public to the highest officials, so it is expected that images of North Korean residents wearing badges featuring Kim’s face will also be released in the future. The first appearance of a portrait badge of Kim Il Sung in North Korea was in 1970. Kim Jong Il began producing and distributing badges featuring his face for the first time after Kim Il Sung passed away in 1994.
The production of portrait badges is associated with the establishment of Kim’s unique idolization and ruling ideology, which completely breaks away from the framework of his predecessors. North Korea has been building Kim Jong Un-ism, the supreme leader’s unique ruling ideology that rivals Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il-ism, for about 2-3 years now.
In this process, the first step of idolization, the mosaic mural, was first confirmed at the Ryonpho Greenhouse Farm in October 2022. About 18 months later, in May, the portrait of Kim hanging alongside his predecessors in the classrooms and on the outer walls of the buildings at the party’s central cadre school made its first appearance.
The rapid idolization of Kim, which has been taking place recently, was carried out as his rule surpassed 10 years. This signifies that within North Korea, Kim’s standing has risen to the same level as his predecessors.
Following the introduction of the portrait badge, there is a possibility that the ultimate form of idolization, such as the creation of statues (sculptures) or institutional measures reflecting Kim’s idolization in the constitution or party regulations, could take place.