The dictator of North Korea Kim Jong-un presents the citizens of Pyongyang with frozen fish. What is behind the unusual action?
Pyongyang – The citizens of the capital of North Korea received a special kind of Christmas present from the country’s dictator. Kim Jong-un had thousands of tons of frozen fish and seafood delivered to Pyongyang and distributed free of charge, as reported by the portal nknews.org. There is more to the action than the first glance suggests.
The blocks of frozen fish were delivered to Pyongyang in trains and trucks, as the state-run Korean Central News Agency reported on Tuesday (December 21, 2021). In fact, the fish gifts have less to do with Christmas than with the anniversary of the dictator’s father’s death. The former ruler Kim Jong-il died on December 17, 2011, his successor Kim Jong-un has been in power in North Korea for ten years. One day before his death, he is said to have given the order to supply the people of Pyongyang with fresh fish.
North Korea: Kim Jong-un gives citizens of Pyongyang frozen fish
The gift to the citizens of the capital of North Korea could be an attempt to benefit from the personality cult around Kim Jong-il, as Hing Min told nknews.org. She conducts research in South Korea on issues related to Korean reunification.
A look at who exactly got the fish supports the theory that Kim Jong-un is trying to generate goodwill with it. According to Peter Ward, a researcher on the economy in North Korea, only very influential people in Pyongyang received the gift. Their benevolence is important for the regime to survive. Another narrative comes from the KCNA. According to them, the fish represents “devotional service to the welfare of the people” and the “love that is shown for the citizens of Pyongyang”.
| Surname | Kim Jong Un |
|---|---|
| birth date | 01/08/1984 |
| place of birth | Pyongyang |
| Official title | “Supreme Leader” of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea “ |
Fish gifts from Kim Jong-un: In memory of former rulers of North Korea
This is not the first time that Kim Jong-un has given the citizens of Pyongyang frozen fish. As early as December 2011, a few days after taking office, the ruler is said to have sent such a delivery to the capital, as reported by nknews.org. There was also a similar delivery at the end of 2016, when it was the fifth anniversary of the death of his father.
The dictator also wants to remember his father’s death in other unusual ways: Kim Jong-un has ordered a 11-day ban on laughing in North Korea. (vbu)
