North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un has been increasingly referred to as the "Great President" by the nation's media, a title that was once considered to be "eternal" and exclusive to his late grandfather, Kim Il Sung.
This shift in nomenclature has been observed approximately 26 times in the past seven months.
In 1998, the North Korean government amended its constitution, designating Kim Il Sung as the "eternal president" and subsequently abolishing the office. The constitution states, "Under the leadership of the Workers' Party of Korea, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and the Korean people will hold the great leader Comrade Kim Il-sung in high esteem as the eternal President of the Republic."
Kim Il Sung's son and successor, Kim Jong Il, never assumed the title of "Great President," presumably out of respect for his father. Following his death in 2012, he was posthumously recognized in the constitution as "the eternal Chairman of the National Defence Commission of the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea."
However, the nation's media has been increasingly referring to Kim Jong Un as the "Great President" over recent years. In 2020, he was referred to by this title only four times, which increased to 16 times in 2021, and 24 times in 2022. This pattern indicates Kim Jong Un's readiness to breach the "eternal" protocols established by his predecessors.
The Kim dynasty has cultivated a quasi-religious reverence around their lineage since the establishment of the North Korean government in 1948. The country operates under a distinct interpretation of communist political ideology known as "juche," which centralizes all functional power in the hands of a "supreme leader."
The state-controlled media and government communications reinforce the Kim family's elevated status, attributing them with exceptional intelligence and a broad range of skills. This recent shift in title usage for Kim Jong Un further underscores the family's continued consolidation of power and influence within the nation.
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