Hype and Flourish

North Korea’s desi propaganda

When Kim Jong-Il died, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), North Korea’s official news agency, had reported that a fierce snowstorm paused, the sky glowed red above the sacred Mount Paektu and the ice on a well-known lake (Heaven Lake) cracked so loud, ‘it seemed to shake the Heavens and the Earth’. And it has kept up the good work. According to a story dated 21 October, the agency reports that Indian newspapers had special write-ups, setting aside an entire full page, to celebrate a number of events. These include Jong-Il’s 15th anniversary as General Secretary of the Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK’s progenitor), the party’s 67th anniversary and the Down-with-Imperialism Union’s (considered  by North Korea as the WPK) 86th anniversary. The names of the Indian newspapers include ‘The Indian and World Event’ and ‘Passion India’. Among other things, these newspapers reportedly wrote that ‘people call the WPK, mother party’ and that First Secretary Kim Jong-Un is now ‘the great leader of this party’.

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