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In North Korea, you are never far from a Kim.
Portraits of late rulers Kim Jong Il and Kim Il Sung hang in almost every office, school and public area, and couples receive a copy on their wedding day. "Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il are considered gods" in North Korea, told NK News I Son Lee, a defector who fled the country in 2011. "That's why we have to have their portraits to be able to to be with them all the time. It's almost equivalent to having the cross of Jesus statues in the church. "
Kim Jong Un came to power in 2011 after the death of his father, Kim Jong Il, but he had no official portrait until this week.
In the painting, unveiled on public television during a Cuban president 's visit, Kim is depicted smiling, wearing black – rimmed glasses and a suit and tie at the top. West.
North Korea expert Soo Kim said the unveiling of this portrait might suggest that Kim believes he is entering a new phase of his leadership. "This suggests that he is confident enough in his consolidation of power," she said, and believes that it "is no longer just in the shadow of the father and the grandfather".
His new portrait could also mark his recognition of a new era in North Korean governance. Unlike his father, who relied heavily on the military, Kim established diplomatic relations with the world. He went to South Korea and China and held a summit with President Trump.
In painting, "he looks very jovial and very happy," said Soo Kim.
He is a character he also seems to channel during his travels abroad. Before meeting with Trump in Singapore, he took selfies with local leaders and smiled on the audience. Soo Kim thinks this carefully cultivated image is meant to help the young leader maintain relationships – and, therefore, foster – with foreign leaders. His decision to wear a suit and tie for his portrait, instead of a more traditional outfit, may also indicate his attempt to separate from his father's recluse.
"An image speaks so many words," said Soo Kim.
B.G. Muhn, a professor at Georgetown University who studies North Korean art, said Kim took a long time to find an artist for his portrait. "The artists were not allowed to paint a portrait of Kim Jong Un for years after he came to power in 2011," Muhn said. "Even when I consulted a North Korean artist earlier this year, he told me that the approval of Kim Jong's portrait had not been published yet."
Muhn predicts that the portrait will be produced on a large scale and will be viewable throughout the country.
In this case, guests will probably have to follow the same rules as for Kim's other portraits. The portraits must be suspended high on an empty wall so that no one's head is bigger. They must also be cleaned at least twice a week. If dust is on the frame, the portrait guard is obliged to pay a fine.
Min Joo Kim contributed to this report.
Read more:
Kim Jong Un suddenly talks about peace. Here's why.
Trump's North Korean diplomacy quietly stops
Life under Kim Jong Un
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