North Korea’s supreme leader Kim Jong Un is famous (or notorious?) all over the world. He came to power after the demise of his father Kim Jong-il in December 2011. Kim Jong Un enjoys a huge female fan following in the country. Wherever he goes, the women turn ecstatic. Reuters has published a series of photos that show him surrounded by crazy female fans on various occasions.
Kim Jong Un is their charming hero
Kim Jong Un may be one of the most dreaded enemies of the United States, but he is an object of adoration among North Korean women. He is worshiped and adored by women all over the country. AsiaOne says, to the women, Kim Jong Un is their God, their hero, and national icon. However, doubters may argue that the admiration is due to fear that they might be punished if they don’t show their allegiance.
Nevertheless, Kim Jong Un has positioned himself as an advocate for gender equality. On March 8, he celebrated the International Women’s Day with public events and speeches. He handed out food and cosmetics to pilots as gifts for their wives. At a public event, he hailed the Women’s Day as the 20th anniversary of his father Kim Jong-il’s “scientific theory” to let women play a greater role in “the revolution and construction.”
What North Korean women actually go through
The state-run KCNA news agency said some of the most senior figures of the regime met with “exemplary women and women officials and members of the women’s union” in Pyongyang. During a visit to an airbase, the North Korean leader did not meet any women in person, but told commanding offers to pass on his gifts to their wives.
However, a panel of female defectors paint an entirely different picture of women in North Korea. One of the defectors said women working in military units are forced to perform sexual favors on their higher-ranking men. They are subjected to forced abortions. Another defector said women in the country do not receive sex education. Yet another defector said many women are abducted and sold into slavery outside the country.
