N Koreans take a shine to bronze statue of leaders

Coat flying open, reins in hand, Kim Jong-Il is depicted astride a galloping horse next to his father in a larger-than-life statue unveiled yesterday as part of birthday celebrations for the late North Korean leader.

The statue is the first bronze of the portly Kim, who during his lifetime shunned proposals to erect a bronze like the massive statue of his father, North Korea founder Kim Il-Sung, that towers over Pyongyang. Kim Jong-Il, who would have turned 70 this Thursday, died of a heart attack in December.

In a posthumous compromise, artisans from the Mansudae Art Studio depicted father and son riding side by side on horseback for Pyongyang’s first public sculpture of the late leader.

Yesterday’s unveiling of the 18-foot-tall statue took place amid a fervent propaganda campaign to build up the man who led the nation for 17 years as his son, Kim Jong-Un, takes over the country’s helm. Kim Jong-Il postage stamps, commemorative coins and gold medals have been rushed into production and state media have reported supernatural events, including double rainbows and shrieking magpies at mourning sites.

“Having Kim Jong-Un’s father and grandfather portrayed as gods is important for a regime based on hereditary rule,” said Peter Beck, a Korea specialist and The Asia Foundation’s representative in Seoul. “Legitimacy comes from his forefathers.”