Many Died Saving Kims' Portraits in Blast?

Reuters ^ | Wed, Apr 28, 2004

[presidio9]

Many North Koreans died a "heroic death" after last week's train explosion by running into burning buildings to rescue portraits of leader Kim Jong-il and his father, the North's official media reported on Wednesday.

Portraits of Kim and his late father, national founder Kim Il-sung, are mandatory fixtures in every home, office and factory in the hardline communist state of 23 million. All adults are required to wear lapel pins bearing images of one or both Kims.

Last Thursday's blast in the town of Ryongchon, near the Chinese border, killed at least 161 people and injured 1,300, according to international relief agencies. Many of the victims were children.

The dead also included workers and teachers who died clutching the portraits of the country's ruling family, said North Korea (news - web sites)'s official KCNA news agency.

"Many people of the county evacuated portraits before searching after their family members or saving their household goods," KCNA said in a report with a Ryongchon dateline.

"Upon hearing the sound of the heavy explosion on their way home for lunch, Choe Yong-il and Jon Tong-sik, workers of the county procurement shop, ran back to the shop," KCNA said.

"They were buried under the collapsing building to die a heroic death when they were trying to come out with portraits of President Kim Il-sung and leader Kim Jong-il," it said.

The KCNA report could not be independently verified.

Kim Jong-il, 62, inherited power upon his father's death in 1994 in the communist world's only case of hereditary succession.

The elder Kim was named "eternal president" and both Kims are the focus of cult worship of an intensity that historians say surpasses that of Stalin in the Soviet Union or Mao in China.

"Teacher Han Jong-suk, 56, also breathed her last with portraits in her bosom," KCNA said. Another teacher saved seven students, but died rescuing the portraits, it said.

The prison diaries of North Korean defectors refer to people imprisoned for accidentally defacing portraits of the Kims.

[Blood of Tyrants]

That's nothing. At least 5 times as many American liberals would die should the Kerry campaign headquarters catch on fire.

[AppyPappy]

Uhhh...yeah. These people gave their lives to save a portrait of Pugsley Addams. Sure they did.

[Mr. Jeeves]

Understandable...let the secret police see you standing around watching the fire and not trying to rescue the portraits and you would die a much more horrific death.

[Chinese_American_Patriot]

North Koreans are so brainwashed that they even revere that fat, stinking commie Kim Jong-Il and save potraits of himself? I bet the liberal South Koreans would do the same thing!

[presidio9]

Sure hope they saved this one...

[Puppage]

....by running into burning buildings to rescue portraits of leader Kim Jong-il

What...are they run'n low on pictures of the little Chia Dictator?

[jokar]

Guess the whole starving bunch, are happy as clams, just as long as revered leader is in charge.
The day will come when the people do a Musillini on him and his family.

[joesnuffy]

An act of going into a burning buiding or rail car to save your dictators piciture is not only stupid..it's an act of...."Idolatry"

[presidio9]

[joesnuffy]

No doubt the commie dictator threaten their lives and the lives of their familes if they did not

[anonymous_user]

The real tragedy exposed here is that people have to live under this "foxtrot uniform" regime.

[Bobby Chang]

Hmmmm . . . in North Korea, Kim is a god as is his late father. Go figure.

[dfwgator]

All you have to do is watch a video that I believe was shot last year in South Korea. There was some delegation of women from North Korea visiting the South for some kind of goodwill thing. It started raining and there were banners showing Li'l Kim shaking hands with the South Korean President. These women couldn't believe that a picture of Kim could be allowed to get wet, so they hysterically (and I mean hysterically) went and rescued the banner. It was one of the most bizarre things I have ever seen in my life. North Korea is the world's largest cult.

[lormand]

This is hillarious stuff.

[Bluntpoint]

I would die to save a portrait of my leader:

[headsonpikes]

North Korea appears to currently be the most successful socialist state, since its citizens are the most loyal, as shown by this instance.

All modern 'nationalism' is a form of collective psychosis - read your Orwell!

[dfwgator]

Jim Jones has nothing on Li'l Kim.

[dead]

[EGPWS]

Many North Koreans died a "heroic death" after last week's train explosion by running into burning buildings to rescue portraits of leader Kim Jong-il and his father, the North's official media reported on Wednesday.

Huh, and all this time I never considered him to be all that photogenic.