A wave of loyalty is sweeping through the air, carefully crafted by official media. North Korea is reminding its people that Kim Jong Un stands as a direct link to the nation’s past. The effort comes as the country prepares to mark a big milestone: 80 years since it was freed from Japanese rule.
On Sunday, August 3, 2025, the Rodong Sinmun newspaper, a voice for the ruling party, printed a glowing piece. It praised Kim Jong Un, the current leader, as the true inheritor of the independence spirit. This spirit, they claim, flows from his grandfather, Kim Il Sung, who founded the country. Kim Il Sung is held up as a great hero, the one who fought against Japan’s control from 1910 to 1945.
The newspaper article stressed that Kim Jong Un will lead the nation to unstoppable power. His leadership, they said, is steady and sure. The piece even looked back at a striking image from December 2019. It showed Kim Jong Un riding a horse up snowy Mount Paektu. This act, the article claimed, was a sign. It showed he carried on the mission of earlier leaders who began their fight from that very mountain.
Another article in the official media called for people to give their whole hearts to Kim Jong Un. It stated that he is a leader “like the sky.” Citizens, it urged, should revere him above all else. This push to strengthen his image and loyalty is no accident. It appears right before the 80th anniversary of the Korean Peninsula’s liberation from Japan. That freedom, gained on August 15, led to much change. It set the stage for the Korean War from 1950 to 1953. This conflict eventually split the nation into North and South Korea, as they remain today.