N. Korea's top institutions receive exclusive Kim Jong Un pins without usual fanfare - Daily NK English

By restricting the new pins to key party and military units rather than the general public, the regime appears focused on cementing loyalty among its core supporters

Major institutions in North Hamgyong province have received pins featuring only North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s image, with notably simplified distribution ceremonies that have been well-received by recipients.

At the provincial party school, 100 pins from the Central Committee’s Propaganda and Agitation Department were distributed on Oct. 18 in what a source described as an “easygoing” ceremony.

The source told Daily NK recently that the handover ceremonies dispensed with traditional formalities like pledge readings and discussions. Instead, recipients simply signed for their nicely packaged pins and were reminded not to lose them.

“The gifting of the pins is part of the department’s end-of-year plans to promote political stability and maintain regime loyalty,” the source said. “Nevertheless, many people reacted positively to the simplified ceremony.”

The streamlined approach marked a welcome departure from typically formal ceremonies full of what many view as empty ritual.

A day earlier, on Oct. 17, the Ninth Corps’ political and propaganda departments also received 100 pins from the General Political Bureau in a similarly simplified ceremony.

By limiting the new Kim Jong Un pins to select groups like party schools and military units instead of distributing them widely, the regime appears to be reinforcing loyalty among its most crucial supporters.

The quiet distribution of these pins follows their first prominent public appearance in June, when officials were seen wearing badges featuring only Kim Jong Un’s portrait during the 10th Plenary Meeting of the Eighth Central Committee. The streamlined ceremonies for distributing these pins mark a departure from traditionally more elaborate handover events.

Daily NK works with a network of sources in North Korea, China, and elsewhere. For security reasons, their identities remain anonymous.

Please send any comments or questions about this article to [email protected].

Read in Korean