It’s in the Genes

NBC News Photo
 
Kim Jong-un and his family have ruled North Korea for as long as I can remember. They have been considered as demigods by their adoring subjects. Although, the United States and the West may pooh-pooh this sentiment, it seems the feeling is genuine.

As with his grandfather, Kim Il-sung (1912–1994), and father, Kim Jong-il (1941–2011), Kim carries the genes of a born leader. He is the youngest head of state and the world’s 49th most powerful man according to Forbes magazine in 2014. It’s not surprising that he is welcomed like a rock star wherever he goes in his native country. You could see people cheering him wildly and crying, some even fainting and passing out. It must be said that this phenomenon transcends gender and age. It isn’t only observed on North Korean women and children but on men as well.

It’s for this reason, I believe, that Kim doesn’t need to do anything just to make an impression. At the same time, it behooves a beloved leader to find time to inspire his people to greater heights.

Accompanied by a group of fighter pilots, Kim recently scaled the 9,022-foot summit of his country’s highest mountain in time to watch the sunrise.

“When one climbs snow stormy Mt. Paektu and undergoes the blizzards over it, one can experience its real spirit and harden the resolution to accomplish the Korean revolution,” he said.

“Climbing Mt. Paektu provides precious mental pabulum more powerful than any kind of nuclear weapon and it is the way for carrying forward the revolutionary traditions of Paektu and giving steady continuity to the glorious Korean revolution.”

Well said, Mr. Kim.

I find it really amazing that a leader of his stature would take the risk and accomplish this Herculean feat. I doubt no other leader, Barack Obama and Vladimir Putin included, could do it. It’s more incredible that Kim even did it like he was going to a party wearing a stylish black coat and a pair of leather shoes to match.

For those of you who continue to make fun of Kim Jong-un as a leader and a person, I’d say chill out. At the end of the day, he’d get the last laugh.