The Great Sun and the

Flower SwallowsThe Religious Origins of

Human Rights Abuse in North Korea

Image: University of Texas http://www.library.utexas.edu/maps/middle_east_and_asia/korean_peninsula_rel_2011.jpg

Korean peninsula

Ruins of Hamhung NK in the Korean WarImage: CNN

Flag of North Korea

How Dictators Imitate God’s Characteristics

• LIGHT – I John 1:5• SAVIOR – Rom. 5:9, Col. 2:15• PROVIDER/BENEFACTOR – Matt.5:45• LAWGIVER – Deut. 26:16, John 13:34• FRIEND – Jn. 15:14-15, Is. 53:3-4, Phil.

2:7-8• FATHER and LEADER – Matt. 6:9, 16:24

Hammurabi

1772 BC Babylon

“The Divine King”

Dionysius I367 BC

Syracuse (Sicily)“A Man of the

People”Aristotle, Politics, Bk. 5

Alexander 330 BC Greece

“Unconquerable for all time”

Diodorus, Library of History, Bk. 17

Augustus Caesard.14 AD

Roman Empire“Divus

Augustus”“Divine

Augustus”

Cosimo de Medici

1400 Florence, Italy“Pater Patriae”“Father of the Fatherland”

Louis XIV1700 | France

“The Sun King”

Shaka Zulu

1800Zulu kingdom“You who are as large as the world”

Benito Mussolini

1922Italy

“Il Duce”“The Leader”

Josef Stalin1924 | Soviet Union

“To the great friend of children—glory to the great Stalin!”

Adolf Hitler

1933Germany

“Der Fürher”“The Leader”

Mao Zedong1949 | China

“Great Helmsman”

François Duvalier

1957 Haiti

“Papa Doc”

Nicolai Ceaucescu1965 | Romania

“Conducător” “Leader”

Kim Il Sung1946-1994North Korea“Great General”

“Great Leader” “Dear Leader”

“Great Sun” “Sun of the Nation”

“Genius of Revolution” “Parent” “Legendary

Hero” “Ever-Victorious Iron-

Willed Brilliant Commander”

Kim Il SungRule: 1946-1994

Savior

Image: http://www.mhpbooks.com/kim-il-sung-first-leader-of-north-korea-was-born-101-years-ago-today/

Provider/Benefactor

Image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mytripsmypics/7076011447/

Lawgiver

Image: pbase – Brian J. McMorrow

Friend of his people

Images: http://nextyearcountrynews.blogspot.com/2011/12/death-of-dear-leader.html; http://or1entalist.tumblr.com/post/40756542283

Father of his people

http://jamesthomassnyder.com/2012/07/27/how-dictators-kiss-babies/; http://www.lostmanproject.com/blog/asia/north-korea/deified

Verbal propaganda

Image: http://world.time.com/2013/04/12/death-to-puppet-traitors-and-other-north-korean-rallying-cries/photo/people-take-part-in-an-oath-taking-meeting-before-the-statues-of-kim-il-sung-and-kim-jong-il-on-mansudae-hill-in-pyongyang/

Iconography

Image: http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2010/aug/15/nothing-to-envy-barbara-demick

http://nation.time.com/2013/04/15/take-cover-its-kim-il-sungs-101st-birthday/; http://www.economist.com/blogs/prospero/2013/01/north-korean-propaganda; http://kids.britannica.com/comptons/art-156365/The-Tower-of-the-Juche-Idea-standing-560-feet-tall

Pageantry

Kim is worshiped as God

http://www.mtholyoke.edu/~oh20j/classweb/pg6pictures.html

Ch’ŏllima workers movement

http://taedongtravel.com/places-of-interest/

Economic collapse

Image source: Mercy Corps; Daily Mail.co.uk

Difference in electricity

use between

North and South Korea

Flower swallows

Image source: New Focus International http://newfocusintl.com/a-country-whose-children-wish-to-be-orphaned/

http://scottbrownscerebralcaffeine.wordpress.com/tag/flowering-swallows/

Culture of spying

Image: telegraph.co.uk

Public executions

http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/canada/a-tale-from-the-hermit-kingdom-50524.html

Prison camps

http://www.theblaze.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/north-korea.jpg

Hatred of the United States

http://mccrarey.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/north-korean-propaganda-

anti-usa-45.jpg

Kim Jong Il, Kim Jong Un

Image: Wikipedia, Daily Mail.co.uk

Image source: Mercy Corps; CNN http://whitehouse.blogs.cnn.com/2012/04/12/

Aid from Samaritan’s Purse, Mercy Corps

Image source: Daily Mail; Mercy Corps http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-486079/PETER-HITCHENS-North-Korea-great-Marxist-bastion-real-life-

Truman-show.html; and http://www.mercycorps.org/articles/north-korea/food-north-koreas-families

Remember the people

The end:Kim’s “eternal life” in the hearts of his

people

http://blog.foreignpolicy.com/category/topic/culture