More Thorough Deification of Kim dynasty in Korea?

whitecrow

Banned
As we all know, North Korea is a totalitarian state dominated by a personality cult of Kim Il Sung, Kim Jong Il, etc.

But something I was curious about – is there any way to go even further than a Kim personality cult? Could an actual religion arise (either in the past or in future) based around the Kims? As in a religion with actual priests, doctrine and where people are encouraged to pray to divine Kim Il Sung/Kim Jong Il/etc. to answer their prayers?

(Yes, I heard about North Korean propaganda claiming that Kim Il Sung was born in a supernatural way and that birds sang songs in Korean to mark the occasion, but I think that is more like a North Korean equivalent of Teddy Roosevelt internet meme – in the end of the day everyone knows that Teddy and Kim were mortal)

POD for a Kim religion can’t be before Kim Il Sung’s birth on 15 April 1912.
 
I think OTL has you covered for this one. If Japan pre-WWII could have been said to have religious devotion to the Emperor, then North Korea handily meets the criteria.

To make it official, I think we just need to make a population of Kim worshipers outside North Korea, or have the Kim line totally die out, but still remain at the head of North Korea's state religion/ideology.
 

whitecrow

Banned
I think OTL has you covered for this one. If Japan pre-WWII could have been said to have religious devotion to the Emperor, then North Korea handily meets the criteria.

To make it official, I think we just need to make a population of Kim worshipers outside North Korea, or have the Kim line totally die out, but still remain at the head of North Korea's state religion/ideology.

OTL may be close, but it is not quite what I am looking for. Sure, official North Korean party line may be that Kim Il Sung is the greatest, wisest person whomever lived and so forth but I don’t think that even DPRK propaganda claims that he was a living god and that by being devote to him and praying to him regularly you will upon death enter a Utopian after life and ravel in Kim’s communist glory forever.
 

whitecrow

Banned
Apparently the Kims are taught to be gods IOTL.

I'm not so sure. See what I said here:
(Yes, I heard about North Korean propaganda claiming that Kim Il Sung was born in a supernatural way and that birds sang songs in Korean to mark the occasion, but I think that is more like a North Korean equivalent of Teddy Roosevelt internet meme – in the end of the day everyone knows that Teddy and Kim were mortal)
 
can easily be done with absolute power over north korea.

today the generals have probably more say in state matters than the president/autocrat/emperor/whateveryouwanttocallhim.

with docile generals, you could declare that water is not wet and set up a state apparatus to watch out that it stays so.
 

whitecrow

Banned
Well, you're being too picky. Can't fool all of the people all of the time. But a significant amount probably believe it.
Let me clarify: I once watched part of a Korean Propaganda video on youtube about Kim Jong Un (or was it Kim Jong Il?) – there was a song playing and one of the lyrics was “When Kim speaks, thunder rolls” or something like that. I don’t know about you, but I doubt North Koreans are expected to believe that Kim causes thunder or splits mountains or anything like that. To me it sounds more like a Chuck Norris joke – the writer of the propaganda using metaphors and hyperboles to tell the audience how awesome Kim is, not trying to fool anyone into thinking that Kim has supernatural powers.
can easily be done with absolute power over north korea.

today the generals have probably more say in state matters than the president/autocrat/emperor/whateveryouwanttocallhim.

with docile generals, you could declare that water is not wet and set up a state apparatus to watch out that it stays so.

Question is why the generals would want to fully deify Kim(s)? What would they achieve through that?
 
Don't be so sure they aren't expected to believe it.

Remember that the Kim dynasty has been in power since the late 40's, so there are very few people around in NK who know anything other than what the government has told them.

Unlike Eastern Europe and the old USSR there really hasn't been any outside information coming in to the people.

It's kind of a scary situation if you think about it.
 

whitecrow

Banned
Don't be so sure they aren't expected to believe it.

Remember that the Kim dynasty has been in power since the late 40's, so there are very few people around in NK who know anything other than what the government has told them.

Unlike Eastern Europe and the old USSR there really hasn't been any outside information coming in to the people.

It's kind of a scary situation if you think about it.

Since North Koreans know enough about physics to build missiles and attempt to put satellites in orbit, I doubt they are taught in school and university that Kims impact whether patterns with their vocal cords :p.
 

whitecrow

Banned
Bump. Keep in mind that the POD is after Kim Il Sung's birth - I never said "North Korea" needs to arise as we know it or that Kim Il Sung needs to become a leader of a Korean nation...
 

Rex Mundi

Banned
Since North Koreans know enough about physics to build missiles and attempt to put satellites in orbit, I doubt they are taught in school and university that Kims impact whether patterns with their vocal cords :p.

One has nothing to do with the other. Doublethink, my friend.
 
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