August 
Kim Jong Un’s myth machine is still going strong
Kim Jong Un’s myth machine is still going strong.
K-pop kills: Executed for watching music videos
At least seven people have been publicly executed in North Korea for the crime of watching South Korean music or dramas.
A human rights group found that most of these killings took place between 2012 and 2014, part of Kim’s effort to crush foreign influence.
Meet Kim Jong Un: Supreme leader of the strange
Since taking power in 2011 after the death of his father, Kim Jong Un has ruled North Korea with an iron grip — and a flair for the absurd.
As the secretive nation marks its 77th birthday, we look back at some of the wildest propaganda claims to ever come out of Pyongyang.
The white horse moment nobody asked for
In 2022, Kim released bizarre footage of himself riding a white horse through snowy woods and galloping along a beach at sunset. We unfortunately can’t show it here due to copyright..
The video, called 2021, A Great Victorious Year, was supposed to show strength. Most of the world saw… something else entirely.
100,000 troops for Putin? Yes, really
Earlier this year, Russian state media claimed that 100,000 North Korean troops were ready to fight in Ukraine.
While that hasn’t happened, Kim has voiced strong support for Russia’s war — and some experts say North Korean forces could guard Russia’s borders.
A unicorn lair? Naturally
In 2012, North Korean archaeologists claimed they had discovered a real unicorn lair just outside Pyongyang.
The cave supposedly belonged to a mythical beast ridden by ancient ruler King Tongmyong. Critics called it what it was: state-sponsored fantasy.
World Cup winners? In their dreams
Despite a heavy 7–0 loss to Portugal in the 2010 World Cup, North Korean state media later told citizens their team had reached the final.
In 2014 according to the newspaper Daily Star, they reportedly claimed another fake victory. In reality, North Korea hasn’t won anything since 1966.
Booze, cheese & near-death rumors
Kim is infamous for his love of champagne, pizza, and Emmental cheese — plus chain smoking. In 2020, he vanished from public view, sparking rumors he had died.
One report said he was in a vegetative state after heart surgery, but he later reappeared alive (and chunkier).
Kim’s ‘pleasure squad’: Sex slavery claims
A high-level defector claimed Kim had teen girls kidnapped and trained to serve him food, give massages, and become sex slaves.
Hee Yeon-lim has fled North Korea and has claimed that she was part of Kim Jong Un’s inner circle. According to the Daily Star newspaper, she said in an interview:
“They cannot make a mistake or object,” she said, “because they could very easily simply disappear.” North Korea has never addressed the claims.
Kim’s viral pop song hits TikTok
In 2024, North Korean state media released an auto-tuned propaganda song praising Kim for giving his people a brighter future.
Gen Z TikTok users ironically loved it, calling it dystopian in the catchiest way. Even Russian media gave it airtime.
He was a “good guy” once — says his old classmate
One former school friend from Switzerland remembers Kim fondly. According to the Daily Star newspaper, he said in an interview: “We had a lot of fun together,” Joao Micaelo said in an interview with the newspaper Activated, which has been quoted by numerous publications.
He loved basketball. While most of the world views Kim as a ruthless dictator, at least one person remembers a time when he was just a quiet kid with a dream of playing basketball.
This article is made and published by auk1, which may have used AI in the preparation
