Kim Jong Un’s Statue In North Korea? Pyongyang To Build Monuments Of North Korean Leader, Father Kim Jong Il, Grandfather Kim Il Sung

North Korea is planning to construct monuments dedicated to its leader Kim Jong Un, his father Kim Jong Il and grandfather Kim Il Sung, according to reports Wednesday. While the isolated nation has several statues of Kim’s father and grandfather, this would be the first time when the leader will have a structure dedicated to him.

The monuments will be constructed at the historically significant Mt. Paektu by an organization called the International Preparatory Committee for Gathering 2017-Praise to the Great Persons of Mt. Paektu, according to NK News.

“This is, indeed, the first announcement of this kind, and it might indicate that the personality cult of Kim Jong Un is beginning to take shape, even though, frequently, it appears that the young leader pays less attention to such matters than his father and grandfather once did,” Andrei Lankov, professor of Korean Studies at Kookmin University in Seoul, South Korea, told NK News. “This is reminiscent of early stages of Kim Il Song’s cult, when in the late 1950s most extravagant praises to his greatness were initially attributed to alleged foreign admirers.”

The international preparatory committee is expected to hold an “international grand gathering” in honour of the three Kims at Mt. Paektu and in Pyongyang in August.

North Koreans view Mt. Paektu as a sacred place and the reclusive state’s leadership uses it to strengthen its legitimacy and fortify what it calls the “Paektu Blood Line,” with descendants including Kim Il Sung, the “eternal president” of North Korea. Pyongyang maintains that Mt. Paektu is where the former president was born. However, Soviet records reportedly identify his birthplace at a Soviet military camp, where he was deployed during World War II.