Rodong Sinmun today reported news of Kim Jong Eun visiting a childcare
facility in Pyongyang to mark International Children’s Day on June 1st.
Five images from the visit were included in the report, triggering speculation over
whether they were chosen in response to international criticism of previous visits to childcare locations.
On this
occasion, Kim appears to have removed his shoes prior to entering classrooms.
This is in contrast with previous onsite visits in both February and again in May this year. On those occasions, the North Korean
leader wore shoes in classrooms. This led to a spate of heavy criticism, in particular
in the South Korean media. Internationally, where wearing shoes indoors is not
a sensitive matter, reporting was much less intense.
Moreover,
the children visible in images from this most recent onsite visit are shown
wearing plastic slippers. On previous occasions, children appeared in images
and footage with bare feet, leading to the assertion that Kim’s
much-propagated affection for the young runs “only skin-deep.” North Korea counterclaimed an assault on the country’s “Supreme Dignity.”
However, it
is difficult to see what Kim has on his feet in most of the new images,
suggesting that the editors may actually have been seeking to hide his feet from view
entirely. Four of the five images published today are reproduced here. In the fifth, Kim is outside, and thus naturally wearing shoes.
