North Koreans are required to wear pins over their hearts which for decades bore images of either the country’s founder, Kim Il Sung, or his son Kim Jong Il, or both. The existence of pins dedicated to Kim Jong Un had not been verified until state media published photos on Sunday showing officials wearing his pins at a ruling Workers’ Party meeting. The pins are part of a state-sponsored mythology surrounding the Kim family which treats Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il like gods. He said North Koreans are now expected to wear Kim Jong Un pins. But some analysts say it’s still too early to call her Kim’s successor, citing her age and North Korea’s male-dominated hierarchy.
