Twenty-nine versions of a hit TikTok music video that extols North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un as a “friendly father” and “great leader” are to be banned in South Korea under the country’s National Security Act.
The BBC reports that Friendly Father, as the song is named, is the latest in a line of pop songs that Pyongyang’s propaganda machine has churned out in the past 50 years.
The bright-tempo, catchy hit describes Kim as “father” and “the Great” − terms previously reserved for North Korea’s first leader, his grandfather Kim Il Sung.
“Let’s sing Kim Jong Un, the great leader/ Let’s brag about Kim Jong Un, our friendly father,” it goes.
The song, which has become a hit on TikTok since its release last month, prompted South Korea’s National Intelligence Service to ask the country’s Communications Standards Commission to intervene.
The Commission said: “The video is typical content linked to psychological warfare against South Korea, as it was posted on a channel operated to connect with the outside world and is mainly focused on unilaterally idolising and glorifying Kim.”
The two Koreas have been divided since an armistice ended the Korean War in 1953. They did not sign a peace treaty, and therefore are technically still at war.
The BBC notes that violations of Seoul’s National Security Act can lead to up to seven years in jail, although enforcement of the law has eased recently. There have also been calls to review the law on the grounds of free speech.
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