Kim Jong-un breaks his dad's record for media coverage
Staff Reporter 2013-12-31 12:44

Kim Jong-un enjoys a cigarette while overseeing military exercises in Pyongyang on Dec. 28, 2013. (Photo/CFP)
North Korean supreme leader Kim Jong-un is receiving much more media attention from the country's state media than his late father Kim Jong-il ever did, reports our Chinese-language sister paper Want Daily.
News involving the 30-year-old leader has been reported by North Korea's media more than 228 times as of Dec. 28 this year, far exceeding the late Kim Jong-il's record of 161 in 2010.
Of all the reports about Kim Jong-un this year, 42% were related to the military. Economics stories were in second place with 11.5%.
Analysts say Kim's increased exposure in domestic media signifies his intention to solidify his power and control.
The last few days have been a particularly busy period. On Dec. 27, at a celebration marking his ascension to the head of the North Korean armed forces, Kim vowed to make his country "the world's most dominant power." A day later, he was reported to be overseeing the training of the Korean People's Army, with which he was said to have been extremely pleased. Dec. 30 marked the second anniversary of the day he officially came to power, with massive public celebrations conducted across the country starting a day earlier.
Japan's Tokyo Shimbun also reported that the number of military articles in North Korea's state media increased sharply following the execution of Kim's uncle-in-law and former second-in-command Jang Sung-taek. The paper also found that in the past year, the official with the second-most coverage was Choe Ryong-hae, the chief of the military Politburo, with 148 mentions.