Hello all,<br><br>Having recently read and thoroughly enjoyed B.R. Myers book, <i>The Cleanest Race</i>, I am writing to enlist your collective wisdom concerning one of Myers' interesting and provocative claims: he argues that the DPRK regime does not attribute divine powers or characteristics to its leaders, either Kim Il Sung or Kim Jong Il. Specifically:<br>
<br>“No matter what some American Christian Groups might claim, divine powers have never been attributed to either of the two Kims” (Myers, <i>Cleanest Race</i>, 13). <br><br>This claim got me to thinking and poking around, the results of which I've put up on <a href="http://kwlhistorymatters.blogspot.com/2010/02/not-so-divine-kims.htm">my blog</a> (<a href="http://kwlhistorymatters.blogspot.com/2010/02/not-so-divine-kims.html">http://kwlhistorymatters.blogspot.com/2010/02/not-so-divine-kims.html</a>) but while I have been able to find a few examples of claims of, if not quite divinity, certainly claims of the remarkable and supernatural, more generally, I find myself agreeing with Myers that the fantastical claims are <i>not</i> the norm in DPRK propaganda.<br>
<br>My query to the experienced, erudite, and talented group that subscribe to this list is: does anyone know of specific, credible evidence to the contrary? In other words, any unequivocal examples of the DPRK regime claiming divinity for its founder and present ruler? <br>
<br>Cheers, <br clear="all"><br>-- <br>Kirk W. Larsen <br>Department of History<br>2151 JFSB<br>BYU<br>Provo, UT 84602-6707<br>(801) 422-3445<br><br>