[KS] Divinity of the Kims?

[Kirk Larsen]

Hello all,

Having recently read and thoroughly enjoyed B.R. Myers book, *The Cleanest
Race*, 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:

“No matter what some American Christian Groups might claim, divine powers
have never been attributed to either of the two Kims” (Myers, *Cleanest Race
*, 13).

This claim got me to thinking and poking around, the results of which I've
put up on my blog<http://kwlhistorymatters.blogspot.com/2010/02/not-so-divine-kims.htm>(
http://kwlhistorymatters.blogspot.com/2010/02/not-so-divine-kims.html) 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
*not* the norm in DPRK propaganda.

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?

Cheers,

-- 
Kirk W. Larsen
Department of History
2151 JFSB
BYU
Provo, UT 84602-6707
(801) 422-3445
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