In what many observers are calling a textbook example of authoritarian propaganda, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un reportedly announced that he would be giving up his personal late-night drives with his wife as a gesture of sacrifice during the country’s ongoing oil shortage crisis.
Citizens wept in the streets after Kim Jong Un announced that he would be giving up his late-night drives with his wife in order to save petrol amid a national oil shortage, with the nation praising what was described as his deeply moving personal sacrifice.
The announcement drew both mockery and concern from international observers. Critics pointed out the stark contrast, ordinary North Korean citizens often cannot afford basic food and fuel, while their leader lives in extraordinary luxury. According to various reports, Kim owns multiple palatial residences, a fleet of luxury cars, a private yacht, and a personal jet. Giving up a leisure drive hardly compares to the daily hardships his people endure.
North Korea has long struggled with energy shortages, made worse by international sanctions and economic isolation. The country depends heavily on imports for oil, and fuel scarcity has a severe impact on agriculture, transport, and heating.
The incident perfectly illustrates how North Korean state media manufactures the image of a “sacrificing” leader while the population suffers in silence, unable to question, criticize, or even laugh at the absurdity of it all without serious consequences.
