From Myth to Truth: What Kim Jong Un’s ‘Revolutionary History’ Reveals
Apr 21
3 min read
Explore how North Korea’s official biography of Kim Jong Un fabricates history to legitimize power—and why exposing these myths is key to truth and reconciliation in a post-Kim era.
Key Insights
North Korea’s 2020 biography “Revolutionary History of Respected Supreme Leader Comrade Kim Jong Un” offers a rare look into how the regime fabricates sacred origin stories to legitimize Kim’s rule and maintain dynastic control.
The book replaces Kim’s ambiguous birth story with the “Baekdu Mountain Pledge,” glorifies him as a military and intellectual prodigy, and blames the U.S. for the failed Hanoi summit — all designed to fortify his cult of personality.
In a post-Kim North Korea, national healing depends on dismantling these myths through truth commissions, survivor testimonies, curriculum reform, and public archives.
Rebuilding trust and identity requires a nationwide effort rooted in truth-telling, historical accountability, and shared dignity.
In a rare glimpse behind the curtain of North Korea’s tightly controlled propaganda machinery, Daily NK has obtained the full text of a 2020 publication titled “Revolutionary History of Respected Supreme Leader Comrade Kim Jong Un,” released by the Workers’ Party of Korea Publishing House. The five-chapter, 33-section book is the regime’s official attempt to construct a sacred narrative around the third-generation dictator — and its contents offer invaluable insight into how the regime seeks to legitimize its rule through mythmaking, manipulation, and historical distortion.
What the Book Claims
Rather than beginning with Kim Jong Un’s birth—which remains officially ambiguous—the biography opens with the so-called “Baekdu Mountain Pledge,” in which a teenage Kim allegedly vowed to carry on his father’s revolution during a 1998 hike up Mount Baekdu. However, in reality, Kim Jong Un was known to be studying in Bern, Switzerland during this period. The claim is a clear political invention aimed at reinforcing his legitimacy as heir to the regime.
The book glorifies Kim as a genius-level leader who mastered all military branches, absorbed vast knowledge across disciplines, and personally safeguarded national security following events like the 2004 Ryongchon train explosion.
The book also praises his diplomacy at the North Korea–U.S. summits, blaming the U.S. for the failure of the Hanoi talks while portraying Kim as a wise and principled statesman.
Why It Matters: The Case for Truth and Reconciliation
These claims are not merely overblown rhetoric or political theater. They are deliberate instruments of control — carefully constructed myths designed to erase reality, reshape collective memory, and sustain the regime’s grip on power. North Korea’s so-called “revolutionary histories” are not historical documents; they are ideological weapons. They rewrite the past to serve the present regime, manufacture loyalty through emotional manipulation, and silence dissent by monopolizing truth.
In a post-Kim future, this foundation of deception must be dismantled. Truth and reconciliation will be one of the most critical pillars of national rebuilding.
Without confronting and correcting the historical lies that permeate everyday life — from textbooks and museums to monuments and family memories — North Koreans will remain trapped in psychological captivity long after political liberation.
Promoting Truth and Reconciliation
For a post-Kim North Korea to heal and move forward, the nation must confront its past with honesty and courage. Here are five essential steps to foster truth and reconciliation:
1. Establish a Historical Truth Commission
Launch a public, multi-year investigation to uncover and document the regime’s distortions — from propaganda and political purges to systemic human rights abuses. This process can lay the groundwork for national accountability and collective memory.
2. De-ideologize the Education System
Remove state-manufactured myths from school curricula and replace them with fact-based, inclusive history. Emphasize critical thinking, open inquiry, and a balanced understanding of Korea’s past.
3. Support Survivor Testimonies
Create safe, public platforms for former political prisoners, defectors, and ordinary citizens to share their lived experiences. Their stories are vital to restoring dignity and giving voice to suppressed truths.
4. Public Archives and Museums
Develop institutions dedicated to preserving evidence of authoritarian rule — including propaganda materials, testimonies, and official documents — so that future generations understand the true cost of unchecked power.
5. Community Healing Programs
Partner with faith-based groups, civic organizations, and local communities to support emotional healing, dialogue, and reintegration. Reconciliation must begin not just at the national level, but within families, neighborhoods, and hearts.
The Path Forward
Exposing the lies is only the first step. For North Korea to rebuild after dictatorship, it must confront the truth. Only then can real reconciliation take root — not through vengeance, but through collective remembering, accountability, and a new commitment to shared dignity.
Author: B.J. Choi, founder of NVNK, obtained his Master's degree in Asian Studies from the George Washington University. He previously worked for the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars (WWICS), and Cornerstone Ministries International (CMI) on North Korea issues.
