Current:Home > ContactNorth Korea launches "Friendly Father" song and music video praising Kim Jong Un -StockPrime
North Korea launches "Friendly Father" song and music video praising Kim Jong Un
View
Date:2025-04-27 12:53:56
Tokyo — In North Korea, the release of Taylor Swift's new double album was completely eclipsed by the surprise drop of another brand-new song, complete with an elaborately produced music video. There were no tortured poets in sight for the release of "Friendly Father," an energetic pop-style piece of state propaganda praising North Korea's dictatorial leader Kim Jong Un.
The accompanying music video, dropped on the North Korean public by its state-controlled media this week, features dozens of seemingly ecstatic residents of all ages belting out catchy lines such as: "May this night never end, dear beautiful night of Pyongyang. The people believe and follow him with one heart! Let's boast of Kim Jong Un, a friendly father!"
The tune has all the subtlety of a beerhall polka — and the makings of a propaganda classic.
"Friendly Father" was also performed live at a lavish event, clips of which were aired by North Korean state TV, to mark the opening of a new apartment complex said to contain 10,000 homes in the capital, Pyongyang.
- Why is Kim Jong Un's daughter suddenly front and center?
Kim, as portly as ever and wearing a black leather jacket, was pictured arriving at the ceremony in an armored limousine believed to have been gifted to him by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The video, featuring cheering soldiers, beaming children, amped-up pop singers and an ecstatic marching band, was professionally shot and edited. Analysts say it's part of a push to recreate and reenergize the leadership cult around Kim, whose family has ruled over North Korea since the country's founding in 1948.
The happy utopia it depicts, however, is a cruel lie, and it likely won't fool many people inside or outside the Hermit Kingdom.
Not far beyond the cheering crowds and shiny new buildings, more than 25 million North Koreans live in crumbling housing with restricted access to health care and modern amenities, and no freedom of movement or expression.
North Korea remains one of the poorest countries on earth. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization said almost half of its population was undernourished as recently as 2022.
More recent statistics aren't available, as Kim sealed his country's borders completely during the pandemic.
Since then, the Kim regime has spent vast amounts of money on fencing and guard posts along North Korea's border with China, to stop its people from escaping. While his country's sanctions-battered economy languishes, the "Friendly Father" has also lavished fortunes on developing and test-firing ballistic missiles designed to carry nuclear warheads.
Kim may come off in the video as a good sport with a bad haircut, but if — as the song says — people follow him, it's because they have no choice. He will stop at nothing to stay in power.
- In:
- Kim Jong Un
- Taylor Swift
- South Korea
- Music
- North Korea
- Asia
Elizabeth Palmer has been a CBS News correspondent since August 2000. She has been based in London since late 2003, after having been based in Moscow (2000-03). Palmer reports primarily for the "CBS Evening News."
veryGood! (359)
Related
- Head of the Federal Aviation Administration to resign, allowing Trump to pick his successor
- Woman, 71, tried to murder her husband after he got a postcard from decades-old flame: Police
- Whether You're Rooting for the Chiefs or the 49ers, These Red Lipsticks Are Kiss-Proof
- The Federal Reserve holds interest rates steady but signals rate cuts may be coming
- Global Warming Set the Stage for Los Angeles Fires
- 2024 NHL All-Star Game weekend: Live stream, TV, draft, skills competition, rosters
- Biogen scraps controversial Alzheimer's drug Aduhelm
- Academy of American Poets receives its largest ever donation
- Current, future North Carolina governor’s challenge of power
- Islamic Resistance in Iraq group is to blame for Jordan drone strike that killed 3 troops, US says
Ranking
- The Grammy nominee you need to hear: Esperanza Spalding
- Justin Timberlake reveals he's 'been in the studio' with NSYNC following reunion
- Judge rejects school system’s request to toss out long-running sex-assault lawsuit
- Hurry! This Best-Selling Air Purifier That's Been All Over TikTok Is On Now Sale
- Toyota to invest $922 million to build a new paint facility at its Kentucky complex
- Massachusetts state troopers among 6 charged in commercial driver's license bribery scheme
- This Michael Kors $398 Crossbody Can Be Yours For Just $63, Plus More Deals Up to 82% off
- Bachelor Nation’s Bryan Abasolo Reacts to Speculation About Cause of Rachel Lindsay Breakup
Recommendation
Stamford Road collision sends motorcyclist flying; driver arrested
Shark attacks and seriously injures woman swimming in Sydney Harbor: I heard a soft yell for help
Carnival reroutes Red Sea cruises as fighting in the region intensifies
Laser strikes against aircraft including airline planes have surged to a new record, the FAA says
US appeals court rejects Nasdaq’s diversity rules for company boards
Weeks after dancer's death, another recall for undeclared peanuts
Stolen phone? New theft protection security feature in Ios 17.3 update is here to help
2024 NHL All-Star Game weekend: Live stream, TV, draft, skills competition, rosters