North Korea unveils rare statue of leader Kim Jong Un

State-run TV broadcast images of the sculpture depicting him smiling with his right hand tucked in his coat pocket. Read more at straitstimes.com.

Seoul - North Korea has unveiled one of its first-known statues of Kim Jong Un, using the “highly unusual” sculpture to depict the leader as a smiling man of the people, an analyst told AFP.

State-run Korean Central Television recently broadcast images of the half‑body sculpture, depicting Mr Kim smiling warmly with his right hand tucked in his coat pocket.

South Korea’s Unification Ministry, which handles inter‑Korea relations for Seoul, said it was the first such work depicting the third‑generation leader.

“A statue of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un was recently shown on Korean Central Television, and as far as we know, this is the first time it has been identified,” the department said on March 4.

North Korea is dotted with massive statues venerating Mr Kim’s grandfather Kim Il Sung and father Kim Jong Il – the first two members of the family dynasty to rule the reclusive nation.

Expert Lim Eul-chul said such honours were typically reserved for the dead, making the sculpture of Mr Kim “highly unusual”.