North Korea’s regime has released a series of stamps commemorating Kim Jong Il as child to celebrate the day of the shinning star -72 if he were still alive-, coming up on February 17th., national day in the country since 1982. Young old Kim  still manages to come across as stern and creepy,  according to Max Fisher (Washington Post, Feb 8th 2013). The stamps also seem, according to North Korea analyst Adam Cathcart, to be part of a larger trend of infantilizing Kim since his death in late 2011.

What is the point? Depicting his father as a child, Cathcart says, is likely to make Kim’s son and heir, Kim Jong Eun, look older by comparison.

 Childish? sure if we look at the new orwellian campaign with foreign eyes. Not so simple when we observe the sedative effect this type of propaganda has in North Korean population. Very much in line with what Pyongyang leaders have been doing since the establishment of the regime in 1948.