Kim Jong Un hands out copies of Adolf Hitler's Mein Kampf to senior North Korean officials to see what lessons can be learned from it
By PAUL MILLIGAN PUBLISHED: 10:59 GMT, 18 June 2013 | UPDATED: 11:08 GMT, 18 June 2013
Senior government officials in North Korea were given copies of Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf for Kim Jong Un’s birthday in January, it has been revealed. The highly controversial act was uncovered by New Focus International, a North Korean news organisation working to get news out of the highly secretive country. The infamous Nazi tome was distributed in a limited edition, called 'a one-hundred copy book' in North Korea, which is published in secret for the country's top officials to read.
News has emerged from highly secretive North Korea that its leader, Kim Jong Un, has distributed copies of Hitler's Mein Kampf to senior officials to see what they can draw from it
According to the report, the book was not reprinted because of its racist and anti-Semitic messages, but to specifically focus on Hitler’s plans for economic recovery after World War One.
A North Korean who works on behalf of the country in China told New Focus that Kim gave a speech endorsing Germany’s inter-war revival and encouraging officials to read the book.
HITLER'S MEIN KAMPF
Mein Kampf, published in two volumes in 1925 and 1926 offers a mixture of Hitler's autobography with his political ideology.
Owing due to its overtly racist content, and the historical consequences of the ideologies it promoted, it remains a hugely controversial volume, banned in some countries.
'Kim Jong Un gave a lecture to high-ranking officials, stressing that we must pursue the policy of Byungjin (which translates to the word 'tandem') in terms of nuclear and economic development,' the government source said.
'Mentioning that Hitler managed to rebuild Germany in a short time following its defeat in World War One, Kim Jong Un issued an order for the Third Reich to be studied in depth and asked that practical applications be drawn from it.'The gifting took place at the leader's birthday party on January 8.
Shirley Lee, New Focus’s international editor, said some in the country are starting to see hints that North Korean propagandists may be attempting to learn from Hitler’s successes.
Mein Kampf is a mix of Adolf Hitler's biography with his political ideologies
I'm in charge: The report, from underground sources in the country, says Kim Jong-ll has taken on a more authoritarian tone of late
'One source says there have been many overt attempts to imbue Kim Jong Un with an ‘intimidating charisma,’ such as having him shout very forcefully at associates (something Kim Jong Il was never guilty of) and even throwing things at people,' added Lee.
'According to another source, this may explain why the Rodong Sinmun, the official state newspaper, has been showing photos of Kim Jong Un looking angry and scary – again, unprecedented in the history of Kim presentation.'Kim Jon Un, who is either 29 or 30 (no official biography has ever been published) has been in charge of North Korea since his father, Kim Jong-Il, died in December 2011.He is the world's youngest head of state.
Senior government officials in North Korea were given copies of Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf for Kim Jong Un’s birthday in January, it has been revealed. The highly controversial act was uncovered by New Focus International, a North Korean news organisation working to get news out of the highly secretive country. The infamous Nazi tome was distributed in a limited edition, called 'a one-hundred copy book' in North Korea, which is published in secret for the country's top officials to read.
News has emerged from highly secretive North Korea that its leader, Kim Jong Un, has distributed copies of Hitler's Mein Kampf to senior officials to see what they can draw from it
According to the report, the book was not reprinted because of its racist and anti-Semitic messages, but to specifically focus on Hitler’s plans for economic recovery after World War One.
A North Korean who works on behalf of the country in China told New Focus that Kim gave a speech endorsing Germany’s inter-war revival and encouraging officials to read the book.
HITLER'S MEIN KAMPF
Mein Kampf, published in two volumes in 1925 and 1926 offers a mixture of Hitler's autobography with his political ideology.
Owing due to its overtly racist content, and the historical consequences of the ideologies it promoted, it remains a hugely controversial volume, banned in some countries.
'Kim Jong Un gave a lecture to high-ranking officials, stressing that we must pursue the policy of Byungjin (which translates to the word 'tandem') in terms of nuclear and economic development,' the government source said.
'Mentioning that Hitler managed to rebuild Germany in a short time following its defeat in World War One, Kim Jong Un issued an order for the Third Reich to be studied in depth and asked that practical applications be drawn from it.'The gifting took place at the leader's birthday party on January 8.
Shirley Lee, New Focus’s international editor, said some in the country are starting to see hints that North Korean propagandists may be attempting to learn from Hitler’s successes.
Mein Kampf is a mix of Adolf Hitler's biography with his political ideologies
I'm in charge: The report, from underground sources in the country, says Kim Jong-ll has taken on a more authoritarian tone of late
'One source says there have been many overt attempts to imbue Kim Jong Un with an ‘intimidating charisma,’ such as having him shout very forcefully at associates (something Kim Jong Il was never guilty of) and even throwing things at people,' added Lee.
'According to another source, this may explain why the Rodong Sinmun, the official state newspaper, has been showing photos of Kim Jong Un looking angry and scary – again, unprecedented in the history of Kim presentation.'Kim Jon Un, who is either 29 or 30 (no official biography has ever been published) has been in charge of North Korea since his father, Kim Jong-Il, died in December 2011.He is the world's youngest head of state.
