KIM AND HIS WONDERFUL WELLIES'

Lucky readers of "The Times' were treated on April 11 to an eight-page propaganda splurge all about wonderful 'Chollima 'Chollima' appears to be a horse or horseman 'symbolic of the heroic mettle of the Korean people.

It is without hesitation that 'Korea's Socialist System Represents an Ideal Society' and the illustrations depict happy workers and factory and on the farm.

Korea wallows in a personality cult of the and only approached Ceausescu's Rumania. President Kim Il Sung, displayed here in pensive isolation and looking across the Heavenly Lake is the great hero from whom all blessings Those readers of "The Times' who missed the opportunity given 1n a full-page advertisement some time ago to acquire the collected works of the Master are given a brief It all stems from what is called 'the great Junche idea.

This says that 'the masters of the and construction are the masses of the people. However, it was Kim Sung whose revolutionar activity beginning in 1926 'marked the advent of a new epoch in the development of the anti-Japanese nationalliberation struggle and the communist Korean people' In the people do not get much of a look in when the recent of Korea is told. It was evervictorious iron-willed brilliant commander Marshall Kim Il Sung' who defeated the foreign imperialist.

It was he who 'set forth the basic line of economic construction' and the 'Tuncheoriented 'He is not only the great Leader of revolution', we are told, the benevolent father of the Korean people clacy and make a deal w the imperialists.

If that is so, the copy tached to this particular pı ublic relations job would se em to be pretty inept. The b est advice to 'the saviour of 1 Korean people' would se Dem to be-get a better advertis ing agency. being introduced 'according to the far-reaching plan of President Kim Il Sung'.

Turning the page we find that 'Due to the great care shown by President Kim Il Sung to promote the people's health, public health has made great progress'. The liberation of Korean women is attributed to-'the respected and beloved The caption in The Times' advertisement read, 'Marshal Kim II Sung dearly loves children. He even pays deep attention to their footwear.' Above: President Kim with working women. anticipation for the day when There are few states in the they too can enjoy the bene- world which can boast a leader volent and paternal care of the who ordered that first priority 'sun of the nation', Kim Il should be given to the proSung, in a country where duction of injection-moulded everything is ideal. boots for children in vinyl Even the nursery schools chloride, or who would even have a special 'room for learn- know that these terms disguise ing from Kim Il Sung' designed the familiar 'Wellies'. to educate the children to It is still puzzling to know model after his own childhood. why the full effort to make the Who would hesitate to join virtues of Kim Il Sung more a state ruled by such a soli- widely known should be concitous leader who, as a photo centrated on readers of "The caption informs us, dearly Times', whose first reaction no loves children and 'even pays doubt will be to deposit the deep attention to their foot- unsolicited centre spread in the wear' nearest waste-paper basket.