Kim Jong-un appears to be surrounded by note-takers wherever he goes. What on earth does he say that is considered so noteworthy
North Koreans are led to believe from a very young age that their unelected rulers, the Kim dynasty, starting with Kim Il-Sung, are basically infallible. The Kims are elevated to semi-divine status, to the point that Kim Il-Sung is enshrined in the constitution as the country’s Eternal President.
Since Kim Il-Sung decided to secure his position by buddying up to the military and visiting various military bases and installations it has become something of a tradition for the incumbent Kim ruler to visit various sites, be shown around by grovelling and/or terrified local officials, look at various things and, at the same time, deliver what the country’s official news outlets describe as “field guidance”.
This might be an observation about how it would be better if this fish farm could produce 20% more fish, or if this lubricant factory could build a new wing to create more industrial lubricant.
Basically, everything the leader says during these visits is written down and then implemented to the degree that the resources and technical expertise of the country allow.
North Korean media frequently publishes photographs of these field guidance visits which have been cheerfully lampooned to great comedic effect with very little extra effort required, due to the inherently comic nature of a head of state spending most of their time just walking around looking at stuff.
