Chapter Three - State of Worship

CHAPTER THREE

State of Worship

MOST COUNTRIES HAVE presidents.
North Korea has deities.

And the moment you cross its border—if you ever do—you’ll feel it.
Eyes watching. Statues looming.
Portraits staring from every wall like saints in a theocracy.

This isn’t nationalism.
This isn’t patriotism.
This is a full-scale, institutionalized religion—
with the Kim family as the holy trinity.

And if you think that’s an exaggeration… just wait.

Every home in North Korea—every single one—is required by law to display two portraits:

• Kim Il-sung
• Kim Jong-il

They’re positioned above eye level.
They must be kept spotless.
Every morning, you clean them with a special cloth.
There are random inspections by secret police to check for dust.

If a house catches fire?
You save the portraits first.

People have been imprisoned—or executed—for failing to do so.

That’s not loyalty.
That’s worship.

Kim Il-sung statues tower over every major city.
Bronze. Marble. Impossibly tall.
You don’t just look at them—you bow to them.

In groups.
On cue.
With cameras watching.

On holidays, citizens line up for organized grief.
They cry on command.
And if you don’t cry hard enough?
You’re reported.

It’s not enough to fear the regime.

You have to love it.

Every religion needs a holy book.
North Korea’s is called Juche—an ideology of “self-reliance” supposedly penned by Kim Il-sung himself.

It says North Korea stands on its own.
No foreign aid. No influence. Just strength.

Which is hilarious.
Because for decades, North Korea ran almost entirely on:

• Soviet subsidies
• Chinese food aid
• International donations during famines

Juche is not a policy.
It’s a shield.

A magical phrase that turns isolation into virtue, poverty into strength, and silence into pride.

It tells people they are suffering because they are noble.

In this holy state, belief is mandatory.

And if you step out of line?

• You go to a re-education camp.
• Your parents go to a labor camp.
• Your children grow up in exile.

Three generations of punishment.
For one “impure” thought.

There’s a word for this in North Korea:

“Sŏngbun” – a caste system based on loyalty.

Your family’s class is tracked and recorded.
Your job, your marriage, your food rations—all depend on your loyalty score.

That’s not governance.
That’s original sin.

It mirrors religion in every way:

• Sacred texts: The Collected Works of Kim Il-sung
• Holy sites: The birthplace at Mangyongdae, now a national pilgrimage site
• Rituals: Daily self-criticism sessions
• Saints: War heroes canonized as martyrs
• Hymns: Songs of praise so intense they blur into worship

And above all:
The Messiah—Kim Il-sung, forever alive, his spirit guiding the nation.

Not metaphorically.
Literally.

Ask any schoolchild.
The Eternal President still rules from beyond death.

In North Korea, Heaven is a palace in Pyongyang.