Portrait Protocol: Life or Propaganda in North Korea?

Imagine your house is on fire. Your instincts scream to grab your loved ones and run. But in North Korea, those instincts could land your entire family in a labor camp for generations. Under the country’s strict “Portrait Protocol,” the images of the Kim leaders are considered sacred. In the event of a disaster, saving these portraits is legally required to come before saving your own family members or personal belongings.

These portraits aren’t just posters; they are state property monitored by the Ministry of State Security. Every home is provided with a special cleaning cloth used exclusively for these pictures, and inspectors check for dust or damage regularly. If a fire breaks out and the portraits are destroyed, it’s seen as a lack of loyalty to the regime. People have literally been imprisoned for “political crimes” because they prioritized their children over a piece of framed paper.

The stakes are terrifyingly high due to the “three generations of punishment” rule. If you fail to protect the images, the regime doesn’t just punish you—it sends your parents and children to grueling labor camps. This system of collective guilt ensures that people are forced to act as human shields for government propaganda, even in life-threatening situations.

While it sounds like a plot from a dystopian movie, this is the daily reality for millions. The regime often praises “heroes” in the media who allegedly perished in floods or fires while holding the portraits high above the water or flames. It’s a chilling reminder of a world where ideology isn’t just a belief—it’s a requirement for survival.

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