- 10 million copies of Kim Jong-eun¡¯s portrait have been reproduced by the Mansudae creative department
- Copies are yet to be distributed
- It¡¯s a sign that Kim Jong-eun¡¯s succession to power is imminent

Roughly 10 million copies of Kim Jong-eun¡¯s portrait have been reproduced by the Mansudae creative department's top artists, each one precise and of photo quality. Copies are yet to be distributed but the production of the portrait is thought to be a sign of Kim Jong-eun¡¯s imminent official power succession.

On May 31, a high-level source reported that ¡°Kim Jong-eun¡¯s portrait had been completed in February by North Korea¡¯s Mansudae creative department, and currently about 10 million copies have been printed and are being managed by Kim Jong-il¡¯s clerical office.¡±

According to the source, the portrait is a precise rendering of a photograph of Kim Jong-eun, completed by top artists specializing only in portraits of Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il. These facts confirm that Kim Jong-eun¡¯s place as successor is unquestionable.

However the source says, ¡°not a single copy of Kim Jong-eun¡¯s portrait has been yet distributed and it is being kept top secret. Right now it is not the Guidance Department of the Labor Party¡¯s Central Committee or Propaganda Department but Kim Jong-il¡¯s clerical office that is totally in charge of the distribution.¡±

In North Korea, Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il¡¯s portraits are hung in people¡¯s homes, offices, schools and public places to idolize the leaders. Therefore at least 10 million copies are needed to post the portraits throughout the country. The fact that 10 million copies of Kim Jong-eun¡¯s portrait are reproduced shows that they will be used for the idolization of Kim Jong-eun, Kim Jong-il¡¯s youngest son. This signals that Kim Jong-eun¡¯s official succession is not too far in the future.

Kim Jong-il¡¯s clerical office is the department that manages all matters related to Kim Jong-il. Its duties include sorting and managing important reports and documents submitted to Kim Jong-il, recording Kim Jong-il¡¯s statements and sending out his orders. In the clerical office employees include roughly 10 clerks who work under the ¡°vice director of the Party¡¯s Guidance Department¡± and around 20 assistants, including typists, who are mostly women.