An official North Korean newspaper has announced that the country's leaders do not have the ability to "magically" bend time and space as the nation previously claimed in the regime of Kim Jong-un and former supreme leader Kim Jong-il.
The announcement is a significant rollback from the nation's previous firm claims into distancing itself from rumours regarding its leaders.
Time-travelling Kim?
The newspaper agency, Rodong Sinmun, rejected the claim that the Kim family have the ability called "Chukjibeop", which, in North Korean culture, is defined as a way of folding space and time travelling.
According to the UK Express, the method of Chukjibeop has deep-rooted origins within the society of North Korea as a means of strengthening the worship of their leaders.
In a statement from the media outlet, it read "In realistic terms, a person cannot disappear and reappear by folding space."
A South Korean official from the unification ministry said on Thursday that the North Korean trend of demystification is "noteworthy."
"It appears to stress patriotism and love for the people rather than mystification of the leaders," said the official to the Yonhap news agency.
Since the failed agreement of North Korean Leader Kim Jong-un and US President Donald Trump in a second summit, the supreme leader turned his eyes on revealing more of his "human" side to his people, motivating the demystification of leaders by the North Korean people.
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"Mystifying a leader's revolutionary activity and appearance would result in covering the truth," said leader Kim as he was quoted stating to the state media in March of 2019 after the unfruitful negotiations between the US and North Korea, as reported by the UK Telegraph.
He added that "Absolute loyalty would spring up when they are mesmerised by the leader humanly and comradely."
Surfacing rumours about the supreme leader
Rumours about the North Korean leader's health continue to spread in the region of the Sino-North Korean border, persisting through the government's attempt to debunk myths with a last-minute public appearance of the supreme leader in good health.
The appearance of Kim Jong-un at a fertiliser company, however, failed to relieve the doubts of the country as people claim that the factory is unfinished and inoperable.
There are even reports that some believe a body double was used to showcase the fake appearance of Kim.
Another rumour that has begun to pop up stating the supreme leader received leg injuries resulting in his absence.
"People are speculating that Kim Jong-un can't walk properly right now because he might have gotten leg surgery due to his weight," said the source.
"Other rumours say that he rode around in a car during the opening ceremony because he couldn't walk properly, while some say that he was exercising to lose weight but strained himself and had to take a long break to rest," they added. "There are all sorts of rumours."
There are also reports that the claims regarding the deteriorating health of the supreme leader originated from defectors of the state.
"After Kim Jong-un resurfaced, people started saying that the defectors in South Korea were the ones that first started to spread rumours of his death," said a North Hamgyong Province-based source told Daily NK.
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