Editing Kim Jong-il (section)

=== Cult of personality ===
{{Quote|<br>Mount Peaktu reaches across<br>Shaping our beautiful land!<br>Cheers resound throughout the land<br>As our general is proudly hailed!<br>The people he valiantly leads<br>The cause of the sun, he carries on!<br>Long live, long live,<br>General Kim Jong-il!<br>|Song of General Kim Jong-il}}
Kim Jong-il was the center of an elaborate [[Cult of personality|personality cult]] inherited from his father and founder of the DPRK [[Kim Il-sung]]. Defectors have been quoted as saying that North Korean schools deify both father and son. He was often the center of attention throughout ordinary life in the DPRK. On his 60th birthday (based on his official date of birth), mass celebrations occurred throughout the country on the occasion of his Hwangab. Many North Koreans believed that he had the "magical" ability to "control the weather" based on his mood. In 2010, the North Korean media reported that Jong-il's distinctive clothing had set worldwide fashion trends.
One point of view is that Jong-il's cult of personality was solely out of respect for Il-sung or out of fear of punishment for failure to pay homage. Media and government sources from outside of North Korea generally support this view, while North Korean government sources aver it was a genuine hero worship. The song "No Motherland Without You," sung by the KPA State Merited Choir, was created especially for Jong-il in 1992 and is frequently broadcast on the radio and from loudspeakers on the streets of Pyongyang.

After Jong-il's death, a bronze statue of him was built and placed next to the statue of Kim Il-sung. When visiting these statues, both North Koreans and tourists are required to bow, and are also recommended to leave flowers as a sign of respect.