“Call Kim Jong-un, that’s my name. That name again is Kim Jong-un.” Indeed, for North Koreans in North Korea, “there’s only one name: Kim Jong-un.” Seems the word’s getting out, however: Flickr user Khalid Belhaji (Kariido85) captured the above advertorial-ish stencil from Bandung, Indonesia on November 10th of 2015.
Tiny Arms & The Man
North Korea may be well-armed but this caricature of Kim Jong-un? Not so much. Flickr user Mike Slade (W.I.L.T.) snapped the above graffiti of a rosy-cheeked and cutely hair-bowed Supreme Leader in East London, UK on January 3rd of 2014.
Kaos Kim
Art auction database millionaire Thierry Ehrmann from the French town of Saint-Romain-au-Mont-d’Or inhabits a sort of “residential artwork” he calls the Abode of Chaos… yep, the neighbors have issues. Ehrmann painted a graffiti-style portrait of Kim Kong-un on one of the Abode’s exterior walls. Guess it’s better than a velvet Elvis painting but we could be wrong.
The Last Laugh?
Flickr user Terterian found the above colorful graffiti of a cheerful Kim Jong-un in Leake Street, London’s graffiti and street art hotspot. We’re not sure what Kim finds so amusing here but perhaps, like most any other North Korean, he’s just darned happy not to be in North Korea.
Priceless
So freeing North Korea is a thing now? Perhaps they mean “liberating” the place, because that worked out so well for, say, Iraq. In any case, several versions of “Free North Korea” stencils and street art have popped up over the past year or so, mainly in New York City. The above examples come courtesy of Flickr users edwardhblake, LMazzelPhotos, hollow sidewalks, and Clay Hensley (Mud Boy).
Grin Reaper
Say “Kimchis…” er, make that “cheese”, Kim. We’ll close on a high note – if Kim Jong-un can find something to smile about, surely there must be hope for us all. Flickr user Elvert Barnes snapped the SmearLeader sticker at top in Washington D.C. on September 11th of 2015. Other related graphics sticker-bombed around the nation’s capital by “North Korea’s Banksy” exploit Kim Jong-un’s rarely seen childlike grin. As The Beatles once sang, however… Happiness is a warm gun.”
