Kim Jong-un Looking at Things—Siyao Chen

When did this begin to become popular/famous on the Internet and why?Provide a context and offer an analysis of why you think this became sopopular (if no obvious reason presents itself).

‘Kim Jong-Un Looking At Things’ began on December 18th, 2011 on Tumblr, and it became really popular even up till now. “Kim Jong-un Looking at things” is the successor of the famous Trumblr blog “Kim Jon Il looking at things”. On December 18th, 2011, South Korea’s Yonhap News via North Korean Central News Agency reported that Kim Jong Il had passed away at the age of 69 during a train ride on Saturday December 17th, 2011. The North’s announcement of his death was quickly picked up by various news publications around the world. Within hours of the announcement, the Tumblr blog “Kim Jong-un Looking at Things” was created featuring photos of Kim Jong Il’s son—Kim Jong Un.

It is popular because North Korea has been really strict about what pictures they spread out of their great leader. The released pictures have no relevance on anything that goes on in North Korean politics. It says a lot about North Korea and how distorted their world view is. Also, the North Korean media wants to build a great image of their leader, but in reality the outcome is the opposite. That’s why people find it funny and ironic.

• The details/description of the "meme," person, event, etc.

The meme basically consists of Kim Jong Un looking at various objects. They're all snaps taken during tours around factories and so on, showing the Dear Leader casting an eye over fridges, floor, air vents - whatever you can think of, really.

Example:

looking at boot

looking at a farm report

looking at sausages

About Kim Jong Un:

1 – According to various sources, Kim Jong Un is an NBA fanatic and has had pictures taken with Toni Kukoc of the Chicago Bulls and Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers.

2 - The Chosunilbo reports a number of revelations about KJU’s formative years and claims he briefly attended Switzerland’s German-speaking Liebefeld-Steinhölzli School.

3 – It goes on to claim that “Pak Un”, KJU’s assumed name at the Swiss school, was shy and awkward around girls but became fiercely competitive on the basketball court where he was described by peers as “explosive” and a “playmaker”.

4 – The final revelation from the “Great Successor’s” school years was that despite his father’s anti-American stance – KJU had an extensive collection of Nike sneakers, according to former classmate Nikola Kovacevic, who estimated each pair to cost around $200.

5 – The U.S. and allies will be monitoring KJU’s inaugural days in power extremely closely and are said be concerned that the transition could prove dangerous if KJU seeks to assert his leadership credentials through provocative military actions, claims IndiaTVNews.

6 – The Daily Telegraph served up a number of facts on the young premier, including the revelation that his buzz-style haircut has made him an unlikely style-icon in North Korea, where young men are queuing at barber shops for what has been dubbed the “youth” or “ambition” haircut.

7 – South Korean media widely speculated that KJU underwent a number of cosmetic procedures last year in order to look more like his grandfather and founder of North Korea, Kim Il Sung.

8 – Efforts to transform KJU into a North Korean demigod in the same style as his father, have led to his birthday on January 1 being made a national holiday.

9 – In preparation for KJU’s premiership, North Korean soldiers have reportedly been shown a documentary film in recent months which begins with words: ”Following in the footsteps of the General, offering guidance to the troops, comrade General Kim Jong Un delivers a great blow to the enemy with the resourcefulness of his keen insight.”

10 – KJU can look forward to some favourable coverage from North Korean media. Among the eyebrow-raising stories written about Kim Jung Il were claims he’d set the world record for the lowest round of golf (containing 11 hole-in-ones), reports he’d become a global fashion icon and an official biography on the North Korea state website that said he did not defecate.

• How popular did it become and over what time span?

Google Insights:

http://www.google.com/insights/search/#q=Kim%20Jong%20Un%20Looking%20at%20Things&cmpt=q

The popularity of the meme grew over a two-week span starting from December 11th to December 25^th. The search volume becomes more stable in 2012. The posts usually have an average of 20-130 notes (reposts).

• Include other memes that may have emerged from this or have been influenced by this.

There are a lot of other memes that make fun of Kim Jong-un’s weight.

“Hungry Kim Jong-un”

On December 19^th, 2011, the first “Hungry Kim Jong-Un” Quickmeme submission was created, which featured a photo of Kim talking to a top-ranking general with the caption “What do you mean / I can’t eat America.”