PYONGYANG, Korea, Democratic People’s Republic Of — There is no more sacred place in North Korea than Mount Paektu — and getting South Korean President Moon Jae-in to such a spot is a propaganda coup unlike any other. The still active volcano, site of one the most violent eruptions in history, is considered not only to be the birthplace of the mythical Dangun, the first ruler of Korea, but also the spiritual epicenter of the North Korean revolution. Giant mosaics of Kim Il Sung and his son Kim Jong Il — current leader Kim Jong Un’s father — standing on the rim of its crater, the shining blue waters of Lake Chon in the caldera below, are ubiquitous. On Thursday, Moon was almost sure to see that slogan — “Mount Paektu is the Sacred Soul of the Revolution,” with the signature of Kim Il Sung — freshly painted in white. In North Korea, everything is political.

Source: National Post September 20, 2018 04:30 UTC