How Russia’s secretive Lenin Lab helped North Korea embalm its ruling Kims



Features How Russia’s secretive Lenin Lab helped North Korea embalm its ruling Kims Pyongyang paid as much as $1M to the Russian team that has preserved Lenin for 100 years, though it refuses to admit it James Fretwell January 19, 2024 SHARE COPY LINK FACEBOOK X LINKEDIN MASTODON Statues of former North Korean leaders Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il in the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun in Pyongyang, where their embalmed bodies lie in state \| Image: KCTV (Dec. 16, 2020) Former North Korean rulers Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il may have died many years ago, but they’re very much alive in the national consciousness, their embalmed bodies lying in state deep within a massive mausoleum on the outskirts of Pyongyang. Their corpses attract scores of visitors every year and have undoubtedly become North Korean icons, sacred symbols in the cult of the Kim family dictatorship. Former North Korean rulers Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il may have died many years ago, but they’re very much alive in the national consciousness, their embalmed bodies lying in state deep within a massive mausoleum on the outskirts of Pyongyang. Their corpses attract scores of visitors every year and have undoubtedly become North Korean icons, sacred symbols in the cult of the Kim family dictatorship. Try unlimited access Only $1 for four weeks Unlimited access to all of NK News: reporting, investigations, analysis Year-one discount if you continue past $1 trial period The NK News Daily Update, an email newsletter to keep you in the loop Searchable archive of all content, photo galleries, special columns Contact NK News reporters with tips or requests for reporting Get unlimited access to all NK News content, including original reporting, investigations, and analyses by our team of DPRK experts. Subscribe now All major cards accepted. No commitments – you can cancel any time. © Korea Risk Group. All rights reserved. No part of this content may be reproduced, distributed, or used for commercial purposes without prior written permission from Korea Risk Group. Get the Daily Update Start your day with the North Korea stories that matter most – as selected by And how should we address you in correspondence? One more step! Please check your inbox, for an email we just sent you, and click on the confirmation message in it to get subscribed to our Daily News Update. Trending

Features

How Russia’s secretive Lenin Lab helped North Korea embalm its ruling Kims

Pyongyang paid as much as $1M to the Russian team that has preserved Lenin for 100 years, though it refuses to admit it

James Fretwell January 19, 2024

How Russia’s secretive Lenin Lab helped North Korea embalm its ruling Kims

Statues of former North Korean leaders Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il in the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun in Pyongyang, where their embalmed bodies lie in state | Image: KCTV (Dec. 16, 2020)

Former North Korean rulers Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il may have died many years ago, but they’re very much alive in the national consciousness, their embalmed bodies lying in state deep within a massive mausoleum on the outskirts of Pyongyang.

Their corpses attract scores of visitors every year and have undoubtedly become North Korean icons, sacred symbols in the cult of the Kim family dictatorship.

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