Deity in a T-shirt

摘要

NORTH KOREANS did not hear about Kim Jong Un's first known visit to China, only a year ago, until their dictator was safely back home. Even then, Rodong Sin-mun, a government mouthpiece, tersely informed readers that the "supreme leader" had "unofficially" called on his Chinese counterpart. Yet last month, when Mr Kim travelled to Vietnam for his second meeting with Donald Trump, America's president, the coverage was breathless. State television broadcast daily updates about Mr Kim's journey. Rodong splashed on the red-carpet welcome Mr Kim received, interspersed with stories about how much he was missed at home. It was the closest the North's slow-moving propaganda outlets come to rolling coverage.