Kim Jong Il Looking at Things

João Rocha’s photobook “Kim Jong Il Looking at Things” has become a cult-like classic since its publication in 2012. In it, Rocha collects comical, even bizarre images published by the official PR agency of North Korea of the late dictator Kim Jong Il looking at various things – fish, pasta packets, tiles, women’s bras, cows, apples, textile workers, books, cucumbers, etc. – with fascination, often surrounded by an entourage of military personnel and government advisors. While the absurd subjects paired with the earnest and deliberate photographic style of these propaganda images give rise to an increasingly surreal humor, Rocha’s editing keeps the viewer always somewhat aware of the cruel intentions of the images.
An essay by Marco Bohr at the back of the book dives into the nature of the photographs and offers an analysis of what helped the images go viral on the internet.