About the Author

Colin Zwirko
Colin Zwirko is a Senior Analytic Correspondent for NK News based in Seoul. Follow him on Twitter @ColinZwirko.
North Korean state media celebrated the life of late former military official Hyon Chol Hae over the weekend, releasing a new documentary on how he mentored Kim Jong Un and backed Kim as the “sole successor” to lead the DPRK.
Kim reportedly visited Hyon at a Pyongyang hospital multiple times recently and watched Hyon at the moment he died last month, according to the film first aired on Korean Central Television (KCTV) Sunday evening. The documentary is the latest in a propaganda series about Kim Jong Un’s relationships with officials that seeks to buttress the leader’s cult of personality.