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East-Asia-Intel.com

SEOUL — A majority of North Korean defectors here believe North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un’s public approval rating is above 50 percent thanks to programs to shape his image as a genial and friendly leader, a poll shows.

[See also: Basketball diplomacy: The Harlem Globetrotters inside the hermit kingdom of North Korea]

The survey carried out by the Institute for Peace and Unification Studies at Seoul National University showed 62 percent of 133 North Korean defectors polled believe the young leader has a majority support of his people.

A similar report conducted in 2011 showed that 56 percent of defectors said the former North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il had support of more than 50 percent of his people.

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  Dear Leader, Institute for Peace and Unification Studies, Kim Jong-Il, Kim Jong-Un, not: N. Korea defectors see Kim Jong-Un as a PR winner