About
Kim Jong Un Bent Over is a photoshop meme based on a photograph of the North Korean dictator bent over a bed during an inspection of a new residential complex constructed for scientists and university professors. While the original photograph surfaced online in August 2013, it didn’t take off as a photoshop meme until a cutout image of the slumped Kim Jong Un was submitted to Reddit in early March 2015.
Origin
On August 7th, 2013, Twitter user Kety Shapazian[3] tweeted a Reuters photograph of Kim firmly pressing the surface of a mattress with both of his fists (shown below) during an inspection of an apartment complex for scientists and university professors under construction in downtown Pyongyang. Later that day, Politico editorial director Blake Hounshell retweeted the photo.[1]
The image went relatively unnoticed until March 4th, 2015, when Redditor lightmanmac submitted the picture to the /r/photoshopbattles[9] subreddit, inviting viewers to submit digitally edited versions of the photo in the comments section. Within two weeks, the post gained over 4,300 votes (94% upvoted) and 630 comments, with the highest-voted submission featuring Kim standing over the iconic adult film “casting couch” (shown below).
Spread
On March 5th, 2015, a compilation of notable examples was submitted to the Internet humor site 9gag,[2] where it gathered more than 21,300 points and 460 comments over the next week. That day, the Buzz60 YouTube channel uploaded a news report about the photoshops (shown below). In the coming days, several news sites published articles about the photoshop meme, including The Daily Dot,[4] BuzzFeed,[5] Mashable,[6] Yahoo News[7] and Neatorama.[8]
Notable Examples
Search Interest
Not available.
External References
[1]Twitter – @blakehounshell
[2]9gag – You know what to do next when Kim Jong-un bends over
[3]Twitter – @KetyBrazil
[4]The Daily Dot – Kim Jong Un Bent Over
[5]BuzzFeed – The Kimg Jong Un Bending Over Meme
[6]Mashable – North Koreas Kim Jong-un bends over
[7]Yahoo News – North Koreas Kim Jong Un Bends Over
[8]Neatorama – Redditors Have Photoshop Fun with Kim Jong Un Bent Over
[9]Reddit – PsBattle Leader of Best Korea leaning over a bed.