Kim Jong-un stars in North Korea’s bizarre Top Gun-inspired missile video

Kim Jong-un seems to have taken inspiration from Top Gun for his latest bizarre propaganga video, and he’s being absolutely mocked for it.

Move over, Tom Cruise. Kim Jong-un has channelled his inner Maverick from the hit 1986 flick Top Gun to star in a bizarre Hollywood-style video for North Korea’s latest missile launch.

While the video may have intended to showcase North Korea’s military might, it’s ended up as fodder for memes and hilarious reactions online.

The diminutive despot assumed a larger-than-life role in Pyongyang’s slick production — sporting a shiny leather jacket and slick aviator shades as he oversaw the first launch of the Hwasong-17 on Thursday, the New York Post reports.

Flanked by military officers, Kim is shown walking in slow motion and pointing as hangar doors swing open to reveal the massive intercontinental ballistic missile.

Kim Jong-un has launched a new intercontinental ballistic missile, Hwasong-17, and a Top Gun-inspired video along with it. Picture: AFP/KCNA via KNS

The North Korean leader dons a leather jacket and aviator sunglasses in the video, to the apparent delight of his entourage. Picture: AFP/KCNA via KNS

The ’80s-inspired soundtrack quickens as the video cuts back and forth between Kim and the officers glancing at their watches, before the strongman removes his sunglasses.

He then gazes dramatically into the camera and gives a subtle nod to begin the launch sequence.

An officer yells into a phone, a soldier waves a flag and several rogue regime troops begin screaming in a command trailer as the countdown begins.

“Fire!” one of Kim’s men shouts, prompting the launch button to be pushed.

The missile flies skyward, spewing red flames and thick smoke, as Kim and his entourage raise their hands in triumph.

The video is accompanied by a dramatic soundtrack befitting of a blockbuster flick. Picture: AFP/KCNA via KNS

Kim inspects the intercontinental ballistic missile before its launch at an undisclosed location in North Korea. Picture: AFP/KCNA via KNS

In the next scene, a smiling Kim is seen strolling shoulder to shoulder with soldiers clad in desert-style combat uniforms and body armour.

The surreal clip quickly sparked memes and remixes on social media, where users called the dictator “Top Kim” and compared the video to the South Korean K-pop hit “Gangnam Style” — changed to “Pyongyang Style.”

Inspired by the Kim Jong Un foto shoot today pic.twitter.com/hrujieioVm

— Dom (@dahmfoolie) March 25, 2022

I think Kim Jong Un is going through an 80s movie phase pic.twitter.com/qhX0kH9CgG

— Populism Updates (@PopulismUpdates) March 25, 2022

Pyongyang style!

(35 second mark is amazing) pic.twitter.com/XzIwHAHwMw

— p (@holzprueghel) March 25, 2022

danger zone pic.twitter.com/mmKkfDANkx

— alva der fabiolöse (@weddingkid_65) March 25, 2022

pic.twitter.com/TN56MQ09kb

— ᴍᴇᴅɪᴜᴍ ᴘᴜɴ 🐝🔮 (@fotoqueen24) March 25, 2022

I did some research and found the video with the original sound. @Sethrogen what do you think? pic.twitter.com/LH7raBmXt6

— Roe the Duck (@RoeCrypto) March 25, 2022

I'm laughing so hard I teared up pic.twitter.com/mo9QJt8bYT

— Fanci Fiction 🦉⚖️📺👩‍⚖️🏴‍☠️ (@FanciFiction) March 25, 2022

You're welcome people.. pic.twitter.com/sD2YtcOaym

— · (@Jorgantecic) March 25, 2022

Others replaced the video’s soundtrack with Kenny Loggins’ “Danger Zone” and Elton John’s “Rocket Man”.

The Korean Central News Agency said the Hwasong-17, which was first unveiled in October 2020, reached a maximum altitude of 3880 miles (6244km) and flew 680 miles (1094km) in 67 minutes before crashing into Japanese waters.

Kim previously gained viral fame when he rode a white horse up the sacred Mount Paektu in October 2019.

His father and predecessor, Kim Jong-il, was an avid movie fan who in 1978 ordered the kidnapping of a South Korean director and an actor to help develop the Hermit Kingdom’s cinema industry, according to the Guardian.

This article originally appeared on the New York Post and was reproduced with permission