NORTH Korean leader Kim Jong-un has reportedly handed out copies of Adolf Hitler's book Mein Kampf to top-ranking officials.

Kim handed out copies of Mein Kampf to mark his birthday, reports New Focus International, a news organisation focused on North Korean news.

North Korea-watchers believe the move is part of an effort by propagandists and Kim to make him seem similar to the Nazi leader, and sow fear among the regimen’s elite and top officials, rather than drawing on Nazi beliefs.

Kim urged officials to study Mein Kampf and draw inspiration from Germany’s quick rebuilding after the First World War.

"Kim Jong-un gave a lecture to high-ranking officials, stressing that we must pursue the policy of Byungjin ("In Tandem") in terms of nuclear and economic development,” a source told New Focus International.

"Mentioning that Hitler managed to rebuild Germany in a short time following its defeat in WWI, Kim Jong-un issued an order for the Third Reich to be studied in depth and asked that practical applications be drawn from it," the source said.

Kim is also said to have been inspired by Hitler’s theories of child-rearing, issuing a new "three child" policy with priority university entrance for large families. Kim - a basketball fan who famously had a visit from "best friend" Dennis Rodman this year- is also said to be taken with Hitler’s views on sport, and there has been more emphasis on sport from the propaganda departments.

The director of North Korea’s secret police reportedly told a national security meeting to "mould yourself on the Gestapo”, and rumours are swirling that Kim studied Hitler while at school in Switzerland. Rumours among the elite are often another North Korean propaganda tool.

New Focus International editor Shirley Lee told the Washington Postthat Kim may be attempting to learn from Hitler’s successes and image.

"One source says there have been many overt attempts to imbue Kim Jong-Un with an ‘intimidating charisma’, such as having him shout very forcefully at associate (Kim Jong-Il was never seen to do such a thing) and even throwing things at people," Lee said. This could explain why official news media in North Korea have begun publishing photos of Kim looking "angry and scary - again, unprecedented in the history of Kim presentation."

The emphasis on Hitler and new angry images of Kim has "heightened the atmosphere of fear and mutual suspicion", a North Korean source told New Focus International.

In one official document, Kim urges North Koreans to use kitchen knives and clubs to fight the enemy and reunite the Korean peninsula. The violent imagery is very unusual in regime propaganda, sources said.