SEOUL—Kim Jong Un’s propagandists have embraced a new calling: social-media influencing.

North Korean propaganda has long struck a familiar chord, spewing vitriol toward imperialist outsiders and fawning over the ruling Kim family’s achievements. But Pyongyang’s image makers are now peddling a softer image of the Kim regime, which is best known for being nuclear-armed, reclusive and impoverished.

The makeover attempts surfaced last month, when, in an unusual tactic, separate Twitter accounts appeared bearing the names of two Pyongyang bureaucrats: Kim Myong Il, a negotiator who appeared at 2018 inter-Korean talks, and Han Song Il, of a Pyongyang institute considered to be a propaganda agency. The posts—in English, Japanese, Chinese and Korean—depicted everyday life.

“It’s finally kimchi season,” the account bearing Mr. Kim’s name tweeted on Nov. 11. “Just thinking about our healthy and tasty kimchi makes my mouth water.”

Days before North Korea’s Mother’s Day on Nov. 16, a tweet on the account read, “Mother, much love and respect to you.”