"North Korea Reveals Kim Ju-ae... 'Cheap Imitation' of the British Royal Family"

"Intent to Grant Global Royal Authority to Baekdu Bloodline"
"Kim Juae Shows Great Affection to Parents... Successor Rumors Premature"

Kim Jong-un, commemorative photo with ICBM contributors... accompanied again by second daughter [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jang Hee-jun] Kim Jong-un, General Secretary of the Workers' Party of North Korea, has been criticized for repeatedly appearing with his presumed second daughter, Kim Ju-ae, at official events, with some suggesting he is emulating the British royal family. It is believed that North Korea wants to portray the 'Baekdu bloodline' it claims as a globally authoritative dynasty.

Makino Yoshihiro, a Korea Peninsula expert and diplomatic correspondent for Japan's Asahi Shimbun, said in an interview with Radio Free Asia (RFA) on the 30th of last month (local time) that when asked, "What is North Korea's intention in showing the daughter again?" he replied, "There is an intention to make the Kim family into an authoritative dynasty like the British or Japanese royal families."

Earlier, North Korean domestic and international propaganda media extensively reported on the scene where General Secretary Kim appeared with Kim Ju-ae during the launch of the new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) 'Hwasong-17' on the 18th of last month. They also highlighted a resolution letter delivered by the military to Kim, which stated, "We will follow only the Baekdu bloodline and remain loyal to the end."

Makino said, "Unlike his predecessors, Kim Jong-un became the supreme leader without experiencing power struggles, and the fundamental basis for becoming the supreme leader is hereditary succession and the Baekdu bloodline. Especially nowadays, since 'open royal families' are a global trend, Kim Jong-un seems to emphasize that by publicly showing his daughter, he has the same authority and status as world royal families."

Kim Jong-un Taking Off His Fedora
[Image Source=Yonhap News]

When asked if North Korea had previously emulated the British or Japanese royal families, he explained, "About 20 years ago, I heard that North Korea was collecting materials on royal families like those of Japan and Britain. North Korea introduced the unique ideological system in 1967 and Juche ideology in 1972, and has carried out the deification of the supreme leader."

Regarding the media referring to Kim Ju-ae as a "noble young lady," he stated, "In official North Korean reports, honorifics are only used for the supreme leader's family, that is, the royal family. This also indicates that they are referencing reports about the Japanese imperial family."

On why North Korea is imitating global royal families, he interpreted it as "a sign that they lack confidence in their own authority," and directly criticized it as a "cheap imitation" trying to show an appearance identical to the British royal family, at least on the surface.

According to intelligence sources, Kim Jong-un and Ri Sol-ju, who married in 2009, are known to have three children. The first child, born in 2010, is a son, and the second child, born in 2013, is Kim Ju-ae, who recently appeared. The gender of the third child is disputed, but it is believed to have been born in 2017.

Regarding the fact that only the second child has appeared publicly, Makino said, "It could be the result of choosing the child with the most outstanding appearance, or because (Kim Ju-ae) is receiving great affection from her parents," but he drew a line on the speculation that she is being groomed as a successor, saying, "At least at this point, I do not think Kim Ju-ae is being raised as a successor."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.