Did Kim Juae Criticize 'Luxury Extravagance'? This Time, a Low-Cost Chinese Blouse

"Seemingly Conscious of Criticism on Internal and External Luxury Consumption"
42% of North Korean Population Suffers from Malnutrition

Kim Ju-ae, daughter of North Korean State Affairs Commission Chairman Kim Jong-un, was reported to have worn a low-cost Chinese-made outfit sold online when she inspected the National Aerospace Development Administration with Chairman Kim on the 18th. This contrasts with the high-end luxury jacket she wore during the intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) Hwasong-17 launch site visit last month. Analysts suggest this reflects an awareness of public criticism regarding luxury extravagance.

According to a report by the U.S. Radio Free Asia (RFA) on the 20th (local time), the beige blouse Kim Ju-ae wore during the National Aerospace Development Administration inspection was identified as a Chinese-made product sold for $15 to $21 (about 20,000 to 30,000 KRW) on online shopping malls in Hong Kong and China. This was determined through a search using Google Lens, Google's image search app.

The vendor selling the blouse responded to RFA, saying, "It looks similar to our product in the photo." A company representative stated, "We do not ship products to North Korea," but added, "Since we receive products from various wholesalers and sell them in retail stores, the blouse manufacturer may have sold the product through other stores."

This outfit is distinctly different from the one worn during the ICBM launch observation. On the 13th, when Kim Ju-ae observed the test launch of the Hwasong-18 ICBM, she wore a $1,900 (2.5 million KRW) 'Kids Hooded Down Jacket' from the French luxury brand Christian Dior. She also wore this jacket during the Hwasong-17 ICBM launch observation on the 16th of last month.

North Korean State Affairs Commission Chairman Kim Jong-un visited the National Space Development Agency on the 18th with his daughter Kim Ju-ae, the Korean Central News Agency reported on the 19th.

Jonathan Corrado, Policy Director at the Korea Society, a U.S. private organization, noted that amid North Korea's severe food shortage issues, there has been public criticism of Kim Ju-ae wearing luxury clothes. He suggested that her wearing low-cost Chinese clothing this time may have been influenced by these critical voices.

Corrado explained, "While ordinary North Korean citizens are suffering, such lavish spending by the ruling class can upset the public sentiment," adding, "This issue has become more complicated because the United Nations prohibits North Korea from purchasing luxury goods, and the North Korean authorities have regarded certain Western fashion as a symbol of capitalist decadence."

Lee Seo-hyun, a defector from Pyongyang now settled in the U.S., also told RFA, "Recently, the food shortage in North Korea has become so severe that people are starving to death. The public exposure of the Kim family living a luxurious life adorned with luxury goods likely had an impact."

Previously, Chairman Kim was spotted wearing a luxury wristwatch worth about 14 million KRW at the military parade commemorating the 75th anniversary of the founding of the Workers' Party on October 10, 2020. His wife, Ri Sol-ju, has frequently appeared wearing Dior handbags worth hundreds of thousands of KRW, Tiffany necklaces, and dresses from Gucci and Versace.

North Korea's food shortage problem has recently reached a critical level. According to a North Korean human rights report submitted to the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHCR) on the 9th of last month, 42% of North Korea's population suffers from malnutrition due to food shortages. As of the end of 2021, it is estimated that 60% of the population experiences anxiety caused by food scarcity.

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