Many North Koreans are reacting coldly to the appearance of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s young daughter Kim Ju Ae during the Feb. 8 nighttime military parade, which was held to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the founding of the Korean People’s Army.
A source in North Hamgyong Province told Daily NK on Tuesday that people who saw Kim Ju Ae alongside her father at the parade “couldn’t hide their bitterness.”
The Rodong Sinmun and other North Korean state-run media ran a series of reports on Feb. 8 and 9 about how Kim Jong Un — accompanied by his wife Ri Sol Ju and his daughter Kim Ju Ae — attended a banquet to mark Army Day, as well as the military parade.
The source said people who actually saw the reports are taking great interest in the appearance of Kim’s daughter, but not necessarily in a good way.
He said many people cannot hide how perplexed they are that a 10-year-old girl was treated even better than the top generals in the North Korean army.
The source said other children her age would have a hard time even glimpsing the face of a high-ranking military cadre before they die, let alone attending a military parade.
“As a parent, I felt a sense of shame watching a young girl receive top treatment alongside her dad, outclipsing even the top military brass, just because of who her father is,” he said.
The source said it was a bit heartwarming to watch Kim and his daughter smiling and talking on the VIP platform, “but it’s an image the people cannot entirely embrace.”
“No one would be happy to see somebody treated like royalty because of who her father is while their own kids are trembling from hunger and cold,” he claimed.
Even young university students are expressing concern that with Kim Ju Ae already making her fifth official appearance in North Korean media, a fourth generation succession of the Kim family has become a fait accompli.
According to the source, a student at Chongjin University of Pedagogy said unease is spreading among the students with Kim Ju Ae appearing before her father’s time as leader is even up.
“That’s because the repeated appearances of the young daughter is clearly intended to show that [Kim family rule] will continue into the next generation,” the student said, according to the source.
Daily NK’s source further commented that young North Koreans who have grown up on South Korean films and TV are more aware of things than previous generations, “so they aren’t viewing the appearance of the young girl with just amusement or by being deeply moved emotionally.”
Translated by David Carruth. Edited by Robert Lauler.
Please direct any comments or questions about this article to dailynkenglish@uni-media.net.
