{"id":54957,"date":"2023-05-10T12:00:04","date_gmt":"2023-05-10T03:00:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/?p=54957"},"modified":"2023-05-10T10:26:20","modified_gmt":"2023-05-10T01:26:20","slug":"why-on-earth-kim-ju-ae-accompanying-father-various-inspections","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/why-on-earth-kim-ju-ae-accompanying-father-various-inspections\/","title":{"rendered":"Why on earth is Kim Ju Ae accompanying her father on various on-the-spot inspections?"},"content":{"rendered":"

On Apr. 18, Kim Jong Un visited the National Aerospace Development Administration (NADA) and ordered officials to \u201cform an extraordinary satellite launch preparatory committee and push forward with final preparations so as to launch the recently completed military reconnaissance satellite No. 1 in accordance with the planned timeline.\u201d On this visit, Kim was once again accompanied by his daughter (known as \u201cJu Ae\u201d).<\/span><\/p>\n

On Nov. 19 last year, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) and other North Korean state media outlets all published photographs of a young girl wearing a white padded jacket and red shoes holding hands with Kim Jong Un as he inspected a missile launch site. The outlets reported that North Korea had \u201cconducted a test launch of its new ICBM Hwasong-17 missile the day prior (Nov. 18, 2022)\u201d and that \u201c[Kim Jong Un] personally directed the entire process alongside his beloved child.\u201d The coverage constituted the world\u2019s first glimpse of the fourth generation of the so-called \u201cMt. Paektu bloodline.\u201d South Korea\u2019s National Intelligence Service confirmed that the girl photographed is Ju Ae.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Since last November, Kim Jong Un has repeatedly brought his daughter along with him to attend key public events, including missile test launches, a military review commemorating the 75th anniversary of the KPA, and an athletic competition celebrating his grandfather Kim Il Sung\u2019s birthday. It has now become commonplace to see Kim attending events with his daughter at his side. At the military review, the Mt. Paektu bloodline theme was especially prominent, with soldiers shouting the slogan \u201cDefend the Paektu Bloodline!\u201d and both father and daughter appearing on white horses, the symbol of Kim Jong Un\u2019s military power. (North Korean media introduced Kim Ju Ae\u2019s horse as the \u201cmost beloved prize horse of the beloved child.\u201d) On top of this fanfare, state media\u2019s epithets for Kim Ju Ae (\u201cthe noble child\u201d and \u201cthe honorable child\u201d) and her joint portrait with her mother in a commemorative stamp appear to be part of an unsophisticated ploy to idolize the young Kim.<\/span><\/p>\n

North Korea experts in Korea and abroad have been actively considering the reasoning behind Kim Ju Ae\u2019s abrupt public debut, even putting forth various theories to explain it. Some of the most popular theories include: Kim Ju Ae\u2019s appearance at missile sites serves as a reminder that the regime will guarantee the safety of future generations through nuclear and missile development; that Kim Ju Ae has been designated as Kim\u2019s successor; and even that the daughter\u2019s appearance means there is an ongoing power struggle between Kim Jong Un\u2019s wife (Ri Sol Ju) and his sister (Kim Yo Jong).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Among these theories, the crux of the debate centers on the issue of Kim\u2019s line of succession. In the period soon after her first appearance, the use of the regime\u2019s most respectful titles, the issuance of a commemorative stamp, and the appearance of Ju Ae\u2019s white horse all lent some credibility to the theory that Ju Ae had been chosen as Kim\u2019s successor. However, as time has passed, mainstream opinion has since swung in the opposite direction with many positing that it would be nearly impossible for Kim Ju Ae to be chosen as Kim\u2019s heir.<\/span><\/p>\n

Those of this opinion say that Kim Ju Ae is simply too young. The outside world first learned her name back in September 2013 from US NBA basketball player Dennis Rodman, who had just returned from a trip to Pyongyang upon invitation from Kim Jong Un. After his trip, Rodman told <\/span>The Guardian<\/span><\/i> that he had \u201cheld [Kim\u2019s] daughter, Ju Ae.\u201d If his account is correct, that would make Ju Ae just about ten years old this year. By contrast, Ju Ae\u2019s grandfather Kim Jong Il was not designated as Kim Il Sung\u2019s successor until 1974 at the age of 33, and was only publicly announced as Kim\u2019s heir seven years later at the age of 39. Moreover, Ju Ae\u2019s father Kim Jong Un was not publicly announced as his father\u2019s successor until September 2010 at the third Conference of the Workers’ Party of Korea. At the time, Kim Jong Un had been \u201cyoung\u201d given he was only 26, and many speculated his succession announcement was hurriedly pushed forward after his father Kim Jong Il had mostly recovered following his collapse from a stroke in 2008. Given past history, it seems highly unlikely that Kim Ju Ae has been designated the Kim family heir at the tender age of ten. As far as health scares go, it is worth considering that North Korean state media has reported that Kim Jong Un has been so active lately that he \u201ccould only yearn for sleep.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Secondly, there\u2019s the issue of Kim Ju Ae\u2019s gender. North Korean society ostensibly advocates gender equality, as outlined in its \u201cDecree on the Equality of Men and Women\u201d (July 30, 1946), which proclaims that \u201cwomen have the same rights as men in affairs of state, economics, culture, society, and all other fields.\u201d In practice, however, patriarchal values continue to have a strong foothold in North Korean society. We can get a sense of the pervasiveness of North Korea\u2019s gender inequality through the significant number of female North Korean defectors who refer to their husbands as the heads of their households. In North Korea, the only area where men and women are equal is in their ability to provide labor for the regime. Considering the deep-rooted nature of patriarchal thought in North Korean society, it is hard to imagine a situation in which people could come to accept a woman as their supreme leader.<\/span><\/p>\n

Third, there is no clear reason for Kim to disrupt the tradition of father-son succession and designate his daughter as future leader. South Korea\u2019s intelligence community reports that Kim Jong Un and his wife, Ri Sol Ju, have had three children together. Their first child appears to have been a son (est. born in 2010), followed by Ju Ae (est. born 2013), and then by a third child whose gender remains unknown (est. born in 2017). It is the existence of Ju Ae\u2019s older brother that has led South Korea\u2019s intelligence service to believe that Ju Ae is not her father\u2019s heir. While some have suggested that Kim might choose his daughter if his son was in poor health or was otherwise seen as unfit for leadership, observation of the Kim couple at public events does not seem to indicate any issues with the eldest son serious enough to remove him from the possible line of succession. Moreover, in the event that Ju Ae is appointed successor for one reason or another, there is the possibility that power will end up being handed over to someone who is not part of the Kim clan. In other words, another figure could take power who would bring an end to the Mt. Paektu bloodline.<\/span><\/p>\n

With all these factors in mind, there are more than a few obstacles to Kim Ju Ae becoming her father\u2019s successor. At the same time, her frequent appearances beg the question of why her father is parading her in public if she has not been designated as his successor. The answer to this question is that while it is generally taken for granted that Kim\u2019s successor will be one of his children, I suspect that Kim is currently laying the groundwork to formalize the system of succession, which is currently in a state of flux.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As is well known, the \u201cSocialist Constitution\u201d adopted in 1972 created a system of monolithic rule in which Kim Jong Il inherited absolute authority over the country from his father Kim Il Sung. The unprecedented move was the first attempt at hereditary succession of power in any socialist country. At the same time, North Korea was aware of outside criticism over the prospect of hereditary succession and put forth its so-called \u201ctheory on a leader\u2019s outstanding qualities\u201d to justify Kim Il Sung\u2019s decision to designate his son as successor while also praising the leader for \u201cbrilliantly resolving the issue of succession\u201d in the event of his death.<\/span><\/p>\n

In justifying Kim Jong Il\u2019s nomination as successor, North Korean state media at the time proclaimed that \u201c[Kim Jong Il] stands out for his supreme ideological wisdom and unwavering revolutionary principles. Under a leader [like him] with such outstanding executive faculties, [North Korea\u2019s] ideology is sure to grow exponentially stronger,\u201d and that the younger Kim\u2019s \u201cgreatest historic contribution is the way his\u00a0 vigorous ideological and practical actions bring glory to Kim Il Sung\u2019s ideology.\u201d The media went on to heap praise on Kim Jong Il\u2019s abilities and the important role he played as leader, claiming that Kim Jong Il had taken the ideology that Kim Il Sung had planted in Korean soil and cultivated it into a lush forest, bringing about \u201cthe golden age of the Juche era.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Kim Jong Il, upon solidifying his position as successor, proposed the \u201cbloodline doctrine.\u201d The core tenet of this doctrine was that \u201cthe party must go forth and carry on the bloodline arranged by the Supreme Leader while continuing to ceaselessly strengthen and develop the Supreme Leader\u2019s party.\u201d Simultaneously, propaganda featured \u201cthe three generals of Mt. Paektu (Kim Il Sung, Kim Jong Suk, Kim Jong Il),\u201d the \u201cMt. Paektu Milyang guerilla basecamp (Samjiyon, Yanggang Province),\u201d and \u201cslogan trees (trees on Mt. Paektu with patriotic slogans carved into them by partisan fighters)\u201d as part of establishing the idea of the \u201cMt. Paektu bloodline.\u201d This effectively shifted the qualifications for succession away from emphasis on unique leadership qualities to a bloodline-centered justification. This Mt. Paektu bloodline doctrine is what later enabled Kim Jong Un to ascend to leadership without fierce in-fighting for political authority or demonstrating any special qualifications.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Kim Jong Un, who inherited total control over the regime following the death of his father Kim Jong Il, brutally executed his aunt\u2019s husband Jang Song Thaek in December 2013. He then wiped out the only other remaining possible competitor for power by assassinating his half-brother Kim Jong Nam in February 2017. In doing so, the young Kim swiftly secured authority and solidified his position as the head of the regime.<\/span><\/p>\n

According to the North Korean Constitution, \u201cthe Dear Leader Comrade Kim Il Sung is the founder of the Democratic People\u2019s Republic of North Korea and the progenitor of socialist Korea.\u201d In practice, this makes the DPRK no different from a monarchy. However, given the ideological gymnastics required to support socialism while openly operating as a monarchy, the regime has left this element unspoken for now. North Korea is aware of this fundamental problem and has so far successfully designated successors on a case by case basis.<\/span><\/p>\n

However, Kim Jong Un is facing a whole new kind of problem compared to his predecessors. The second and third generation successors to the North Korean \u201cthrone\u201d each had a chance to receive leadership education and accumulate knowledge and experience before stepping forward to be designated as successors at an appropriate age. Kim Jong Un\u2019s children, however, are still too young.<\/span><\/p>\n

What if something were to happen to Kim Jong Un sometime in the near future? While hereditary succession is clearly part of North Korea\u2019s tradition, there is no actual guarantee in the form of law or regulation that would ensure that Kim\u2019s total authority is seamlessly passed on to his children.<\/span><\/p>\n

One such strategy that might resolve this oversight would be to append epithets like \u201cthe <\/span>noble child\u201d and \u201cthe honorable child\u201d to Kim Ju Ae and to make her the focus of international attention by bringing her along to public events. From this point of view, Kim\u2019s strategy may have been reasonably effective. For better or for worse, every person in North Korea now knows ten-year-old Ju Ae\u2019s face, and for those in the outside world, Kim Ju Ae has now become closely linked with the debate over who will succeed Kim Jong Un.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I anticipate that North Korea will carefully gauge the effectiveness of this tactic and go on to emphasize that: 1) regardless of age or gender, only the direct descendants of the Kim line are qualified for leadership; and that 2) this principle will be made into a widely understood norm through various proactive propaganda activities. In other words, Kim Jong Un bringing his daughter with him in public might be yet another calculated move to \u201cbrilliantly resolve the issue of succession.\u201d One might even say that these kinds of cunning maneuvers are something of a treasured Kim family trade secret passed down over the last almost 80 years, beginning with Kim Il Sung all the way to his grandson Kim Jong Un.<\/span><\/p>\n

Translated by Rose Adams. Edited by Robert Lauler.\u00a0<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

Daily NK works with a network of reporting partners who live inside North Korea and China. Their identities remain anonymous due to security concerns. More information about Daily NK\u2019s reporting partner network and information gathering activities can be found on our FAQ page\u00a0here<\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Please direct any comments or questions about this article to dailynkenglish@uni-media.net.<\/i><\/p>\n

Read in Korean<\/i><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

On Apr. 18, Kim Jong Un visited the National Aerospace Development Administration (NADA) and ordered officials to \u201cform an extraordinary satellite launch preparatory committee and push forward with final preparations so as to launch the recently completed military reconnaissance satellite No. 1 in accordance with the planned timeline.\u201d On this visit, Kim was once again […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":196,"featured_media":54008,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wikipediapreview_detectlinks":true,"footnotes":""},"categories":[644],"tags":[724,1031,1652,1656],"class_list":["post-54957","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-analysis-and-opinion","tag-kim-jong-un","tag-succession","tag-daughter","tag-dprk"],"yoast_head":"\nWhy on earth is Kim Ju Ae accompanying her father on various on-the-spot inspections? - North Korea News \u2014 Daily NK | Latest DPRK 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