North Koreans are secretly resentful that Kim Jong Un’s young daughter seems to be well fed as others in the reclusive country starve, according to a report.
One resident in the Hermit Kingdom recently told Radio Free Asia’s Korean Service people are noticing the plump cheeks of the dictator’s daughter Kim Ju Ae as she makes public appearances with her father.
The daughter, believed to be around 10, was recently seen with the country’s leader as North Korea fired off an intercontinental ballistic test missile last week.
It’s one of a handful of appearances she’s made in recent months.
“The people are saying things like, ‘She must be eating so well, her face is so white and plump like the moon,’” the source, who is from North Pyongan, but did not want to be identified, told the news agency in the Feb. 28 report. “Most people aren’t able to eat properly so their cheekbones stick out from their faces even more than ever before.”
Another source said residents north of the capital in South Pyongan province see Kim Ju Ae’s plump appearance and then compare it with the children in their neighborhood who struggle to eat.
“They are angry to see the plump white face of the Beloved Child appearing so often in propaganda,” the second source told RFA. “They say that she looks so different than the children of the common people, who cannot even eat three meals a day due to a lack of food.”
The second source also complained to the news outlet that it’s hypocritical for authorities to punish high school kids for growing their hair long or keeping up with fashion trends – both seen as an ode to capitalist culture – when the daughter prances around high end clothes.
“Kim Ju Ae’s clothing and appearance are completely different from what an ordinary teenage girl could get away with,” the person said.
There’s been speculation that Kim Ju Ae would be the successor to her father, but South Korean officials believe it’s too early to determine that either way.
South Korean Unification Minister Kwon Youngse cited Kim’s young age and how North Korea is male dominated as reasons why his daughter would not be the next leader.
“There are views that (her appearances) are aimed at talking about a hereditary power transition. But considering Kim Jong Un’s age and the fact that North Korea has a much more patriarchal nature than ours, there are also lots of questions about whether North Korea having a woman (prepared to) inherit power now is indeed right,” he told lawmakers last month.
Some experts believe she will be next in line because state media have called her Kim’s “most beloved” or “respected” child and publish images showing how close she is with him.
South Korean officials estimated this month their rival country was facing an annual rice shortage of 800,000 metric tons. A recent United Nations report estimates about 60% of North Koreans dealt with food insecurity by the end of 2021.
With Post wires
