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We’ve all been calling North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un’s eldest daughter by the wrong name for the past decade because of a mistake made by Dennis Rodman, according to a former southern spy intelligence officer.
In a new interview with The Korea Times, Choe Su Yong said that although we all came to know Kim’s daughter as Kim Jue-ae, her name is probably Kim Eun-ju.
The officer traced the false baptism to retired NBA star Dennis Rodman and his bizarre friendship with Kim Jong Un that blossomed in early 2010.
In the aftermath of one of The Worm’s infamous visits to the hermit kingdom in 2012, he told The Guardian that he saw Kim Jong-un with his daughter and called her “Jue Ae.”
“I heard Kim introduced his daughter to Rodman during his visit to North Korea and said in Korean that ‘jeo-ae’ is his daughter. Rodman appeared to have misunderstood the Korean word ‘jeo-ae’ as her name,” Choe, who retired from the intelligence services in 2010, told the South Korean newspaper.
He added that Kim probably said “that girl” in reference to her when she was with Rodman. The daughter was born to the despot and his wife Ri Sol-ju sometime in 2013.
Kim Ju-ae, daughter of Kim Jong-un (pictured together), is likely to be listed as the heir to the North Korean dictatorship, experts say
Dennis Rodman pictured in North Korea with Kim Jong-un watching a basketball game in March 2013
Kim Jong Un pictured with his daughter in August 2023 at the Hermit Kingdom’s naval headquarters
Kim Eun-ju stood next to Father Kim in front of North Korea’s latest nuclear bomb as he rewarded the officials who built it in November 2022, which experts say is likely not a coincidence
Like many details from North Korea, little confirmed information is known about Kim’s daughter. Choe said in his interview that the leader now has four children, previously it was thought he had three.
Choe told The Korea Times that Kim Jong-un’s eldest child was born from an illicit affair he had with a singer-turned-politician named Hyon Song-wol. His youngest child, born within the past five years, was the product of an affair Kim had with a Japanese pianist.
During Rodman’s interview with The Guardian, in which he revealed the daughter’s name, the retired Bulls star called Kim a “good dad.”
Kim Eun-ju was first seen in public in November 2022 and was subsequently seen in public several more times between then and February 2023.
State media has referred to her as “beloved” daughter and “respected” daughter, with the latter generally used only to describe Kim Jong Un and his wife.
A December 2022 report from The Financial Times quoted analysts as speculating that Kim En-ju’s public profile is part of a project to turn the family into a formal monarchy. That same month, her image graced a postage stamp in the country.
Her sudden appearance next to her father and North Korea’s nuclear weapons could have been constructed to project an image of power – both to the North Korean people and to the world.
Kim Eun-ju is pictured twice a week next to her father and North Korea’s nuclear weapons, which seem intended to project an image of power both at home and abroad
Kim Eun-ju was first seen in public in November 2022 and was subsequently seen in public several more times between then and February 2023
State media’s description of her as Kim’s “most beloved” and “precious” child also gives strong indications that she is the favorite to succeed him
Until Kim Eun-ju suddenly appeared, it was rumored that Kim’s eldest sister, Kim Yo-jong, was in line to replace him.
State media’s description of her as Kim’s “most beloved” and “precious” child also gives strong indications that she is the favorite to succeed him.
However, questions still remain about her position within the line of succession, known in North Korea as the Mount Paektu Bloodline.
Kim Jong-il did not announce the existence of his own successor, Kim Jong-un, until very late in his reign, when his health was clearly deteriorating.
Kim Jong Un has faced health problems in recent years, including rumors that he had died in 2020, but these have largely subsided in recent months as he has returned to regular appearances in state media.
Questions about his heir – once thought to be Kim’s sister, Kim Yo-jong – have also subsided as the dictator has reasserted himself as undisputed ruler.
Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul, said at the time: “Kim may be signaling to other North Korean elites that he is grooming his daughter for a leadership role.”
However, the rumored existence of an older brother has led to suggestions that Kim is keeping his true heir hidden from the public, at least for now.
Soo Kim, a security analyst at the RAND Corporation in California, told PBS: “We’re told Kim has three children, including possibly a son.
“If this is true, and assuming the male child – yet to be revealed – will be the heir, is Ju-ae really Kim’s most ‘precious’ from a succession perspective?
“I think it’s too early to draw conclusions.”
She was recently photographed during the celebration of the 75th anniversary of the Foundation of the Republic in Pyongyang.
This is the second time Rodman has made headlines this week after rumors swirled that he once dated Lakers heiress Jeanie Buss.
Soo speculated that his daughter’s revelation may have been intended as a distraction, either to get the West used to the idea of living with North Korea’s nuclear threat or to signal to domestic viewers that nuclear weapons are the future of the country. be a country.