Image source, AFP via Getty Images
In November 2022, a photograph emerged showing North Korean leader Kim Jong-un walking alongside his daughter, Kim Ju-ae.
Walking in front of a large intercontinental ballistic missile with her father, she wore black pants and a white jacket, her hair styled in a long braid behind her.
This was her first appearance in official propaganda; Ju-ae was only nine years old at the time but already presented in a strong, well-dressed manner. Since then, her hairstyles have become more intricate and her attire increasingly elegant and refined.
South Korean intelligence agencies speculate that due to her rising popularity at a young age, Kim Jong-un may be preparing Kim Ju-ae as his successor.
Kim Ju-ae is believed to be 13 years old currently. She has been seen standing beside her father during missile tests and military parades, and accompanying him on overseas trips.
Analysts indicate that her distinctive skin tone, hairstyle, and clothing style signify that she is being groomed for national leadership.
Formal Suits and Skirts
Kim Ju-ae’s attire is thought to be determined by the government’s Propaganda and Agitation Department. She is often seen wearing formal suits and skirts similar to those favored by her mother, Ri Sol-ju.
“Because Kim Ju-ae is still young, her age could be perceived as a weakness for a future leader. The government might attempt to conceal her youth and project a more mature image by dressing her in formal clothing similar to her mother’s,” said Choe Seong-chang, deputy director at the Sejong Institute, speaking to a Korean-language broadcaster.
According to Choe, Kim Ju-ae has also been seen wearing leather jackets at other times. “These outfits are impressive but informal, suitable for relatively challenging or remote locations like military bases.”
Ultimately, this suggests that she might adopt styles favored by her father, who often wears black leather jackets and trench coats.
The strategy of replicating the fashions of the previous generation, known as “image reproduction,” is a method North Korean leaders use to maintain power.
Image source, Reuters
Distinct from Ordinary Citizens
During his early years of leadership, Kim Jong-un sought to reinforce his legitimacy by emulating the dress styles of his grandfather, Kim Il-sung.
When Kim Jong-un was first seen publicly, North Koreans were surprised. South Korean experts were also amazed by the remarkable resemblance of the young Kim Jong-un to Kim Il-sung.
Despite challenges like lack of experience and youth, young Kim Jong-un managed to overcome these obstacles because of the resemblance to Kim Il-sung. “North Koreans spread claims that Kim Il-sung had been reborn,” the experts noted.
“The Propaganda and Agitation Department naturally played a key role in organizing the transfer of respect from Kim Il-sung to Kim Jong-un,” said Choe.
Experts say founder leader Kim Il-sung, who ruled for over 45 years, is revered almost like a deity in North Korea.
Kim Ju-ae’s frequent appearances in leather jackets suggest the Propaganda and Agitation Department aims to distinguish her from ordinary citizens.
“Wearing high-quality leather clothing is a way to show her uniqueness,” Choe explained.
“Leather apparel is uncommon in North Korea. Luxury brand leather jackets and fur coats are expensive and not affordable for ordinary citizens.”
Image source, EPA
Evolving Fashion Style
Kim Ju-ae’s changing fashion style contrasts with the strict control over the general population.
In 2020, North Korea enacted the Reactionary Ideology and Culture Rejection Act, prohibiting “foreign culture.”
Even then, the Korean Central News Agency released a video in 2023 showing Kim Ju-ae walking alongside her father in front of an intercontinental ballistic missile.
At that time, she wore a black padded jacket believed to be purchased from the French fashion house Christian Dior for about $1,900 USD.
The following year, Kim Ju-ae appeared at a residential construction ceremony in Pyongyang wearing a partially transparent blouse that revealed her arms.
According to a source speaking to Radio Free Asia, a video was later released instructing the public not to adopt such hairstyles and clothing styles because they “defile the image of the socialist system and weaken the regime, and must be eliminated.”
Image source, News1
Ban on Foreign Culture
The Kim family, who are almost deified, appear exempt from these regulations.
“Though jeans are banned as Western fashion items in North Korea, Kim Jong-un has been observed wearing jeans,” said Lee Woo-yang, professor at the University of North Korean Studies.
“No matter how many restrictions or laws outlaw foreign culture, North Korea is a country where the supreme leader can do whatever he wants.”
However, these rules have not prevented some North Koreans from dressing as lavishly as the Kim family.
Image source, Reuters
Luxury items like “Shania” cosmetics and perfumes are increasingly popular among wealthy North Koreans, while fur coats are fashionable in the city near the Chinese border.
Photos have emerged of children wearing partially transparent blouses at a prestigious kindergarten.
Sunglasses and leather trench coats worn by Kim Ju-ae and Kim Jong-un are becoming popular among wealthy young people.
Because ordinary North Koreans have extremely limited access to fashion trends and information about the outside world, it seemed highly unlikely for their leaders to become fashion icons.
However, it now appears that Kim Jong-un’s daughter has become a fashion icon herself.
Additional reporting by Hyunjong Kim.
You can search for source videos on YouTube.
