Secret Japanese past of Kim Jong-un’s mother threatens North Korea’s propaganda legacy
A new book reveals that the leader’s maternal grandfather was a Japan-based smuggler who had to flee to North Korea to escape prosecution
For a regime founded on hatred for Japan for its colonial occupation of Korea and the supremacy of the Kim dynasty, news that Kim’s grandfather was a common smuggler could be hugely damaging. It also undermines the regime’s perception of zainichi, or second-generation Koreans living in Japan, who move to North Korea as spies.
“North Korea has long propagated the narrative that the Kim family single-handedly achieved independence for the nation,” Gomi told This Week in Asia. “However, revealing that the mother of the [North] Korean leader was a zainichi Korean – a group that is subject to discrimination in the North to this day – would undermine the regime’s prestige and legitimacy.”
