North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has shown keen interest in the public livelihood, as seen in his recent inspections of public convenience facilities and his visit to an ordinary household in Pyongyang. The North’s state-run Korean Central News Agency reported in July that the dear leader attended the opening ceremony of the Neungra People’s Pleasure Ground in Pyongyang with his wife Ri Sol-ju and key officials including Kim Yong-nam, the president of the Presidium of the Supreme People’s Assembly. The news agency showed Kim shaking hands with citizens who came to a water park, and riding a roller coaster with foreign ambassadors. The state media reported on September 8th that Kim, along with his wife, inspected the Pyongyang Folk Park prior to its completion and the Unification Street Gym. Dr. Hong Hyun-ik at the Sejong Institute explains that Kim is seeking to present himself as a young leader who focuses on the lives of ordinary citizens in the initial period of taking power.

Kim Jong-un, who is believed to have not yet reached the age of 30, has turned his attention to public life, in an apparent move to promote his image as a leader who takes great care of his people. At the Pyongyang Folk Park, located at the foot of Daeseong Mountain in the capital, 700 historical artifacts from Goguryeo and Goryeo periods are being reproduced at their original size to enhance public awareness of history and tradition. The North Korean leader shows that he is paying special attention to the public park, which is frequently visited by citizens. Kim also inspected the Unification Street Gym. Initially, the building was being constructed for different purposes at the site but Kim instructed officials to change the building into a public gym. I think he is seeking to demonstrate that he cares for citizens’ health and welfare himself.

Also, the news agency said on September 5th that Kim and his wife visited an ordinary household that had moved into a new apartment complex along the Changjeon Street in Pyongyang’s central Mansudae district. According to the report, Kim presented the family with a 42-inch LCD TV set, a set of tableware and a collection of children’s classic stories, while his wife Ri Sol-ju gave them food she had cooked for children herself, and shared the recipe.

The Changjeon Street is a North Korean version of a new town. A new apartment complex was built there to commemorate the 100th birthday of North Korean founder Kim Il-sung. The current Kim Jong-un regime carried out the ambitious housing project with an aim of providing homes to Pyongyang citizens. Kim and his wife visited a house to publicize newly built homes there and show that the couple is kind enough to take care of ordinary families so he can strengthen his image of a leader dedicated to the general public.

Meanwhile, first lady Ri Sol-ju is drawing as much attention as her husband is. On September 5th, she was spotted wearing a pantsuit, not skirts, when she accompanied Kim Jong-un on a visit to a tile factory in Pyongyang. It is very rare for senior female officials to wear pants in North Korea, except Kim Kyong-hui, who is Kim Jong-un’s aunt. Former leaders Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il even prohibited women from wearing pants in some occasions. So, the North Korean first lady wearing pants is regarded as a symbol of change.

I think it is greatly significant. Ri was dressed in Western style from the time when she first appeared in front of the public. This indicates that the open-minded first lady has no particular objection to Western culture. She was even seen wearing pants, implying that she is against gender discrimination. By showing an active and practical part of women, she can also gain popularity with North Korean women and demonstrate to the outside world that North Korea is open now and there is no gender discrimination in the country.

Also, Ri and her husband were seen wearing “couple watches” that appeared to be a Swiss brand while they were inspecting a restaurant in Pyongyang. In another scene, she was eating popcorn, revealing her freewheeling style. Ri’s behavior is considered very unusual, given that Ri’s mother-in-law, Ko Yong-hee, was never seen in public until she died in 2004. Ri’s unconventional movements are stirring speculation that she will exert a strong influence down the road.

Kim made some 20 public appearances and his wife was at his side on more than 15 occasions, meaning that Ri has accompanied Kim about 65 percent of the time. In a dictatorial socialist state, how often an official meets or accompanies the top leader indicates his or her power. The fact that Ri accompanied the North Korean leader in more than half of his inspection tours reflects that she isn’t just assisting her husband but is actually exercising political influence in some way. If the situation continues, it is highly possible that Ri’s influence will be very strong.

Experts speculate that Kim is using his wife and the public in a strategic move to stabilize his leadership and project an image of a flexible and open-minded leader so his country can find a breakthrough in improving its strained relations with the international community. Attention now turns to whether his unusual moves will lead to North Korea’s reform and openness as well as a change in its domestic and foreign policies.

Kim has stressed, “The root should be taken in our homeland but the eyes should turn to the outside world.” The former Kim Jong-il regime perceived capitalism and liberal democracy negatively, while current leader Kim Jong-un seems to believe his country should learn something from other countries, if necessary, even if they are different from North Korea. Obviously, the highly publicized moves of Kim and his wife show that North Korea now has a different pattern of governing the nation, compared to the past. Former leader Kim Jong-il constantly struggled to maintain his regime based on the military-first politics and support by the military and security police. In contrast, the current leader seems to be seeking the legitimacy of his leadership through an improvement in public livelihood. This raises hopes that North Korea may move toward reform in the future.

It has been nine months since the Kim Jong-un regime started in North Korea. Apparently different from the previous governments, the current North Korean regime is showing a series of unusual moves, boding well for the nation’s reform and openness. We hope the recent development will not end up a simple gesture but lead to a meaningful change in the communist country.


[Interview] Author Writes Novel about N. Korean Teenage Defector I’m happy beyond words. Writers can receive the award only once, not even twice. I never thought I could win an award like this. I’m immensely happy. I think I had an unexpected piece of good luck.

On September 6th, writer Hong Myeong-jin, smiling brightly, expressed her experience of winning the grand prize at the 10th Four Seasons Literary Award with her novel “Space Flight.” The award was created by a domestic publisher with the purpose of promoting the creative spirit of young writers and exploring works with high literary value. Judges recognized the author’s perseverance and her literary talent in incorporating the rather disturbing theme of North Korean defectors into the spectrum of a teenage novel. Ms. Hong now tells us what her novel is all about.

The protagonist is a North Korean defector named Park Seung-gyu. It’s been just one year since the teenager arrived in South Korea in spring of 2008. He lives with his mother in a rented apartment and rediscovers his true identity while mingling with his peers and forming a music band. The title of the book “Space Flight” symbolizes freedom we may experience when we travel in space in zero gravity. It contains Seung-gyu’s hope to escape from himself and fly freely into the wider world.

Park Seung-gyu, the hero, is a teenage North Korean defector who came to South Korea after wandering in foreign countries. He left North Korea with his mother and his older sister but his sister was lost in China. Although he risked his life to come to South Korea, he finds it challenging to adjust to South Korean life. Every day, he feels alienated, as if he is floating in the air in zero gravity. One day, Seung-gyu encounters with a “yellow head,” who turns out to be an employee of a welfare center. She reminds Seung-gyu of his older sister. She suggests that he join the music band run by the welfare center. While mingling with South Korean friends in the music band, he sees a turning point in his boring life.

While hanging around with teenagers at the welfare center, Seung-gyu is constantly looking inside himself and wondering if he can really make friends with them. Other South Korean children such as Sang-hui and Hye-na live in poor environments, just like Seung-gyu. While communicating with them, Seung-gyu comes to break himself of prejudices one by one. The process is described in detail.

Hong began to show interest in teenage defectors about a year ago when she saw a picture of a young defector on a newspaper. She was greatly shocked to see the 20-year-old man, who was skinny and short, standing slightly over 140 centimeters tall, due to malnutrition. Actually, she had intended to write a novel about North Korean newcomers but she hesitated because of the heavy theme. After seeing the picture, however, Hong visited teenage defectors and began to write about their stories. At first, she thought they were depressed all the time but she soon discovered they had dreams, had a sense of humor and cherished friendship. It was Hong herself who felt tense and embarrassed in front of them.

I’ve met many teenagers from North Korea. Although they didn’t fully open their hearts to me, they were amazingly bright. They weren’t any different from South Korean teenagers. They adjusted to South Korean culture quickly and properly. I thought they were completely different from me but I was wrong. They are just like us, and they are all around us. Statistics show that there are nearly 1,600 teenage defectors here. It’s not a small figure. So many North Korean youngsters are living with us, somewhere in our neighborhood. They aren’t shadows, are they? We should think of them once again. That’s what I want to say. And I hope we will not forget our other half.

The novel follows a teenage defector’s journey to find hope and restore his true identity. Hopefully, the novel will give some consolation and encouragement to many other young defectors who are struggling to adapt to South Korean society at this very moment.