March 20, 2023
Columns

How North Korea presents the possibility of a future female leader

Despite being a dictator, Kim Jong Un is something of a feminist — at least compared to his father and grandfather

North Korea carried out the first successful test of its most powerful intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) on Friday. But in a world that has grown accustomed to living with a nuclear-armed DPRK, the massive missile arguably attracted less attention than an unusual presence at the launch site: a small girl in a white coat.

Official media commentary helpfully identified the girl, who looked some 10 or 11 years old, as the North Korean leader’s daughter. It was the first time state media had revealed one of Kim Jong Un’s children.