Kim Jong-un makes bizarre new demand of North Korean citizens and it involves his daughter

North Korea is no stranger to imposing unusual demands upon its citizens, from ordering citizens to produce 100kg of human poo every day to banning people from watching pornography. Now, the hermit kingdom is allegedly banning its citizens from using the same name as leader Kim Jong-un’s daughter.

Not allowed to have same name as Kim Jong-un's daughter

North Korean authorities are forcing people to change their names if they're called 'Ju Ae', which is the name of Kim Jong-un's daughter, according to Radio Free Asia (RFA).

Two anonymous sources told the outlet that local governments in the cities of Jeongju and Pyongsong has ordered anyone with the same name as the leader’s daughter to change their birth certificates. One of the residents said in RFA's Friday report:

Yesterday, the Ministry of Security in Jeongju City summoned women registered with the resident registration department under the name 'Ju Ae' to the Ministry of Safety to change their names

They recalled that a 12-year-old girl from their neighbourhood was named Ju Ae, and her parents had to report to the Ministry of Safety to alter her birth certificate. The source revealed that, according to authorities, the name is now solely for persons of 'the highest dignity'.

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Will Kim Jong-un's daughter be his successor?

This latest development lends weight to the theory that Kim Jong-un is preparing his daughter to be his successor. In 2014, Kim Jong-un also banned people from having his name, ‘Jong Un', and ordered those who had it to legally change their birth certificates.

Soo Kim, a former CIA analyst and now a policy analyst at US-based think tank Rand Corporation, told Insider:

The directive was 'voluntary,' but as we know, few things are voluntary in North Korea, especially when it comes to orders from the leadership. So this most recent name ban is not anything out of the ordinary for North Korea.

Indeed, in 2022, the North Korean government banned 'softer' or more 'gentle' names, such as 'loved one' and 'super beauty', and ordered people to change their names to something more patriotic or ideological, such as 'gun', 'bomb', and 'satellite'.

Sources used:

- Insider: 'North Korea is banning girls from having the same name as Kim Jong Un's daughter, report says'

- Radio Free Asia: '“‘주애’ 이름 바꿔라” 북, 대 이은 개명 강요'