15 February 2023 , 15:05
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Kim Jong-un has slapped a ban on North Koreans from having the same name as his daughter in a bizarre new rule.
The policy blocks parents from using his daughter's name Kim Ju-ae while forcing anyone with the same name to pick a different one.
Experts believe Kim Ju-ae is being groomed by the leader as his successor after she was spotted at a missile launch in November.
The regime already bans people from using the names of Kim Jong-un and his predecessors as leader.
A source in North Pyongan Province, which borders China, said that people using the Ju-ae name in Chongju had recently been summoned by the security services.
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They told Radio Free Asia: “The security ministry summoned women registered with the resident registration department under the name ‘Ju-ae’ to the Ministry of Safety to change their names.
Experts think she is being groomed by the leader as his successor (KCNA VIA KNS/AFP via Getty Image)“There was a 12-year-old girl named ‘Ju-ae’ in the people’s unit where I live.
“The Ministry of Safety’s resident registration department called the girl’s parents to the Ministry of Safety and forced her to change her name and change her birth certificate.”
The name was, they said, now reserved for those of “the highest dignity”.
Another source told a similar story in South Pyongan Province.
They said: “Even the name ‘Ju-ae’ is being controlled so that ordinary citizens cannot use it.
“Yesterday, the Pyongsong City Security Department issued an internal order from the central government to change the name of women who use the name ‘Ju-ae’ within a week.”
People using the Ju-ae name in Chongju had recently been summoned by the security services (KCNA VIA KNS/AFP via Getty Image)Michael Madden, an expert on the North Korean elite, said that there was precedent for the practice in the secretive state.
In fact, a ban on using Kim Jong-un’s name had been one of the first signals of his rise to the top.
He said: “The regime can and has regulated what names North Korean citizens use.
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“This is something we have previously observed – they issued instructions on individuals with the name Kim Jong-il and Kim Jong-un.
“In fact, one of the tell-tale signs of Kim Jong-un’s own succession, 12 years ago, was that resident registration restricted use of the name ‘Jong-un’.
“This practice goes back to the 1970s and has involved various members of the Kim family.”
He noted that names had also been restricted before to honour some “largely obscure people” in the Kim family.
But the reports nonetheless suggest that Kim Ju-ae “is a notable and significant member” of the ruling dynasty.