North Korea’s dictator held a huge military parade on Wednesday. An even greater tragedy is probably taking place behind the scenes.
Red, white and green. The three colors dominated when Kim Jong-un celebrated a birthday earlier this week. North Korea’s dictator was surrounded by red carpet, white tablecloths and green uniforms.
And a young girl who is probably his daughter. Maybe North Korea’s next leader.
More about her later. First a little about the celebration.
Asks the army to prepare for war
On Wednesday, the dictatorship’s armed forces could mark their 75th birthday. The world’s most isolated country is also one of the most militarized. North Korea probably boasts the world’s fourth largest army. Around 1.2 million soldiers in active service – in a country with 25 million inhabitants.
Three quarters of a century was marked in the capital Pyongyang with a huge military parade. The exercises have been going on for several weeks, according to satellite images and reports in the South Korean media. The goal is to show strength.
And Kim Jong-un is clear that the army exists to be used. On Monday, he told the soldiers to get ready for war.
Then he chaired a meeting of the so-called military commission of the authoritarian Korean Workers’ Party. Among the topics of conversation: “Major changes” in the military, with a goal of “perfecting the preparations for war”. This is written by the state-run North Korean news agency KCNA.
Who should the war be directed against? The minutes of the meeting say nothing about that, but the underlying threat is directed at South Korea and the United States. Kim has reacted with fury after the two countries expanded defense cooperation between them. Last week, North Korea said it could respond with an “overwhelming” nuclear attack.
South Koreans also want nuclear weapons
It is not the first time that Kim has issued such warnings, but in the past year he has shown increasing aggression. Last year, North Korea carried out a total of 77 test launches with long-range missiles.
That has made many on the other side of the border quite nervous.
– It is time that we too get nuclear weapons, South Korean Lee Wan-bae adds The Washington Post.
He has lived right on the border with North Korea for 50 years. Time and again he has seen failed attempts at peace dialogue with the neighboring country.
– We just want stability in the village. It is becoming more and more clear that the way to achieve that is to match the nuclear threat from North Korea, he says.
More and more South Koreans think the same. As many as 70 per cent of the country’s inhabitants now believe that the country should develop a nuclear weapons programme. But it is unlikely that the US, which still has 28,500 soldiers in the country, will agree to something like that. If South Korea becomes a nuclear power, other countries in the region will probably want the same.
10 million malnourished
The question is also whether Kim Jong-un will ever make good on his threats. He can count on an attack with nuclear weapons to lead to a counterattack so powerful that his regime collapses.
In addition, he has enormous problems at home, according to him World Food Program (WFP). As much as 40 percent of the country’s population now suffers from malnutrition, the organization reports.
The reason is that agriculture in the isolated country is unable to produce enough food for the population. As a result, over 10 million people end up without enough food to eat, according to WFP.
In the pictures from the army’s 75th anniversary celebration in the capital Pyongyang, there were also no plates to be seen on the white tablecloths in the sumptuous banquet hall where Kim celebrated his green-clad generals.
Young girl designated as heir
But it wasn’t the serving that was the focus of the party either. Instead, it was the young girl next to Kim who caused a stir. The girl is believed to be Kim Ju-ae and the dictator’s daughter. She is probably nine years old, according to South Korean media.
The first time the world heard about her was when former basketball star Dennis Rodman visited Kim in North Korea in 2013 and later said that he had met the dictator’s newborn daughter.
In the pictures from the party this week, she is sitting in the center of the events, between her parents. The signal is clear, according to experts.
– There is no longer any doubt that she is designated to be Kim Jong-un’s successor, Cheong Seong-chang tells CNN.
He is a senior researcher at the South Korean Sejong Institute. Cheong points out that this is the fourth time the young girl has been “shown off” in state propaganda, and that this suggests that she is intended for a role as the Kim dynasty’s heir.
If so, she will be the fourth in line after the Kim family came to power in 1948. The current leader has ruled the country since 2011. He has shown no signs of giving up anytime soon, points out Cheong Seong-chang.
