Translation result
Tae Yong-ho, a former North Korean diplomat who defected and later served as a lawmaker for the People Power Party, said he believes Kim Jong Un has been preparing his daughter, Kim Ju‑ae, as a successor from an early age to avoid the succession uncertainty that affected earlier generations.
On the 21st (local time), Tae spoke at a forum hosted by the University of Cambridge’s Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies. He said, “Unlike Kim Il‑sung and Kim Jong‑il, who did not name successors early, Kim Jong Un sought to avoid ambiguity within his generation and wanted his daughter to be accepted as the next leader.”
Tae highlighted North Korea’s revision of the 10 Principles in 2013—the year Kim Ju‑ae was born—as a key indicator.
He said, “When Ju‑ae was born, Kim Jong Un inserted language into the 10 Principles stating that the Paektu bloodline must endure forever. The wording made no explicit mention of gender,” and added, “With Ju‑ae’s birth, party doctrine shifted toward hereditary succession, and the regime then spent the following 10 years educating the public and preparing for her emergence.”
He cautioned that because Ju‑ae is still too young to hold formal party positions, the regime appears to be preparing her informally so she can establish a foothold as the next leader in the eyes of North Koreans.
Tae also predicted that the North Korea–Russia relationship, strengthened by cooperation tied to the Ukraine war, will endure.
“Putin could readily secure 10,000 well‑trained North Korean soldiers in exchange for things like small second‑hand reactors for submarines or reconnaissance satellite technology,” he said. “If Russia fights another war in the future, it will have an incentive to rely on North Korea so it does not have to mobilize its own young people.”
Tae defected in the summer of 2016 while serving as chargé d’affaires at North Korea’s embassy in the U.K. He later served in South Korea’s National Assembly and as secretary general of the National Unification Advisory Council.
Recalling his experience accompanying Kim Jong Un’s brother Kim Jong‑chol when the latter visited the U.K. to see Eric Clapton, Tae said, “Kim Jong‑chol seemed to project Clapton’s tragic narrative onto his own life, which may explain his affinity for the musician,” and speculated that Kim Jong‑chol likely felt frustration at not being named successor.
At the event, students asked Tae a personal question: “Are you happy after defecting?” He replied, “I’m very happy. The 10 years in South Korea were not easy, but I have enjoyed freedoms I never had before.”
This was Tae’s second trip to the U.K. since his defection. In October 2022, he briefly visited the South Korean embassy in London in connection with parliamentary oversight duties; on this visit—marking 10 years since his defection—he traveled with his wife, Oh Tae‑seon.
Most Commented