The Korea Times
amn_close.png
amn_bl.png
National
  • Politics
  • Foreign Affairs
  • Multicultural Community
  • Defense
  • Environment & Animals
  • Law & Crime
  • Society
  • Health & Science
amn_bl.png
Business
  • Tech
  • Bio
  • Companies
  • World Expo 2030
amn_bl.png
Finance
  • Companies
  • Economy
  • Markets
  • Cryptocurrency
amn_bl.png
Opinion
  • Editorial
  • Columns
  • Thoughts of the Times
  • Cartoon
  • Today in History
  • Blogs
  • Tribune Service
  • Blondie & Garfield
  • Letter to President
  • Letter to the Editor
amn_bl.png
Lifestyle
  • Travel & Food
  • Trends
  • People & Events
  • Books
  • Around Town
  • Fortune Telling
amn_bl.png
Entertainment & Arts
  • K-pop
  • Films
  • Shows & Dramas
  • Music
  • Theater & Others
amn_bl.png
Sports
amn_bl.png
World
  • SCMP
  • Asia
amn_bl.png
Video
  • Korean Storytellers
  • POPKORN
  • Culture
  • People
  • News
amn_bl.png
Photos
  • Photo News
  • Darkroom
amn_NK.png amn_DR.png amn_LK.png amn_LE.png
  • bt_fb_on_2022.svgbt_fb_over_2022.svg
  • bt_twitter_on_2022.svgbt_twitter_over_2022.svg
  • bt_youtube_on_2022.svgbt_youtube_over_2022.svg
  • bt_instagram_on_2022.svgbt_instagram_over_2022.svg
The Korea Times
amn_close.png
amn_bl.png
National
  • Politics
  • Foreign Affairs
  • Multicultural Community
  • Defense
  • Environment & Animals
  • Law & Crime
  • Society
  • Health & Science
amn_bl.png
Business
  • Tech
  • Bio
  • Companies
  • World Expo 2030
amn_bl.png
Finance
  • Companies
  • Economy
  • Markets
  • Cryptocurrency
amn_bl.png
Opinion
  • Editorial
  • Columns
  • Thoughts of the Times
  • Cartoon
  • Today in History
  • Blogs
  • Tribune Service
  • Blondie & Garfield
  • Letter to President
  • Letter to the Editor
amn_bl.png
Lifestyle
  • Travel & Food
  • Trends
  • People & Events
  • Books
  • Around Town
  • Fortune Telling
amn_bl.png
Entertainment & Arts
  • K-pop
  • Films
  • Shows & Dramas
  • Music
  • Theater & Others
amn_bl.png
Sports
amn_bl.png
World
  • SCMP
  • Asia
amn_bl.png
Video
  • Korean Storytellers
  • POPKORN
  • Culture
  • People
  • News
amn_bl.png
Photos
  • Photo News
  • Darkroom
amn_NK.png amn_DR.png amn_LK.png amn_LE.png
  • bt_fb_on_2022.svgbt_fb_over_2022.svg
  • bt_twitter_on_2022.svgbt_twitter_over_2022.svg
  • bt_youtube_on_2022.svgbt_youtube_over_2022.svg
  • bt_instagram_on_2022.svgbt_instagram_over_2022.svg
  • Login
  • Register
  • Login
  • Register
  • The Korea Times
  • search
  • all menu
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • Photos
  • Video
  • World
  • Sports
  • Opinion
  • Entertainment & Art
  • Lifestyle
  • Finance
  • Business
  • National
  • North Korea
  • 1

    IU says she was excited to share screen with Park Seo-joon in 'Dream'

  • 3

    BLACKPINK, TXT, Stray Kids: K-pop stars headline international music festivals

  • 5

    INTERVIEWForeign-born entertainers seek to revolutionize local industry

  • 7

    College students turn to 1,000 won breakfast to beat inflation

  • 9

    Korean aesthetics, spirit live on at Gyeongbok Palace

  • 11

    Chun Woo-won apologizes to Gwangju victims, calls grandfather 'criminal'

  • 13

    Koreans warned against making inappropriate videos in Thailand

  • 15

    BTS Jimin breaks record for K-pop soloist with 'Face'

  • 17

    'Me': BLACKPINK's Jisoo off to smooth start as solo artist

  • 19

    Gwangju's popular Alleyway restaurant resurrects

  • 2

    Children, pregnant women executed, tortured in North Korea: report

  • 4

    Korea to scrap customs form for travelers without dutiable goods

  • 6

    NewJeans, Apple join hands to bring immersive audio experience

  • 8

    Rare Joseon-era map returns home from Japan

  • 10

    Seventeen to drop new EP next month

  • 12

    Celebrity chef Paik Jong-won takes his business skills to next level with 'The Genius Paik'

  • 14

    Carmakers unveil latest models at Seoul Mobility Show

  • 16

    South Korea nominates new ambassador to US

  • 18

    Japanese top visitors to Korea in 2023 as tourism rebounds

  • 20

    SM Entertainment founder looks to future as company appoints new management

Close scrollclosebutton

Close for 24 hours

Open
  • The Korea Times
  • search
  • all menu
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • Photos
  • Video
  • World
  • Sports
  • Opinion
  • Entertainment & Art
  • Lifestyle
  • Finance
  • Business
  • National
  • North Korea
National
  • Politics
  • Foreign Affairs
  • Multicultural Community
  • Defense
  • Environment & Animals
  • Law & Crime
  • Society
  • Health & Science
Sat, April 1, 2023 | 19:11
-------------------------
Kim Han-sol: harbinger of NK change?
Posted : 2011-10-11 18:08
Updated : 2011-10-11 18:08
Print PreviewPrint Preview
Font Size UpFont Size Up
Font Size DownFont Size Down
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • kakaolink
  • whatsapp
  • reddit
  • mailto
  • link
When it comes to Kim Han-sol, the grandson of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il who recently went viral on the Internet, most agree ­ at least by appearances, that the child seems normal. The question, however, looms: Does this signal any inkling of hope for the rigid regime’s future?

Kim Han-sol
By Kim Young-jin

When it comes to Kim Han-sol, the grandson of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il who recently went viral on the Internet, most agree ­― at least by appearances ― that the child seems normal. The question, however, looms: Does this signal any inkling of hope for the rigid regime’s future?

South Korean media tracked down Kim’s apparent Facebook account last week after reports he had enrolled at an international school in Bosnia, sparking huge interest in his embrace of Western culture.

Decked out in rimmed glasses, an earring and bleached hair, the uploaded photos of Kim provide a stunning contrast to images of massive military parades and impoverished masses typically associated with the North.

If the reports are confirmed, Han-sol, who previously lived in Macau with his father, Kim Jong-nam, will soon head to the United World Colleges (UWC) in Mostar, a network of schools that often accepts students from war-torn areas and North Korea. The father reportedly fell out of favor with the regime for his wayward lifestyle.

In eyebrow-raising online remarks attributed to him by the media, Kim said he preferred democracy over communism and wished to ease the hunger pangs of his countrymen. But he also expressed pride, sharply defending his country against any derision. Access to the pages was quickly restricted.

Analysts welcomed Han-sol’s idealism, though acknowledging the influence ― if any ― he could have in the regime remained a mystery. Some warned the younger Kims face a Catch-22 as their fates are inextricably linked with that of the struggling Stalinist state.

“He sounds like a nice lad, if typically a bit mixed up. It would do him good (to attend UWC), and that in turn would do North Korea good,” Aidan Foster-Carter, a noted expert at Leeds University, said in an email, citing the importance of North Korean exposure to the outside.

“We may not see the results right away, but the seeds of doubt and long-run change get planted.”

He added: “And crucially, his dad is at least a semi-exile. So one could say that by taking him, UWC is supporting reform and dissidence in North Korea, or as close as we have to that.”

Stephen Codrington, the former principal of a UWC branch in Hong Kong who interviewed Han-sol in April gave a glowing assessment of his potential to affect change. The student’s application was eventually scuttled by immigration problems.

“His commitment to wanting to understand others from different backgrounds and his personal commitment to working actively for peace should be an inspiration for many others,” Codrington wrote in a blog.

‘The potential for education to bring about transformative change of historic dimensions is enormous everywhere in the world _ but perhaps nowhere more so than on the Korean peninsula.”

It is not the first time for younger members of the Kim clan to mingle internationally. The offspring of the “Dear Leader” have received their education mostly in Europe, including Kim Jong-un, his Swiss-educated heir apparent.

Kim Jong-chol, the North Korean leader's second son, was recently seen at an Eric Clapton concert in Singapore and Jong-un is said to be a huge basketball fan.

But Andrei Lankov, a North Korea watcher at Kookmin University, said that in the Kim family, idealism wasn’t a reliable indicator for positive reform, noting that country founder Kim Il-sung was once an idealistic freedom fighter. He said its history of harsh dictatorship locked the younger generation between a rock and a hard place.

“It is not impossible that the new generation of leaders might try some reform, but if this happens the situation in North Korea is likely to get out of control very quickly, and I am not sure whether the reformers themselves can manage to survive the revolution,” he said.

“Alternatively, the young idealists might come to the conclusion that they can continue with their current lavish and privileged lifestyle only if the system remains unchanged. In such a case, they are likely to discard their youthful idealism and just follow the policies of the fathers and grandfathers.”

It also remains a long shot for Han-sol’s online adventures to inspire North Korean citizens, as only a small handful of top officials are allowed access to the Internet. While the North has allowed for a domestic mobile phone network and intranet services, the people remain in the dark about most international, and even many internal, developments.

And while the regime is likely displeased with Han-sol’s comments on democracy, it does have experience of minimizing the effects of off-the-cuff remarks from within: Kim Jong-nam, who has lived in Macau after being passed over as successor, occasionally comments on the regime to international media.
Emailyjk@koreatimes.co.kr Article ListMore articles by this reporter
 
Top 10 Stories
1Chun Woo-won apologizes to Gwangju victims, calls grandfather 'criminal' Chun Woo-won apologizes to Gwangju victims, calls grandfather 'criminal'
2Koreans warned against making inappropriate videos in Thailand Koreans warned against making inappropriate videos in Thailand
3Gwangju's popular Alleyway restaurant resurrectsGwangju's popular Alleyway restaurant resurrects
4Ambassador offers taste of Ghana to Korea Ambassador offers taste of Ghana to Korea
5[INTERVIEW] North Korean defectors bear brunt of remittance scams INTERVIEWNorth Korean defectors bear brunt of remittance scams
6Korea ready to greet BIE inspection team Korea ready to greet BIE inspection team
7Gimpo airport to launch care service for dogs Gimpo airport to launch care service for dogs
8Yoon gov't disputes Japanese media's claims about summit Yoon gov't disputes Japanese media's claims about summit
9Regulators urge financial groups to minimize interest rate hikes Regulators urge financial groups to minimize interest rate hikes
10Mirae Asset, SK Telecom team up for security token businessMirae Asset, SK Telecom team up for security token business
Top 5 Entertainment News
1IU says she was excited to share screen with Park Seo-joon in 'Dream' IU says she was excited to share screen with Park Seo-joon in 'Dream'
2BLACKPINK, TXT, Stray Kids: K-pop stars headline international music festivalsBLACKPINK, TXT, Stray Kids: K-pop stars headline international music festivals
3[INTERVIEW] Foreign-born entertainers seek to revolutionize local industry INTERVIEWForeign-born entertainers seek to revolutionize local industry
4NewJeans, Apple join hands to bring immersive audio experience NewJeans, Apple join hands to bring immersive audio experience
5Celebrity chef Paik Jong-won takes his business skills to next level with 'The Genius Paik' Celebrity chef Paik Jong-won takes his business skills to next level with 'The Genius Paik'
DARKROOM
  • Turkey-Syria earthquake

    Turkey-Syria earthquake

  • Nepal plane crash

    Nepal plane crash

  • Brazil capital uprising

    Brazil capital uprising

  • Happy New Year 2023

    Happy New Year 2023

  • World Cup 2022 Final - Argentina vs France

    World Cup 2022 Final - Argentina vs France

CEO & Publisher : Oh Young-jin
Digital News Email : webmaster@koreatimes.co.kr
Tel : 02-724-2114
Online newspaper registration No : 서울,아52844
Date of registration : 2020.02.05
Masthead : The Korea Times
Copyright © koreatimes.co.kr. All rights reserved.
  • About Us
  • Introduction
  • History
  • Contact Us
  • Products & Services
  • Subscribe
  • E-paper
  • RSS Service
  • Content Sales
  • Site Map
  • Policy
  • Code of Ethics
  • Ombudsman
  • Privacy Statement
  • Terms of Service
  • Copyright Policy
  • Family Site
  • Hankook Ilbo
  • Dongwha Group