(110) Kim Jong-un, the next leader of North Korea
By Janet Shin
Kim Jong-un, the heir of Kim Jong-il, is appearing frequently in the foreign press these days, due to Kim Jong-il’s determination to demonstrate his son as his successor in leading North Korea.
A tremendous amount of attention has been pointed toward Kim from all over the world. It is partly because North Korea is the only communist country left with a hereditary head of state. They play outside of international regulations and are possibly researching nuclear power. So it is not surprising that the power shift in this country is paid global attention.
There is a criticism in another aspect: that their hereditary rule is immoral in a situation where North Korean people suffer in poverty.
Last weekend’s breaking news was that the top defector, Hwang Jang-yop, was found dead in his house. It was a significant coincidence to hear of his sudden death on the 65th anniversary of the founding of the North Korea’s ruling Workers’ Party. There was a great conflict of interests between the late Hwang, the former secretary who denied the North’s regime, and the young successor Kim Jong-un.
I, as a saju master, have been tempted to read Kim Jong-un’s fate since he was first revealed to be the next leader of North Korea, but there are ambiguities about his date of birth and even his exact year of birth. It seems obvious that his birthday is on Jan. 8, considering the fact that the North declared Jan. 8 a national holiday. However there are some controversies about his age, whether it is 26 or 27.
In the meantime, some saju masters have already compared his saju with the birth year of 1983 and others. A physiognomist has also written about Kim’s fate through a face reading.
Under these circumstances, it sounds rather absurd to read Kim’s saju. And it is difficult to read either the man’s saju with clear objectivity, given the atmosphere of negativity.
On the contrary, let’s try to read Kim’s face and gestures based on footage of North Korean events, in comparison with his father, Kim Jong-il, and grandfather, Kim Il-sung.
Historically, reading a person’s face results in different meanings from reading fate by one’s birth date. The latter _ saju _ is to decode symbolic signs from one’s birth. It is to read one’s fate, innate destiny, which is only slightly altered by environment.
However, face reading is to study the external features that reflect one’s spirit and mind. In other words, it is to observe one’s fate as indicated by an aura or impression.
Face reading of course must take into account the genetic qualities of a person’s appearance, but there is also the belief that one’s countenance is altered by how one thinks and acts, as well as through environment.
In a reading, we usually divide a person’s face into three parts. The first segment includes the upper eyebrow, which represents inherent fortune and reputation. This part will usually show one’s social status and innate leadership abilities.
The second part is from below the eyebrow to the end of the nose. This portion shows one’s career path, wealth, love and ambition. It expresses one’s efforts and acquired fortune. Lastly, the third part is the mouth and chin. It shows how one treats their inferiors, maintains organization and nourishes their relationships.
If we are able to compare the faces of the three successive leaders in North Korea, Kim Il-sung, Kim Jong-il and Kim Jong-un, we will be able to find their differences and identities.
First of all, according to photos, it is interesting to see that Kim Jong-un’s face and gestures closely imitate those of Kim Il-sung in many ways.
Instead of measuring each part and shape individually, face reading is to observe the overall appearance of a person, whether each section is harmonized and balanced. So it is clear that Kim Jong-un is destined (whether it is his will to or not) to follow in his grandfather’s footsteps and show that he is the true successor of Kim Il-sung.
In face reading, it is said that the shape of a forehead does not change through age, although wrinkles may appear. So the aspect that indicates one’s fortune and social status is innate. It also reveals one’s foresight, reasoning power and perceptivity.
Kim Jong-un’s forehead is not as spacious as his predecessors. Eyebrows indicate one’s interpersonal skill and Kim Il-sung had notably bushy brows. The way he effectively commanded his subordinates was well-known, while Kim Jong-il doesn’t have this skill. The shape of Kim Jong-un’s mouth and chin to tell his latter fate is still undetermined. It seems his chin is not well shaped to sustain the overall energy of his face. However, his downturned mouth tells that he has strong will power and is persistent in whatever he does.
Kim Il-sung made a wrong decision when he passed power to his son, Kim Jong-il, who does not show proper leadership in his face.
Even though North Korea tries to pave the way for Kim Jong-un by imitating Kim Il-sung’s mannerisms, the life path of the former will be different. If we had the opportunity to read the face of Kim Il-sung in his youth, we would have been able to see that. The truth of life cannot be manipulated.
Information: Are you interested in learning more about the ancient Chinese teachings of the “Four Pillars of Destiny”? A special saju workshop is held Saturdays in Itaewon. For more information, contact Janet at 010-5414-7461 or email janetshin@hotmail.com.
The writer is the president of the Heavenly Garden, a saju research center in Korea, and the author of “Learning Four Pillars” For more, visit www.fourpillarskorea.com