North Korean drama features man preparing meals in floral apron
Summary
A North Korean drama scene showing a man in a floral apron preparing a meal has triggered speculation that it was meant to support the possible succession of Kim Jong-un’s daughter, Ju-ae, in North Korea. The drama is being read as portraying improved status for women in a patriarchal society, though some experts caution against linking it directly to succession. The drama aired in April last year.
Key Facts
- The drama is titled A New Spring in Baekhaktown and aired in April last year.
- The scene that drew attention shows a man wearing a floral apron preparing a meal for his wife and daughter.
- Yoshihiro Makino of Hiroshima University said broadcasting is an important means of political propaganda in North Korea and suggested the scene may have helped establish a succession structure.
- Rachel Minyoung Lee of the Stimson Center said such scenes began appearing in dramas in the mid-2010s and that it is premature to link them to Ju-ae's succession speculation.
- Lee also said that women in prominent positions, including Ju-ae, Kim Yo-jong, and Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui, do not necessarily indicate broader improvement in the status of women in North Korea.
Shift in social norms on display on North Korean TV as speculation about female succession continues
Kim Ju-ae, daughter of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, fires a sniper rifle in this image released Feb. 27 by the state-run Korean Central News Agency. Yonhap
A North Korean drama featuring a man preparing a meal has prompted speculation that the scene may be part of efforts to pave the way for the succession of Kim Jong-un’s daughter, Ju-ae. The portrayal of improved status for women in the deeply patriarchal North Korean society is being interpreted as an attempt to bolster Ju-ae, who could potentially become the country’s first female leader.
A scene from a North Korean drama showing a man wearing a floral apron and preparing a meal for his wife and daughter drew attention on social media on Sunday. Given that men performing household chores is unusual in North Korea, some observers have suggested that the scene may have been deliberately included with Ju-ae in mind. As there has never been a female supreme leader or successor in North Korea, the scene is being interpreted as an effort to lower the political and cultural barriers Ju-ae could face in the future.
A scene from the North Korean drama “A New Spring in Baekhaktown,” which aired last year, shows a man wearing an apron preparing a meal for his family. Captured from Korea Central Television (KCTV)
The drama, titled “A New Spring in Baekhaktown,” aired in April last year. It follows life at a bottom-ranked farm in North Korea as the people there work to transform the village. When it first aired, the drama attracted attention for its depiction of events rarely seen in North Korean dramas, including corruption among party officials.
Yoshihiro Makino, a visiting professor at Hiroshima University in Japan, told Radio Free Asia (RFA), “Broadcasting is an important means of political propaganda in North Korea,” adding that the scene “may have been intended to help establish a succession structure.”
Others, however, have cautioned against directly linking the scene to the succession of Ju-ae. Rachel Minyoung Lee, a senior fellow at the Stimson Center in the United States, told RFA that “such scenes began appearing in dramas in the mid-2010s,” adding that “it is premature to link them to speculation that Ju-ae is being groomed as a successor.”
Lee also noted that although the prominence of female officials — including Ju-ae; Kim Yo-jong, Kim Jong-un’s sister; and Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui — has increased in recent years, this does not necessarily indicate an improvement in the status of women more broadly in North Korea.
“Except for women who hold the special status of being members of the ruling family, men still make up the majority of North Korea’s leadership,” Lee said.
This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.
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