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| North Korean leader Kim Jung-un, left, and his daughter, Ju-ae, inspect the launch of a Hwasong-17 intercontinental ballistic missile from the Sunan area in Pyongyang, March 16. Yonhap |
By Ko Dong-hwan
Kim Ju-ae, daughter of North Korean leader Kim Jung-un, was recently seen wearing a luxurious jacket in a photo released by the regime earlier this month. The image illustrates how detached the dictator and his family are from a public rumored to be suffering from widespread poverty and starvation.
The young girl believed to be 10 years old, was seen wearing a Dior Kid's Hooded Down Jacket in a photo from March 16 released by the North's Korean Central Television the following day. The photo shows the father and daughter watching screens showing the launch of a Hwasong-17 intercontinental ballistic missile, together.
The jacket, according to local media outlets, was confirmed by the sewing pattern of Dior. The double-cross mixed with "X" showing rectangles and rhombuses matched that of the brand. The brand's webpage showed the outfit was tagged $1,900 (2.4 million won).
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| North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and his daughter, Ju-ae, inspect a combined tactical drill, which took place March 18 and 19, to bolster the country's war deterrence and nuclear counterattack capability in this photo released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency, Monday. Yonhap |
North Korean diplomats consider the purchase of luxury brand goods for Kim's family a top priority, according to North Korean defector Ryu Hyon-woo, a former North Korean ambassador to Kuwait.
In October 2020, the North Korean dictator was seen wearing a wristwatch that no average North Korean civilian would ever be able to afford, as he stood in front of a public crowd during a military parade in celebration of the 75th anniversary of the founding of the country's main political faction, the Workers' Party of Korea.
While shedding tears and calling on the crowd to endure the hardships faced by the country, a Portofino Automatic by IWC was seen on his left wrist. The Swiss brand watch was selling for at least 14 million won.
The findings came as Pyongyang has been firing different kinds of ballistic and cruise missiles towards the East Sea to apparently provoke South Korea and the United States, Seoul's strongest military ally. Each missile firing is known to cost at least tens of millions of dollars. Pyongyang has launched missiles more than ten times this year.
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