North Korea bans girls from using the same name as Kim Jong Un’s daughter

Girls have been asked to change names within a week


According to Fox News, North Korea is forcing girls and women with the same name as Kim Jong Un's daughter to change their names. Ju Ae, Kim Jong Un's daughter, is said to be around ten years old. Ju-ae is the only one of Kim Jong Un's three children to have been publicly seen.

 

The report, which cites Radio Free Asia, two anonymous North Korean sources - one in North Pyongyang and one in South Pyongyang - have stated that local governments have issued orders for women named Ju-ae to change their birth certificates.

 

The Ministry of Security in Jeongju City summoned women registered with the resident registration department under the name 'Ju Ae' to the Ministry of Safety yesterday to change their names," say the report. The authorities also mentioned that the names had to be changed "within a week."

 

North Korea has previously prohibited people from using the same names as its leaders and their immediate families. According to the South China Morning Post, in 2014, people were advised not to use the name Kim Jong Un.

 

Kim Jong Un's daughter Ju-ae was recently spotted wearing a white puffer jacket and red shoes while walking in front of a massive black-and-white missile during North Korea's military parade, prompting speculation that she was being groomed to succeed her father. She was also seen at a lavish banquet at a military barracks ahead of the parade, and she was first seen in public in November of last year. 

 

The Brief. Sign up to receive the top stories you need to know right now.