North Korea's most powerful woman | DW Documentary

DW Documentary

26 Nov 202351:56

EducationalLearning

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TLDRThe video chronicles the meteoric rise of Kim Yo-jong, sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, from a timid daughter of the ruling Kim dynasty to a formidable political figure instrumental in easing and escalating tensions with South Korea. Cultivating a deliberately enigmatic public persona, Kim Yo-jong has established herself as second-in-command, wielding real power and influence. Her bond with her brother cements internal loyalty while her uncompromising rhetoric toward external foes strengthens North Korea's nuclear bargaining position, fueling speculation that she could someday rule.

Takeaways

😀 Kim Yo Jong is Kim Jong Un's trusted sister and plays an increasingly important role in North Korea as his de facto deputy
😨 The history of the Kim dynasty and cult of the Kim family in North Korea goes back to Kim Il Sung, who established communist rule with the help of the Soviet Union
😠 North Korea is essentially a hereditary dictatorship ruled by the Kim family and the Mt. Paektu bloodline
🥰 Kim Yo Jong and Kim Jong Un have a close relationship that was forged from their time together as students in Switzerland
😲 Kim Yo Jong rose to prominence when she was sent as an envoy to the 2018 Olympics in South Korea and charmed the South Korean public
😡 But she has also demonstrated she can adopt harsh rhetoric against South Korea and the US, threatening destruction when negotiations fail
❓ Kim Jong Un now sees himself as a leader who can negotiate with the US on equal terms since acquiring nuclear weapons
😌 There were summits between Kim Jong Un and Presidents Moon and Trump, but ultimately no lasting agreement on denuclearization
😮 Kim Yo Jong is ready to step into a bigger leadership role in North Korea and could potentially succeed Kim Jong Un due to health issues
😊 Even in the patriarchal society of North Korea, Kim Jong Un is now presenting his daughter as a symbolic future leader

Q & A

What was Kim Yo-jong's role when she first appeared publicly in 2011?
-When Kim Yo-jong first appeared publicly in 2011 after the death of Kim Jong-il, she was seen sobbing behind her brother Kim Jong-un but her role was unknown. She had no public political role at that time.
How did Kim Yo-jong gain power and influence in North Korea?
-Kim Yo-jong gained power due to her close personal relationship with her brother Kim Jong-un as well as through taking on important functions within the North Korean government and Workers' Party over time.
What was significant about Kim Yo-jong's visit to South Korea in 2018?
-Kim Yo-jong's 2018 visit was the first time a member of the Kim ruling family had visited South Korea since the Korean peninsula was divided in 1945. Her visit helped initiate a temporary warming of relations between the two Koreas.
How did Kim Yo-jong's public rhetoric change over time?
-Originally Kim Yo-jong struck a charming tone on visits to South Korea. Later, as tensions rose, her rhetoric became more aggressive, even threatening the destruction of the "imperialists" of South Korea and the US.
What events led to the breakdown in relations between North and South Korea?
-Relations soured after diplomacy with the US failed to produce denuclearization agreements. North Korea resumed missile tests while Kim Yo-jong threatened South Korea over anti-North leafleting by dissident groups.
Why is real denuclearization of North Korea seen as impossible now?
-After decades of efforts, experts believe North Korea will never give up nuclear weapons that are vital for regime security and legitimacy. Kim Jong-un is unlikely to relinquish such an important bargaining chip.
What are some of the skills Kim Yo-jong has developed as a leader?
-Kim Yo-jong has developed skills in public speaking, maintaining protocol standards, projecting authority and charm, and calibrating her rhetoric between aggression and reconciliation depending on diplomatic conditions.
Could Kim Yo-jong someday replace Kim Jong-un as ruler?
-Yes, Kim Yo-jong could succeed Kim Jong-un if he were to die suddenly or become incapacitated. As a blood descendant of the Kim dynasty from Mount Paektu, she has the lineage considered legitimate to rule North Korea.
How has the role of women in North Korea's leadership changed?
-The growing power of Kim Yo-jong represents a shift in highly patriarchal North Korea. She is the first woman to achieve such high authority in the regime.
What purpose does the cult of personality serve for the Kim dynasty?
-The elaborate propaganda myth-making about the Kim bloodline being sacred and descended from Mount Paektu serves to legitimize their dynastic rule over North Korea.

Outlines

00:00

🇰🇵 North Korea is a monarchy led by the Kim family rather than a socialist country

North Korea is described as a monarchy led by the Kim family rather than a truly socialist country. It will be very difficult to convince North Korea to give up nuclear weapons through negotiations.

05:02

👪 Kim Yo-jong emerges from the shadows after her father Kim Jong-il dies in 2011

When Kim Jong-il dies in 2011, his son Kim Jong-un succeeds him. Kim Yo-jong, Kim Jong-un's 24-year old sister, is seen grieving at the funeral but she is unknown to the world at that point. She gradually becomes a regular presence by her brother's side.

10:32

⛰️ The Kim dynasty justifies its rule through the myth of Mount Paektu bloodline

The Kim dynasty bases its right to rule on the myth that the family has the sacred Mount Paektu bloodline. Propaganda highlights the ancestral connection between the Kims and Mount Paektu, claimed as the cradle of Korean civilization.

15:34

🇨🇭 Kim Jong-un and Kim Yo-jong spend 4 years together in Switzerland

As teenagers, Kim Jong-un and Kim Yo-jong spend 4 years together attending school in Switzerland. This is where their close relationship likely developed before returning to Pyongyang.

20:35

🤝 Kim Yo-jong leads North Korea's charm offensive at 2018 Winter Olympics

In 2018, Kim Yo-jong leads a North Korean delegation to the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, launching a charm offensive. She meets with the South Korean president and her visit leads to Kim Jong-un meeting Donald Trump.

25:38

😡 Diplomatic efforts break down and Kim Yo-jong's rhetoric turns aggressive

After diplomacy with Trump fails, North Korea resumes missile testing. Kim Yo-jong's role changes as her rhetoric toward South Korea and the U.S. becomes more aggressive.

30:40

🚀 North Korea achieves nuclear power status making denuclearization impossible

In 2017, North Korea declares completion of nuclear weapons development. This solidifies regime power and makes real denuclearization impossible according to experts.

35:47

👑 Could Kim Yo-jong someday rule North Korea?

There is speculation Kim Yo-jong could succeed Kim Jong-un given rumors about his health issues. As a Kim, she would have authority to rule, representing a shift in gender attitudes.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡dynasty

The video examines the Kim family's dynastic rule over North Korea. A dynasty refers to a succession of rulers from the same family or lineage. The Kim dynasty was established by Kim Il-Sung after WWII and has continued through his son Kim Jong-Il and grandson Kim Jong-Un. The longevity of this dynasty, propped up by an elaborate personality cult, is unique among modern Communist regimes.

💡propaganda

Propaganda plays a crucial role in sustaining the Kim dynasty's grip on power. Through propaganda campaigns centered on the ruling family's connection to the sacred Mount Paektu, the regime establishes its supposed "royal blood" and destiny to rule. When Kim Jong-Un succeeded his father, propaganda constructed parallels between him and his still revered grandfather.

💡reconciliation

For a brief period, Kim Yo-Jong facilitated reconciliation between North and South Korea. Her 2018 visit to the Pyeongchang Olympics signaled a diplomatic breakthrough. Months later, she was involved in arranging an historic summit between Kim Jong-Un and the South Korean president at the DMZ. But this rapprochement was short-lived before hostilities resumed.

💡denuclearization

The video examines failed attempts at negotiating the denuclearization of North Korea. Although the Kim regime has signed agreements promising to abandon its nuclear program, it has never followed through. After North Korea tested an ICBM and hydrogen bomb in 2017, experts contend that real denuclearization is now impossible.

💡personality cult

A personality cult built around the Kim family bolsters its power. When Kim Il-Sung established the DPRK, he crafted an elaborate cult of personality promoting him as a paternal leader. This was inherited by his son and grandson, based on the notion of Paektu "royal blood." The population is immersed in state propaganda exaggerating and glorifying the Kims.

💡deterrence

North Korea justifies its nuclear weapons program as necessary for deterrence against perceived US threats. After accelerated nuclear and missile testing in 2017, North Korea declared it had completed the program and was ready to negotiate from a "position of strength." The regime sees nukes as fundamental to Kim Jong-Un's authority and legitimacy.

💡sanctions

International sanctions have crippled North Korea's economy but failed to halt its nuclear progress. Kim Yo-Jong has rebuffed South Korean offers of economic aid in exchange for denuclearization. She contends that "nobody barters their destiny for a bit of corn" - signaling nuclear weapons take absolute priority.

💡succession

As Kim Jong-Un's health reportedly declines, speculation surrounds potential succession plans. Kim Yo-Jong is widely viewed as her brother's heir apparent. Her pedigree as the daughter of Kim Jong-Il grants her unparalleled status. She has consolidated power to potentially steer a transition, which would be historic for female leadership.

💡diplomacy

Kim Yo-Jong played an integral diplomatic role in her brother's outreach toward South Korea and the US. She delivered his invitation for an historic summit with President Moon. Later in Singapore, despite her prominence at home, she deferred to Kim Jong-Un in negotiations with Trump - abiding by North Korea's rigid hierarchy.

💡juche

The North Korean ideology of "juche" or self-reliance underpins propaganda about the Kim family's destiny and the regime's defiance of foreign pressure over its nuclear program. Kim Yo-Jong invoked juche when rebuffing South Korea's calls for denuclearization in return for economic incentives - signaling North Korea will go its own way.

Highlights

Kim Yo-jong is the most powerful woman, not only in contemporary North Korea, but perhaps all of Korean history.

Kim Yo-jong and Kim Jong-un have a close relationship that likely developed while they were living in Switzerland and attending school there together.

Kim Yo-jong made her first appearance on the world stage in February 2018 during the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea.

Kim Yo-jong handed a personal letter from Kim Jong-un to the South Korean president, inviting him for a meeting - a major diplomatic overture.

The 2018 Olympics charm offensive marked the beginning of Kim Yo-jong's rise to power in North Korea.

After North Korea declared itself a nuclear power in late 2017, it saw itself in a position of strength to negotiate with other countries.

Kim Yo-jong's increasingly hardline rhetoric against South Korea and the U.S. allows Kim Jong-un to remain above the fray.

There is little hope of North Korea ever giving up its nuclear weapons completely at this point.

Kim Yo-jong ordered the destruction of the Inter-Korean Liaison Office in 2020, damaging her reputation in South Korea after a period of rapprochement.

Kim Yo-jong leads North Korean threats against South Korea and the U.S., promising retaliation and calling them "imperialists."

Kim Yo-jong affirmed her position as North Korea's second-in-command during an August 2022 speech about the country's COVID response.

Kim Jong-un presented his young daughter in public for the first time in 2022, suggesting a shift in traditional patriarchal attitudes about women leaders.

Were Kim Jong-un unable to rule, it's likely Kim Yo-jong would take his place given the significance of the Kim family bloodline.

Regardless of who succeeds Kim Jong-un, the Kim family dynasty looks set to maintain its grip on power in North Korea.

In a decade, Kim Yo-jong has proven herself a true child of the Kim dynasty and North Korea's "Red Princess."

Transcripts

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