- Since her debut in North Korea in 2022, the world knows Kim Jong Un’s daughter as Kim Ju A.
- But according to The Korea Times, a former South Korean spy says her name is actually Kim Yoon Ju.
- He said the misnomer originated from Dennis Rodman’s miscommunication with Kim Jong Un.
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A retired South Korean spy said the world is giving the wrong name to North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un’s daughter, The Korea Times reported.
Choe Su Yong, a former intelligence official, told the outlet that Kim’s daughter is known as Kim Ju A, but is actually called Kim Yun Ju.
According to The Times, Cho, who worked in the anti-espionage division of South Korea’s National Intelligence Service for 20 years, said the misnomer came from former NBA star Dennis Rodman.
Rodman has visited North Korea several times and claims to have a close friendship with Kim. Choe said that during one of their visits, the basketball legend had a bad conversation with Kim over the girl’s name.
Choe said, “I heard that Kim introduced his daughter to Rodman during a visit to North Korea in Korean, saying that ‘Jeo-ae’ was his daughter. It seems that Rodman used the Korean word ‘ Misunderstand ‘Geo-a’ as his name.” The Times, citing North Korean sources.
According to The Times, Cho said Kim used the word “geo-a” instead of “that girl” in Korean.
Rodman told The Guardian in 2013 that Kim’s daughter was named Ju Ae, adding that he had visited North Korea and held her in his arms when she was a child.
A representative for Rodman did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider sent outside regular business hours.
Kim’s daughter was publicly introduced by the dictator in November 2022, leading to speculation that she could play a key role in his regime – or potentially become his successor.
South Korean officials and intelligence services have since referred to Kim’s daughter as “Kim Ju Ae” and a year later, she continues to feature prominently in North Korean propaganda.
The girl, who is believed to be 11 years old, is one of at least three children fathered by Kim. However, Cho told The Times, citing North Korean sources, that Kim has four children.
The Times reported that Choe retired from the intelligence services in 2010 and declined to share details about his sources to protect them.
Kim’s family’s personal information is kept secret by North Korea, making it extremely difficult for foreign observers to know or confirm much about his children.
The country bans its citizens from having the name “Jong Un” and a report by Radio Free Asia earlier cited two unnamed sources in North Korea as saying that officials had banned the name “Joo A” because of Kim’s daughter. Girls named were ordered to change their names.
South Korea’s Unification Ministry, the country’s main authority for dealings with North Korea, did not immediately respond to a request for comment from BI sent via email.
Source: www.bing.com
