Kim Jong-un bans North Koreans from bearing the same name as his daughter

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has banned people from naming their children the same name as their daughter.

The ban not only applies to newborns, but also means that those who already bear the name will be forced to choose a new one.

Since she was introduced to the world during a rocket launch in November, experts have speculated that the dictator’s daughter Kim Ju-ae may be being groomed as his eventual successor.

According to a source in North Pyongan province, where the border with China is, people named Ju-ae have been summoned by the security services in the Chongju region.

Speaking to Radio Free Asia, the person said: “The Ministry of Security has called for women who are registered at the Resident Registration Office under the name ‘Ju-ae’ to the Ministry of Security to change their names.

“In the ethnic unit where I live, there lived a 12-year-old girl named ‘Ju-ae.’

“The Department of Security’s Resident Registration Office called the girl’s parents to the Department of Security and forced her to change her name and birth certificate.”

Officials apparently told the family that the name was now reserved exclusively for people of “highest dignity”.

Other sources report similar incidents in South Pyongan province. A person there said, “Even the name ‘Ju Ae’ is controlled so that ordinary citizens cannot use it.

“Yesterday, the Pyongsong City Security Department issued an internal central government order to change the names of women using the name “Ju-ae” within a week.”

According to Michael Madden, an expert on the North Korean elite, this practice is not new to the secret state.

In fact, the ban on using Kim Jong-un’s name was one of the first clues to his rise to power.

He said: “The regime can and has regulated what names North Korean citizens use.

“This is something we’ve observed before – they’ve been giving orders to people by the names Kim Jong-il and Kim Jong-un.

“In fact, one of the telltale signs of Kim Jong-un’s own succession 12 years ago was that resident registration restricted the use of the name ‘Jong-un.’

“This practice dates back to the 1970s and affects various members of the Kim family.”

Last week, Kim Ju-ae was seen at the center of a nuclear missile parade days before her father warned he was ready to take strong and decisive action against military exercises being conducted by the US and South Korea.

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