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Kim Jong Un feasted at a lavish banquet with gaudy lighting and a showstopping scale model of a nuclear missile

Sep 1, 2023, 00:38 IST
Business Insider
Kim Jong Un at his banquet in Pyongyang on 27 August 2023, in this image marked up by Insider.DPRK/Insider
  • North Korean media released a video showing Kim Jong Un at a lavish banquet on Sunday.
  • The video shows him celebrating the territory's Navy Day and being serenaded by sailors.
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North Korean state TV released a video on Tuesday giving insight into the lavish — and somewhat gaudy — world of Kim Jong Un's banquets.

According to NK News, which geolocated the images, the banquet was held on Sunday ahead of North Korea's Navy Day at a luxurious Pyongyang resort.

The celebration followed a visit to North Korea's naval headquarters, which was reported in state media.

Four different moments of Kim Jong-Un and his daughter at a banquet table on August, 27, 2023.DPRK/Insider

The footage showed Kim arriving in a Mercedes to rapturous applause. He appeared to be with his wife, Ri Sol Ju, and 12-year-old daughter, who is believed to be called Kim Ju Ae.

They enter a wedding-tent style venue identified by NK News as the Air Koryo Kobangsan Hotel — owned by state carrier Air Koryo, often ranked as the worst airline in the world — but which appears to be good at luxury hotels.

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A row of people applaud as Kim Jong Un and his family arrive in a limousine at a banquet in Pyongyang on August 27, 2023.DPRK

While Kim's wife Ri is often absent from the public eye, Kim Ju Ae — known formally as the "respected daughter" — has been increasingly in the spotlight this year, sparking speculation as to Kim's succession plans.

Kim Jong Un sits centre right at a table with several people including wife Ri Sol Ju and daughter, rumored to be named Kim Ju Ae, on August 27, 2023.DPRK

Notably, Ri and Kim Ju Ae sat at the top table with the supreme leader in distinctive swivel chairs, while Kim's sister Kim Yo Jong sat across the large table from them with the ordinary chair type everyone else had to make do with.

Kim Yo Jong was identified by NK News as the woman in a jacket standing center of picture, facing Kim Jong Un, below.

A general view from behind Kim Jong Un's chair at a banquet in Pyongyang, showing many people standing and applauding, on August 27, 2023.DPRK

Kim Yo Jong has long been considered a potential successor to Kim, and in March made a speech threatening the US over any attempts to intercept North Korea's nuclear missile tests.

A row of sailors look joyful as they serenade Kim Jong Un at a banquet in Pyongyang on August 27, 2023.DPRK

The room was decorated with North Korean flags, gauzy curtains, chandeliers, gigantic flower centerpieces, and brightly colored lighting.

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But the hit piece of decor was surely a scale model of a Hwasong-18 nuclear intercontinental ballistic missile in the center of the room, depicted mid-launch with a burst of pink flame at its base.

A general view of the banquet in Pyongyang on August 27, 2023, attended by Kim Jong Un.DPRK

NK News also identified a model KN-25 600mm MLRS rocket launcher peeking out from behind a row of food warmers.

Later, Kim is seen smoking a cigarette, a longtime habit that observers have suggested is a heath concern.

Kim Jong-Un smoking a cigarette at a banquet in Pyongyang, against a green-lit backdrop, on August 27, 2023.DPRK

Little food is on display — and, as first spotted by NK News, what appears to be a Serrano ham is blurred out in the footage.

Kim has called for a "fundamental transformation" of the territory's food production, amid persistent rumors of major food shortages, as The Guardian reported in March.

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