Kim Jong-un has wiped out his hated grandmother-in-law’s mansion amid speculation he is too broke to maintain his royal residence.
Following the death of the dictator’s grandmother, his grandfather and predecessor, Kim Il-sung, remarried and started another family.
But relations between the rival royal lines were strained and the new wife, Kim Song-ae, was accused of trying to install her own son on the throne.
Then Kim Jong-il, the current leader’s father, placed her under house arrest, and his son, Kim Pyong-il, was sent into exile as a career diplomat.
But Kim Jong-il was unable to harm his stepmother, and after her husband’s death in 1994, she was allowed to live out her days in a mansion.
Now, satellite photos have revealed that Kim Jong-un razed his grandmother-in-law’s house to the ground, leaving no visible trace of her after her death.
BEFORE: Photo shows Kim Song-ae’s mansion as it was when she died in 2014
AFTER: This photo shows all that remains of the mansion after Kim Jong-un demolished it.
Kim Song-ae (pictured) was the new wife of Kim Jong-un’s grandfather after his grandmother died.
North Korea expert Jacob Bogle said: ‘Her power and authority were tied to her marriage to the semi-divine Kim Il-sung.
‘As stepmother to the future heir, Kim Jong-il, her relationship with him would be crucial to his future.
‘Unfortunately, their relationship was plagued with difficulties.
‘Kim Jong-il was concerned that she would join forces with her biological children in trying to block his succession.
‘This happened in 1994, when Song-ae was placed under house arrest until an agreement was reached.’
She added: “Her public role as ‘First Lady of North Korea’ meant that her physical security was basically inviolable.
‘But still, they could marginalize her and send her to what would effectively be exile in a gilded cage.’
Bogle, who has constructed a comprehensive map of North Korea from satellite images, said the Hapjang mansion was close to Pyongyang, but not too close.
He said: ‘The location of the village is semi-remote, in a mountainous area between Pyongyang and Pyongsong.
‘It would be a prime retirement spot: close enough to be observed, but secluded and in a quiet location with no other elite neighbors.’
Kim Jong Un speaks during a ceremony to mark the delivery of 250 nuclear-capable missile launchers to frontline military units on August 4.
The sliding image shows the site of the villa before and after it was demolished by the North Korean dictator.
Kim Song-ae (right) at Pyongyang International Airport in 1980 during a state visit
In terms of space, its ground-floor area is 1,400 square meters, about a third of what Kim Jong-un enjoys, but far above the national average, which is less than 100 square meters.
Jacob continued: ‘It was located on a small hill next to an artificial lake on the Hapjang River, surrounded by 11 hectares of forest.
‘It was also protected by a security fence and had its own facilities for guards and other workers.’
In satellite photos, the security perimeter of the site appears to have expanded, but all traces of the mansion have disappeared.
Mr Bogle said: “The only signs that there was anything there are an open field where the villa was, the driveway and the extended perimeter fence.”
Kim Song-ae died in 2014, so the timing of the demolition is curious.
But Jacob thinks the answer might be simple: money is tight.
“There is no obvious and direct answer as to why the villa was demolished,” he said.
‘There are precedents of villas belonging to purged officials being demolished, and even the villa where Kim Il-sung died was demolished in 2010-11.
‘Kim Jong-un also recently demolished the much larger Ryokpo winter resort.
‘So there is certainly precedent for demolishing villas for a variety of reasons.
“There doesn’t seem to be any obvious reason, such as using the land for something else, but it could be a sign that money is tight.”
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is pictured holding an emergency meeting to discuss flood restoration measures in North Korea
Kim Jong Un attends a ceremonial event to mark the delivery of new tactical ballistic missiles on August 4
Kim Jong Un during a ceremony to mark the delivery of new tactical ballistic missiles at an undisclosed location on August 4.
He noted that buildings directly across from Kim Jong-un’s main residence, the Ryongsong residence, had rusty roofs.
Meanwhile, the Tongpyongyang residence (former residence of the dictator’s half-brother Kim Jong-nam, who was assassinated in 2017) is visibly deteriorating.
Mr Bogle said: ‘My personal view is that Kim Jong-un is focusing on getting rid of redundant and outdated villas.
‘Or that funds are being redirected to furnish Kim’s own palaces, leaving lesser elites and family members to finance upkeep from their own resources.’
But the analyst has no doubt that Kim Jong-un will continue to live like a king, no matter how meager the economic situation.
He said: ‘Kim Jong-un continues to spend lavishly on himself and those closest to him.
‘From illegally importing luxury cars to renovating her favorite residences, Kim spends hundreds of millions of dollars each year on extravaganzas.
“It does so while 150,000 of its citizens languish in prison camps and millions of others struggle to feed themselves.”