Kim Jong-un has wiped out his hated step-grandmother’s mansion amid speculation he is too broke to maintain her royal residence.
After the death of the dictator’s grandmother, his grandfather and predecessor, Kim Il-sung, remarried and started a new family.
However, relations between the rival royal families were tense, with the new wife, Kim Song-ae, accused of plotting to place her own son on the throne.
Kim Jong-il, the current leader’s father, placed her under house arrest and her son, Kim Pyong-il, was sent into exile as a career diplomat.
But Kim Jong-il could do no wrong to his stepmother and after her husband’s death in 1994, she was allowed to live in a mansion for the rest of her life.
Now satellite photos have revealed that Kim Jong-un has razed his step-grandmother’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: Photo shows all that’s left of the mansion after it was razed to the ground by Kim Jong-un
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 all tied to her marriage to the semi-divine Kim Il-sung.
‘As stepmother to the eventual heir, Kim Jong-il, her relationship with him would be crucial to her future.
Unfortunately, their relationship was fraught with problems.
‘Kim Jong-il was afraid that she would try to block his succession together with her biological children.
“This happened in 1994, when Song-ae was placed under house arrest until an agreement was reached.”
He added: “Her public role as ‘First Lady of North Korea’ meant that her physical safety was in principle inviolable.
“But she could still be cast aside and sent to what was effectively exile in a gilded cage.”
Mr Bogle, who has compiled a comprehensive map of North Korea based on satellite imagery, said the Hapjang mansion was close to Pyongyang, but not too close.
He said: ‘The location of the villa is semi-remote, in a mountainous area between Pyongyang and Pyongsong.
“It would be a great place for someone to retire: close enough to be watched, yet secluded and in a quiet spot with no other elite neighbors.”
Kim Jong Un speaks at a ceremony marking the delivery of 250 nuclear-capable rocket launchers to frontline military units on August 4
The sliding photo shows the villa location 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 area, the ground floor was 1,400 square meters – about a third of what Kim Jong-un has, but well above the national average, which is less than 100 square meters.
Jacob continues: ‘It was situated on a small hill next to an artificial lake in the Hapjang River, surrounded by 11 hectares of forest.
‘The site was also secured by a security fence and there were dedicated facilities for guards and other staff.’
Satellite photos appear to show the security perimeter around the site expanded, but all traces of the mansion have disappeared.
Mr Bogle said: ‘The only signs that anything was there are the open field where the villa was, the driveway and the larger fence around it.’
Kim Song-ae died in 2014, so the timing of the demolition is notable.
But Jacob thinks the answer could be simple: that there is little money.
“There is no immediate clear answer as to why the villa was demolished,” he said.
‘There is a history of villas of exiled officials being demolished. Even the villa where Kim Il-sung died was demolished in 2010-2011.
‘Kim Jong-un also recently demolished the much larger Ryokpo Winter Residence complex.
‘So there is certainly precedent for demolishing villas for various reasons.
‘There doesn’t seem to be any obvious reason, such as the land being used for something else, but it could be a sign that there is little money.’
North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un holds an emergency meeting to discuss flood recovery measures in North Korea.
Kim Jong Un attends a ceremonial event marking the delivery of new tactical ballistic missiles on August 4
Kim Jong Un during the ceremony marking the delivery of new tactical ballistic missiles at an undisclosed location on August 4
He noticed that the buildings directly across from Kim Jong-un’s main building, the Ryongsong Residence, had rusty roofs.
While the Tongpy’ongyang residence – the former home 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 mainly focused on getting rid of redundant and outdated villas.
‘Or that money is used to furnish Kim’s own palaces, while the smaller elite and family members have to pay for the maintenance with their own resources.’
But the analyst has no doubt that Kim Jong-un will continue to live like a king, no matter how tight the financial situation becomes.
He said: ‘Kim Jong-un continues to spend a lot of money on himself and his loved ones.
‘Kim spends hundreds of millions of dollars each year on extravagance, from illegally importing luxury cars to renovating his favorite homes.
“He does this while 150,000 of his citizens languish in prison camps and millions more struggle to feed themselves.”