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Kim Jong-un has wiped his hated step-grandmother’s mansion off the map, amid speculation that he’s 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 another family.
But relations between the rival royal lines were fraught, with the new wife, Kim Song-ae, accused of trying to install her own son on the throne.
So Kim Jong-il, the current leader’s father, had her placed under house arrest, and her son, Kim Pyong-il, was sent into exile as a career diplomat.
But Kim Jong-il could not harm his stepmother, and after the death of her husband in 1994, she was allowed to live out her days in a mansion.
Now satellite photos have revealed that Kim Jong-un has bulldozed his step-grandmother’s home, leaving no visible trace of it after her death.
BEFORE: Photo shows Kim Song-ae’s mansion as it was when she died in 2014
AFTER: Photo shows all that remains of the mansion after it was bulldozed 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 was 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 critical to her future.
‘Unfortunately, their relationship was fraught with difficulties.
‘Kim Jong-il worried that she would band together with her biological children to try and block his succession.
‘This played out in 1994 with Song-ae being placed under house arrest until an agreement was made.’
He added: ‘Her public role as ‘First Lady of North Korea’, meant that her physical safety was basically inviolable.
‘But, she could still be sidelined and sent to what was effectively exile in a gilded cage.’
Mr Bogle – who has built a comprehensive map of North Korea from satellite images – said the Hapjang mansion was near 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 prime setting for one’s retirement – close enough to be watched, but out of the way and in a quiet spot without 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
Sliding picture shows the villa site 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 footprint was 1,400 sq metres – about a third of what Kim Jong-un enjoys, but vastly above the national average, which is less than 100 sq metres.
Jacob continued: ‘It sat on a small hill next to an artificial lake on the Hapjang River, surrounded by 11 hectares of woodland.
‘It was also protected by a security fence and had its own on-site facilities for guards and other workers.’
In satellite photos, the security perimeter at the site appears to have grown, but all traces of the mansion have gone.
Mr Bogle said: ‘The only signs that something was there is an open field where the villa sat, the driveway, and the enlarged perimeter fence.’
Kim Song-ae died in 2014, so the timing of the demolition is curious.
But Jacob believes the answer could be simple: that money is tight.
‘There’s no directly obvious answer to why the villa was demolished,’ he said.
‘There is a history of villas belonging to purged officials being torn down, and even the villa where Kim Il-sung died was demolished back in 2010-11.
‘Recently, Kim Jong-un also tore down the much larger Ryokpo Winter Residence complex.
‘So there is certainly precedent to raze villas for a range of reasons.
‘There doesn’t seem to be any obvious reason, like using the land for something else, but it could be a sign that money is tight.’
North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un 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 the 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 home, the Ryongsong Residence, had rusted roofs.
While the Tongpy’ongyang Residence – former home of the dictator’s half brother, Kim Jong-nam, who was assassinated in 2017 – is visibly deteriorating.
Mr Bogle said: ‘My personal opinion 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 those lesser elites and family members to fund maintenance with their own resources.’
But the analyst is in no doubt that the Kim Jong-un will continue to live like a king, however tight money gets.
He said: ‘Kim Jong-un continues to spend lavishly on himself and on those closest to him.
‘From illegally importing luxury cars to renovating his favorite residences, Kim spends hundreds of millions of dollars each year on extravagance.
‘He does this while 150,000 of his citizens languish in prison camps and millions of others struggle to feed themselves.’
