Imagine North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in a tuxedo, waiting nervously at the altar (or shrine) of his grandfather, Kim Il Sung, and his father, Kim Jong Il. He beholds his future wife's face, anticipating his chance to kiss the bride. Of course, such an event can only be imagined in today's North Korea. In the photographs presented to the world of the newly public couple, they stand chastely, but contentedly, next to each other but at an appropriate distance, or she follows a few steps behind.
While observers of North Korean affairs seem both tickled and stumped by Kim Jong Un's marriage, and the accompanying media snippets, this "new development" is not startling. It implies nothing about the young leader's attitudes toward, say, political and economic reform; nor does it signify an effort to appeal to younger citizens for support. Instead, the true meaning of Kim's marriage can be found in Korean tradition and dynastic practices.
For Koreans on both sides of the 38th parallel, marriage has long been a staple of social life. The Population Reference Bureau reports that in 2008, only 25 percent of North Korean women aged 25-29 — and a mere 4 percent of women aged 30-34 — had never been married. Among the Pyongyang elite, marriage is de rigueur, with 80 percent of the city's adult residents registered as married. Indeed, a Korean must be married with children to be considered a true adult — and that is no less true for North Korea's First Couple.