Love and marriage in North Korea

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.