Kim Jong Un presents his daughter and feeds rumors about his succession

The daughter of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, whose name and age have not been confirmed, is gaining a greater presence in the public life of the regime.

Thomas Osborne
Thomas Osborne
14 February 2023 Tuesday 03:41
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Kim Jong Un presents his daughter and feeds rumors about his succession

The daughter of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, whose name and age have not been confirmed, is gaining a greater presence in the public life of the regime. The minor has attended important events this week at the hands of her father, traditionally the only protagonist of her. The most recent was the military parade on Wednesday night on the occasion of the anniversary of the creation of the country's army, which in turn was a kind of coming-out for the little girl.

The young woman, who is believed to be called Kim Ju-ae and be ten years old, was with her father and mother, Ri Sol-ju, in the stands from where they watched the parade, in which ballistic missiles were displayed in addition to soldiers. intercontinental range (ICBM) and tactical nuclear weapons. At all times the Kindred remained with her father, though her mother remained in the background.

In a series of 150 photos of the evening parade, released Thursday by state news agency KCNA, she can be seen walking ahead holding hands with Kim, leading the leader alongside Ri and the single party's biggest charges. .

In the stands, the young woman, dressed in a coat, hat and black gloves, occupies the central seat just behind her father and even poses next to him on the railing, applauding or sharing glances and knowing smiles, as can be seen in the snapshots. .

The increasing presence of Kim's daughter on prominent occasions such as this 75th anniversary of the founding of the North Korean army has sparked speculation about her intentions.

The young woman appeared in the state media for the first time on November 19 of last year, when she accompanied her father to witness the test of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).

In about two and a half months, she has accompanied her father on four occasions: the launch of said projectile, where she was presented only as "his beloved daughter"; a photographic session of the leader together with high officials of the regime involved in that test, a gala dinner held on Tuesday on the occasion of the military anniversary, when he was photographed in the center of the table, with his parents on each side and senior army commanders after her. The last appearance of her, the one that consecrates her as a possible successor to her, has been that of the parade.

It is striking that during this time the language used to describe the young Kim has evolved. If she was first introduced by the state media as the "dear daughter", by this week's banquet she had been elevated to the status of "respected daughter". As the BBC explains, this is an adjective reserved only for the most revered leaders of the regime. Only after Kim Jong-Un's status as a future leader was cemented did she begin to call him "respected comrade."

This indicates that North Korea has begun to build a "cult of personality" around Ju Ae, said Cheong Seong-chang, a researcher at South Korea's Sejong Institute. "She has been designated the de facto successor even though she does not yet have official 'successor' status," he said. "Kim Ju Ae will become the supreme commander of the armed forces in the future," predicts the expert.

Little is known about her identity, but South Korean intelligence experts believe she could be Kim's middle daughter. Seoul believes that Kim and her spore had three children around 2010, 2013 and 2017.

After one of his extravagant visits to North Korea to meet Kim Jong-un, former US basketball player Dennis Rodman said publicly in 2013 that he held "his daughter Ju-ae", a baby at the time.

Until now, the North Korean media had rarely disseminated information about close relatives of the Kim dynasty, which has ruled the country with an iron fist since the 1940s, but the situation has evolved since Kim Jong-un's rise to power and, especially, with the exposure of the women of the family.

In recent years, it has been common to see Kim accompanied by his wife at various events, including the 2018 summit he held in South Korea with then-South Korean President Moon Jae-in, and he is also a leading figure in his regime. sister Yo-jong, whose presence at the Seoul Winter Games in 2018 captured all eyes at the opening ceremony, when invited by Moon she sat in the authorities' gallery just behind the then Vice President of the United States Mike Pence.