Who is Kim Jong-un’s daughter ‘chosen’ as his successor in North Korea

Dictator Kim Jong Un takes his daughter to watch the launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile North Korean leader Kim Jong-un appears to be taking some steps to consolidate his daughter, Kim Ju-ae, as his successor. The information was released this Thursday (12) by the South Korean National Intelligence Agency (NIS) to a group of parliamentarians. ✅ Follow the g1 international news channel on WhatsApp According to the agency, given the way Kim Ju-ae has been participating in public events alongside her father, the young woman is already beginning to influence political decisions and is being treated as the second most important person in the country. The information was passed on by deputies Park Sun-won and Lee Seong-kweun after a closed-door meeting with the parliamentary intelligence committee. The NIS also said it will closely watch whether she will participate in a key North Korean party congress, scheduled for the end of February. Analysts estimate that the meeting should indicate the regime’s main politicians for the coming years in the areas of economy, foreign policy and defense. Kim Ju-ae is Kim Jong-un’s only publicly known daughter. The definition of who will inherit power has always generated speculation, as North Korea is one of the most closed countries in the world and keeps practically everything that happens within its borders secret — including information about the personal lives of the leader and his family. If Kim Ju-ae succeeds her father, she will become the first woman to lead North Korea since the founding of the communist regime in 1948. What is known about Kim Ju-ae? Kim Jong-un and Kim Ju-ae BBC Kim Jong-un is extremely private about his family, and as a result, very little is known about them. He even kept his wife, Ri Sol-ju, secret for a period after their marriage — she only made her first public appearance in 2012, despite South Korean media reporting that they married in 2009 and had their first child in 2010. Ri Sol-ju is also believed to be the mother of Kim Ju-ae, who was born a few years later. The first time Kim Ju-ae’s existence was mentioned publicly was in 2013, after retired American basketball star Dennis Rodman made a controversial trip to North Korea. Rodman said he spent time with Kim’s family, relaxing by the sea and “holding the baby,” whom he called Ju-ae. She is believed to be in her early teens. Little was known about her until November 2022, when she appeared alongside her father at the launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). Even the North Korean press only “recognizes her as Kim Jong-un’s daughter, without mentioning her name or age,” says Fyodor Tertitskiy, a researcher on North Korean politics at Kookmin University in Seoul. “Nothing else is known, at least publicly,” he adds. But he estimates her to be somewhere between 10 years old and in her early teens. In a private meeting last year, the NIS told South Korean politicians that Kim Ju-ae was never enrolled in an official educational establishment and was being homeschooled in Pyongyang. The agency also said that some of his hobbies were horse riding, swimming and skiing. One of the people who attended the briefing later revealed to reporters that Kim Jong-un was especially pleased with his horse-riding skills. The NIS further stated that she had an older brother and a younger brother whose gender the agency did not confirm. They have never been seen in public. READ ALSO North Korea threatens ‘terrible response’ after South Korean drones invade the country’s airspace CIA bets on family man drama and releases video in Chinese to recruit spies in China; WATCH Bangladesh: 1st election motivated by ‘Generation Z’ sees victory of traditional party and weak performance of protesters’ party Public debut Kim Ju-ae and Kim Jong-un in North Korea KCNA via Reuters Kim Ju-ae made his public debut in November 2022, when he participated in a missile test with his father. Since then, she has been seen alongside him several times, both at military and non-military events. Recently, at the New Year’s Eve celebration at the May 1st Stadium in Pyongyang, she and her father were photographed sharing a kiss on the cheek. In December 2023, they witnessed the launch of the Hwasong-18 solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile, the most advanced long-range missile in the country’s arsenal. She was also with him at the launch of the Malligyong-1 spy satellite in November of that same year. At the time, Pyongyang claimed that the equipment would give Kim Jong-un a view of the White House. In February 2023, Radio Free Asia reported that the North Korean government required anyone else named Kim Jun Ae to change their name, which is standard practice when it comes to the ruling dynasty. North Korea researchers also note that Kim Ju-ae is now described by the official press as a “respected” daughter rather than a “loved” daughter. The adjective “respected” is reserved for North Korea’s most revered. In the case of Kim Jong-un, for example, he was referred to as a “respected comrade” only after his status as a future leader had been consolidated. Kim Ju-ae’s public visibility has steadily increased over time. In September last year, she accompanied the North Korean leader on his visit to China to attend the Victory Day military parade. It was his first documented international trip. The visit was significant, marking the North Korean leader’s historic debut in multilateral diplomacy alongside Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin. However, Kim Ju-ae did not attend the parade. Possible successor? Kim Ju Ae first appeared in public in 2022 – in this photo, she and her father are at a banquet for the 75th anniversary of the Korean People’s Army, in February 2023 Reuters North Korean citizens are told that the Kims come from a sacred lineage, meaning only they can lead the country. Some analysts say introducing her to the public at such an early age could be the North Korean leader’s way of ensuring his daughter establishes herself long before taking power. There is no indication that a succession will happen soon, and previous rumors that Kim Jong-un was in poor health have been dismissed. Others say it could also be a way for Kim Jong-un to signal that he is a caring family man amid a deeply patriarchal society. “With former leaders Kim Jong-il and Kim Il-sung, there was a lot of propaganda focused on the role of these North Korean leaders as mother and father figures,” says Edward Howell, a professor at the University of Oxford and an expert on the subject. “So I think that symbolism also continued in the portrayal of her with her father in public.” But “having a member of the Kim bloodline is so crucial to North Korean leadership that if it’s a woman, it’s better than having someone who is not a member of the Kim family,” says Howell. Previously, South Korea’s NIS also said it is still considering “all possibilities” as there are “many variables.” Fyodor Tertitskiy believes Kim Jong-un has been “testing public and elite opinion about a potential succession” by showing Kim Ju-ae in public — something he says is typically not done until the succession is confirmed. But he agrees that it is still too early to talk about Kim Jong-un’s successor. “If he, say, dies at the same age as his father, at 70, that would be in 2054. Even if we assume that the North Korean state survives until then in its current form, society would probably not be the same as it is now,” he says. VIDEOS: most watched on g1

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