Yahoo Movies Kim Jong-un's Daughter Makes Her Second Public Appearance, Sparking Speculation About Succession
KCNA/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un stepped out publicly with his daughter for the second time in recent weeks, sparking speculation that the girl (believed to be roughly 9 or 10 years old) could succeed her father in time.
Photos released on Sunday by North Korean state media show Kim and his young daughter Ju-ae holding hands as they walk at an undisclosed location with North Korean soldiers.
As Reuters reports, Kim said in remarks during the visit with his daughter that his goal is to "possess the world's most powerful strategic force, the absolute force unprecedented in the century."
Kim first revealed his daughter earlier this month, as he oversaw the launch of a nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missile.
KCNA/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) released photos of the leader, who it says watched the launch with his "beloved daughter" and wife Ri Sol Ju. The "new" Hwasong-17 missile launched from Pyongyang International Airfield flew 999.2 kilometers, or 621 miles, CNN reported, citing the KCNA.
As the Associated Press notes, KCNA's description of Kim's daughter has evolved in recent weeks, from "beloved" on Nov. 19, to "most beloved" or "precious" child on Sunday.
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While Kim's family and personal life has long been shrouded in secrecy, NPR reports that he and his wife have three children, born in 2010, 2013 and 2017.
Back in 2013, basketball star Dennis Rodman — who is close with Kim — told the Guardian he had met Ju-ae, sharing the child's first name as he shared he had a "relaxing time by the sea" with Kim and his family during a visit that year.
"I held their baby Ju-ae and spoke with [Kim's wife] as well. He's a good dad and has a beautiful family," Rodman said at the time.
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Kim has not yet publicly anointed a successor, though his recent appearances with his daughter have led some analysts to infer that she could eventually become his heir.
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As analyst Cheong Seong-Chang of Sejong Institute in South Korea told NPR earlier this month, "the children of Kim Jong-un would have the status of a prince or princess, like in a dynasty" under the current system in North Korea.
Ankit Panda, an expert with the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, echoed those thoughts to CBS News, saying that the recent photographs of Kim's daughter" support the idea that this is the start of her being positioned as a potential successor."
"State media underscoring her father's love for her further underscores this, I think," Panda told CBS. "Finally, both of her initial public appearances have been in the context of strategic nuclear weapons — the crown jewels of North Korea's national defense capabilities. That doesn't strike me as coincidental."
