Comment on this story
comment
North Korea has unveiled leader Kim Jong Un’s daughter for the first time, ending years of speculation about her existence.
Photographs released by state media on Saturday showed Kim holding the hand of his young daughter at a missile launch site and inspecting a missile. Another photo showed the couple, this time accompanied by Kim’s wife Ri Sol Ju, on an observation platform during a missile launch. The photos are of Friday’s intercontinental ballistic missile launch, the second such launch this month, according to state media.
It is the first time North Korea has mentioned Kim’s daughter, although state media did not provide her name or age, identifying her only as “Kim’s beloved daughter.”
North Korea launches an intercontinental ballistic missile
Although the creature was not named, observers believe its name was Kim Ju Ae. His name was first revealed in 2013 by retired NBA star Dennis Rodman, who said after visiting North Korea that he had met the leader’s “baby” daughter.
According to Shreyas Reddy, a correspondent for the North Korea-tracking website NK News, this is the first mention of any of Kim’s children by state media. South Korean intelligence agencies believe the North Korean leader has fathered two more children, born in 2010 and 2017, although their names and genders are not known.
“Her first public appearance at such a young age is in itself significant and a break with tradition, but it stands out even more that she was introduced to the country and the wider world at such a high-profile event as North Korea’s launch . biggest missile,” Reddy told The Post. “While we can say it’s definitely a significant moment, at this early stage we can’t be sure what the purpose is.”
“Some prominent North Korean defectors told us that this clearly marks her as Kim Jong Un’s successor, a massive change in Pyongyang’s largely male-dominated leadership and a break with the Kim family’s patrilineal rule.” , he said. Others suggested the move was instead an attempt to put a more human face on the North Korean leader, he added.
Kim Jong Un has been in power for 11 years and is the third generation of his family to rule the secretive nation since it was founded by his grandfather, Kim Il Sung, in 1948.
There are few confirmed details about the private life of the current leader. Speculation about a possible successor began in 2020 when Kim was rumored to be seriously ill, although South Korean officials cast doubt on the reports, citing a lack of evidence. The following year, she returned to the public eye looking thinner than ever, prompting more questions about the reasons for her sudden weight loss.
Kim’s sister, Kim Yo Jong, has also played an important role in public life.