SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — The North Korean leader made his second public appearance by taking his daughter to a meeting with missile scientists. State media called her Kim Jong Un’s “most beloved” child, fueling outside debate as to whether she is. Selected as her successor.
A daughter, aged about nine or ten, believed to be Kim’s second child named Joo Ae, first exposed to the outside world Photos in state media last weekend show what she’s observing North Korea intercontinental ballistic missile launch The day before, with her parents and other elderly officials. Her daughter, in her puffy white coat and red shoes, is seen walking hand-in-hand with Kim in front of a giant missile mounted on a launch vehicle, watching her weapon soar. was
On Sunday, North Korean state media mentioned her for the second time, saying she and Kim, along with scientists, engineers, officials and other workers, conducted what is called a test launch of a Hwasong-17 ICBM. He said he took a group photo involving the
KCNA described her as Kim’s “most beloved” or “precious” child in a Nov. 19 report. She has also released numerous photos of her daughter wearing a long black coat with a black fur collar and holding her father’s arm.
Some photos showed the two standing in the middle of a line of uniformed soldiers in front of a huge missile on a launch pad. Others showed Kim’s daughter talking to her father while people clapped and people cheered in the background.
Following in the footsteps of her mother, Ri Sol Ju, who was absent in Sunday’s photo, she showed a more mature appearance than when she was released a week ago.
“This is certainly impressive. The photo of Kim Joo Ae standing side by side with her father while being celebrated by the engineers and scientists involved in launching the latest intercontinental ballistic missile, this is a picture of her as a potential successor.” Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
“I think the state-run media highlighting her father’s affection for her further emphasizes this. I don’t think it’s a coincidence,” Panda said.
After her first public appearance, South Korean intelligence told lawmakers: The girl in the photo was rated as Kim’s second child, is about 10 years old and his name is Jue. The National Intelligence Agency said her appearance matched information that she was taller and larger than other girls her age. He said it also reflected Kim’s determination to keep future generations of North Korea safe.
South Korean media previously speculated that Kim had three children born in 2010, 2013 and 2017, with the first being a son and the third a daughter. The daughter announced was likely the child retired NBA star Dennis Rodman saw during a visit to Pyongyang in 2013. After that visit, Rodman told British newspaper The Guardian that he and Kim said she spent “relaxing time at the beach” with the leader’s family and held Kim’s baby daughter, Joo Ae.
North Korea did not mention the other two children reported by Kim. However, speculation that his eldest son is a son has led some experts to question whether a daughter could succeed Kim, given the deeply-rooted male-dominated and patriarchal nature of North Korean society. Kim is the third-generation member of a family that has ruled North Korea for more than 70 years, with his father and grandfather ruling the country until he assumed power in late 2011. was
“Kim is said to have three children, including a son. Is it “precious”?” said Soo Kim, a security analyst at California-based RAND Corporation. “I think it’s too early to draw any conclusions.”
She may think Kim Jong-un finds her daughter’s unveiling an effective distraction while she coordinates Washington, Seoul and others to live with the North Korean nuclear threat. said it couldn’t. North Korean nuclear and missile threatsBy marching his daughter, Kim Jong-un may want to convey to the public that nuclear weapons are the only guarantee of the country’s future, she added.
In remarks at a group photo session, Kim Jong-un called the recently tested Hwasong-17 a “great entity of strategic strength” and warned officials that the country’s military capabilities were “more absolute.” North Korea’s Hwasong-17 launch is part of a series of missile tests, and North Korea warns of US-South Korea military exercises it sees as rehearsals for aggression. claims to have been intended.
Chung Sung-chan, an analyst at South Korea’s private Sejong Institute, said Kim Jong-un could not be his son if he thought he lacked leadership. Chung said Kim may have prevented potential reluctance to elect his daughter as a fourth-generation leader, so that the public’s loyalty to him would pass smoothly on to his daughter. As such, it likely brought her to her successful ICBM launch event.
“If a king has many children, it is natural for him to choose the child he loves most as his successor,” Chong said. “Kim Joo-ae will occasionally appear at Kim Jong-un’s public events and receive inheritance training.”
Kim Jong Un and his father Kim Jong Il were the first to be mentioned in a state media dispatch after they came of age, so revealing the young Joo Ae came as a big surprise to foreign experts. He said Kim Jong-il had Kim Jong-un in mind as his successor when his son was eight years old. Jeong cited a conversation between Kim Jong-un’s aunt, who has defected to the United States, and her husband.
The fact that South Korean intelligence agencies said Joo Ae was about 10 years old, despite being reportedly born in 2013, is a sign of the country’s It may be related to the age calculation system.