Why Kim Jong Un Wants You To Meet His Daughter

With his daughter by his side in two spectacular military events this week, Kim Jong Un has told the world two things – the Kim family will rule North Korea for another generation and it will have the nuclear weapons to ensure that no one can challenge that.

Ju Ae, aged around 9 years old, is believed to be Kim’s second daughter. She joined the North Korean leader and his wife at a glitzy banquet at a Pyongyang military barracks on Tuesday night.

A day later, she watched as at least 11 intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM) parade through Kim Il Sung Square in the North Korean capital.

“By ostensibly including his wife and daughter, Kim wants observers at home and abroad to see his family’s dynasty and the North Korean military as irrevocably linked,” said Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul.

Meet the Kims

The Kim family’s rule in North Korea dates back to 1948, when Kim Il Sung came to power after World War II.

When Kim Il Sung died in 1994, his son Kim Jong Il took control – and when Kim Jong Il died in December 2011, his son Kim Jong Un came to power.

Western observers believe that Kim Jong Un has three children and that Ju Ae is the middle one, although this cannot be verified by anyone outside North Korea.

North Korean media reports of this week’s military events described Ju Ae as Kim’s “respected” and “beloved” daughter.

American basketball star Dennis Rodman revealed that Kim had a baby named Ju Ae when he visited Pyongyang in 2013, telling British newspaper The Guardian afterwards: “I held baby Ju Ae and spoke to [a esposa de Kim] also”.

The age of the baby Rodman held seems to fit the age of the girl who was at this week’s events.

Isn’t it a little early for a successor?

There is historical precedent for Kim identifying his successor so early because that’s what his father, Kim Jong Il, did to him, said Cheong Seong-chang, a senior analyst at the Sejong Institute in South Korea.

“Kim Jong Il is known to have told his aides that Kim Jong Un would be his successor while singing a song called ‘Footsteps’ to praise Kim Jong Un on his 8th birthday,” Cheong said. However, he added that the outside world was unaware of this at the time.

“For a long time, rumors and speculations circulated that Kim Jong Il’s first son Kim Jong Nam or second son Kim Jong Chol would succeed him,” Cheong said.

When did Kim’s daughter come to attention?

Speculation that Ju Ae would be Kim’s successor arose last November, when state media released pictures of her and Kim inspecting a North Korean ballistic missile ahead of a test launch.

South Korean lawmaker and Secretary of the National Intelligence Service, Yoo Sang-bum, said that upon release, the girl was believed to be Ju Ae.

North Korean state media ran a story later that month with pictures of Kim and the girl, describing her as their “most beloved” daughter, Cheong said.

Pictures in North Korean media also showed the girl visiting a missile factory with her father towards the end of 2022.

Succession case…

Cheong said he is convinced that the girl’s presence at recent events and how she is referred to in state media shows that she is being groomed to succeed her father.

North Korea’s state-run newspaper Rodong Sinmun mentions the girl before Kim’s wife in articles and uses the adjectives “loved” and “respected” to convey special status to her, he said.

“The beginnings of this Kim Ju Ae personality cult suggest that while she has yet to [recebido] official successor status […] she is indeed the designated successor,” said Cheong.

He added that for the girl to succeed her father, she would need the support of the military. Putting her in the front row of military events early on will allow her to establish credibility with the military over time, Cheong said.

… Or is this just a PR stunt?

Other observers are not convinced. The girl’s recent appearances may simply be a way to redirect the world’s attention back to Pyongyang’s military, following public fatigue after a year of record-breaking missile tests, said Chun In-bum, a South Korean general. retiree.

“I think the North Koreans have found that this is a way to get international attention. And so with all the interest that’s piling up, they’re having a good time,” he said.

“Throughout its seven decades of history, its successors have always been a mystery to us. Why would they change their mode of operation now? So if I were to bet $5, I’d say she’s not the successor,” Chun said.

And the missiles?

While there is still much debate about Ju Ae, there is little doubt about his father’s desire to have enough military power to keep his family ruling.

The display of at least 11 Hwasong-17 intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) on Wednesday night (8) shows that the North Korean military is fulfilling Kim’s call made in late 2022 for an “exponential increase” in the arsenal nuclear power plant in response to what he said were threats from South Korea and the United States.

Ankit Panda, a nuclear policy expert at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, said on social media that if each of these missiles were equipped with multiple nuclear warheads, they could represent enough bulk to overwhelm US ballistic missile defenses.

Solid fuel x liquid fuel

Following the Hwasong-17s on Wednesday night’s parade were examples of what analysts believe could be a solid-fueled ICBM, an advancement in technology from the liquid-fueled Hwasong-17.

Liquid-fueled missiles take longer to prepare for launch; solid fuel missiles are ready to fire at any time.

“If that is the case, [à Coreia do Norte] more mobility, flexibility, lethality and so on,” said Chun, the former South Korean general.

Solid-fuel missiles on mobile launchers would give the Kim regime “the ability to attack an opponent with very, very little notice,” Chun said. “It’s a really scary scenario.”

(With information from Yoonjung Seo and Paula Hancocks of CNN)