Kim Jong-un's 'most beloved' child Ju Ae appears in public for second time prompting heir speculation
28 November 2022, 18:37
North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un may have chosen his daughter as his heir experts have said, after she appeared with him in public for only the second time.
Kim and his daughter Ju-ae posed for photographs with scientists, soldiers, and others involved in the Hwasong-17 missile launch this month.
State media outlet KCNA reported that Mr Kim and his daughter found the crowd "filled with boundless passion and happiness" as they expressed "the highest glory and ardent reverence for him".
Mr Kim was quoted as saying: "It is the truth taught by history that only when we become the strongest - not the weak - in the present world where the strength in showdown just decides victory, can we defend the present and future of the country and nation".
He also said that technicians and scientists should "make a do-or-die struggle... and thus expand and bolster up the nuclear war deterrent of the country at an exceptionally rapid speed".
KCNA said that workers had "hardened their resolve" to carry out the task, "burning their hearts with a single mind to repay the privileges and trust shown by him at any cost".
The pictures were un-dated but were released by the North Korean government late on Saturday.
No independent journalists were given access to the event, described by KCNA as a "photo session".
North Korea expert Ankit Panda said the 'striking' images suggest the girl is 'being positioned as a potential successor'.
Little is known about her, but she is thought to be the middle of Kim's three children.
Mr Panda said: 'This is certainly striking. The photograph of Kim Ju Ae standing alongside her father while being celebrated by technicians and scientists involved in the latest ICBM launch would 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.
'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.'
Cheong Seong-Chang, of the private Sejong Institute in South Korea, suggested her gender may explain why the dictator decided to reveal her so early, in order to get his people accustomed to the idea of a female leader.
Cheong added that it is not unusual for leaders of the hermit kingdom to choose their heirs at a young age, based upon which of them they think show the strongest leadership qualities.
However, Ju-ae's standing within the line of succession - known as the Mount Paektu Bloodline - isn't known.
Kim Jong-il didn't reveal the existence of Kim Jong-un, his own successor, until late in his reign when his health was failing.
