The surprise reappearance of the North Korean leader’s daughter has sparked rumors that she is a potential successor or is being groomed for a leadership role.
Kim Jong Un has made his second public appearance with his daughter, posing for photographs with soldiers, scientists, and others engaged in this month’s Hwasong-17 missile launch.
State-run news agency KCNA stated that Mr. Kim and his daughter found the audience to be “full with unbounded enthusiasm and gladness” as they voiced “the utmost honor and fervent veneration for him.”
Mr. Kim was cited as saying, “History has taught us that the best way to safeguard the present and future of the country and nation is to become the strongest – not the weakest – in a world where strength in showdown determines triumph.
In addition, he stated that scientists and technicians should “engage in a life-or-death struggle… and extend and fortify the nation’s nuclear war deterrent at an accelerated rate.”
According to KCNA, the workers “toughened their resolve” to complete the assignment, “burning their hearts with a single-minded determination to repay the privileges and trust offered by him at whatever cost.”
The images were provided by the North Korean government late on Saturday without a date.
The event, which was billed by KCNA as a “photo session,” was off-limits to independent journalists.
The Hwasong-17 is North Korea’s most potent intercontinental ballistic missile, and it was tested earlier this month. According to some experts, it is capable of striking any place on the United States mainland.
Mr. Kim claimed that the ICBM was a “reliable and high-capacity” missile designed to counter US military threats.
His daughter had observed the test with him, marking her first public appearance.
Her second appearance has sparked rumors that she could be a potential successor, but analysts believe it would be an unprecedented uphill battle in the male-dominated regime of North Korea.
KCNA has not recognized her, merely referring to her as a “loving daughter,” but analysts believe she is Ju Ae, who is believed to be between 12 and 13 years old, although some believe she could be as young as nine.
Mr. Kim is rumored to have as many as three children – two girls and a male – but by exposing Ju Ae to the world twice in as many days, he has hinted that she could be groomed for a leadership position or be a potential successor.
