Premature to say North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s daughter an heir: Seoul

SEOUL - North Korean state media’s ongoing efforts to spotlight Kim Ju Ae, the daughter of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, primarily serve to underscore Pyongyang’s commitment to upholding fourth-generation hereditary succession, rather than indicating her formal designation as heir apparent, said South Korea’s Unification Ministry on Tuesday.

The Rodong Sinmun, an organ of the ruling Workers’ Party of Korea that mainly targets North Korean audiences, reported a total of 15 public activities attended by Ju Ae, according to data provided by the ministry.

“It’s very premature to discuss whether she is the heir apparent at this juncture. She is still young, and it hasn’t even been a year since her first public appearance,” said a senior official – who requested to remain anonymous – during a closed-door briefing on North Korea’s recent political trends.

But the ministry’s assessment is that North Korea’s aim is to “showcase its determination to hereditary succession” within the Paektusan bloodline, which represents the Kim dynasty.

North Korea intends to convey the “message that the Paektusan bloodline will persist, demanding ongoing loyalty for generations to come”, the official said when asked by The Korea Herald about the ultimate goal of the Kim Jong Un regime in publicly showing Ju Ae.

But North Korean state media reports suggest that North Korea has been “establishing protocol standards” specifically for her, the official underscored.

For instance, Korean People’s Army (KPA) Marshal Pak Jong Chon and Defence Minister Kang Sun Nam were observed to be walking behind Ju Ae on the red carpet when the North Korean leader reviewed the honour guard of the KPA Navy during his visit to the Navy Command on Aug 27.

The official also emphasised: “What’s particularly noteworthy is that this movement was in strict accordance with formal protocol.”

North Korea’s state media also reported that Ju Ae sat directly beside her father on the podium during their visit to the naval headquarters, marking the first occurrence of such an arrangement. She was also seen perusing what appeared to be Mr Kim’s speech manuscript, a privilege not granted to hundreds of other participants.

The Unification Ministry further highlighted that Ju Ae has been publicly associated with military-related activities on 12 occasions, constituting 80 per cent of her public engagements since her debut at a Hwasong-17 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) launch site in mid-November 2022.

The activities included attending events such as a military parade celebrating the KPA’s founding in February, the first launch of the solid-fuel Hwasong-18 ICBM in April, as well as live-fire drills alongside her father.

In contrast, her involvement in social and economic sectors has been limited to just three occasions so far – attendance at two sporting events and the groundbreaking ceremony for a new street in the Sopho area of Pyongyang.

The Unification Ministry said Ju Ae “primarily participated in events that focused on showcasing military and economic achievements, and eliciting loyalty from the military”. THE KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK