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The teenage girl who may rule North Korea
Even her name is a matter of debate.
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Mr Kim Jong Un with his daughter (left) at a concert on New Year's Eve, one of the increasingly frequent public appearances of the 'respected child'.
PHOTO : AFP
The Economist
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On New Year’s Day, North Korea’s rulers gathered at a grand mausoleum in Pyongyang that houses the embalmed bodies of the country’s eternal leaders Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il. Mr Kim Jong Un, North Korea’s current god-king and the third member of his family to hold that position, paid tribute to his predecessors. Standing directly to his right was a girl making her first public appearance in the sacred space
Since acquiring nuclear weapons, the North Korean regime has worried less about being toppled by a foreign power. But Mr Kim remains deeply paranoid about threats from within – and, even though he is still in his 40s, he appears to have started thinking about how to ensure the Kim dynasty retains power after he is gone. His daughter’s cameo in the mausoleum on Jan 1 has only fuelled speculation that Mr Kim is grooming her to one day do his job.
