On February 8th, observers from around the world watched on as North Korea unveiled eleven new Hwasong-17 missiles during its 75th parade for the foundation of the army. The Hwasong-17, also known as the ‘Monster Missile’, is a 176,000 pound, liquid-fueled intercontinental ballistic missile (making it the largest in the world) that is potentially able to hit anywhere in the continental U.S. In addition to this, North Korea also revealed what is believed to be a new solid-filled IBCMwhich would in theory be faster and harder to spot.
But behind all of the shiny new bombs, what really caught the eyes of analysts was the presence of a young girl next to the country’s supreme leader, Kim Jong-Un. The young girl is believed to be Mr. Kim’s 10 year old daughter, Kim Ju-Ae. According to South Korean intelligence, she is rumored to be Mr. Kim’s second child and to have two other siblings, one male and another unknown. Besides this, next to nothing is known about the girl. In fact, up until the last couple of months, even her mere existence was a rumor created by none other than former NBA star, Dennis Rodman.
Her presence at the parade follows a recent flurry of public appearances in the past three months. In November, she made her first appearance when she watched the launch of an ICBM with her dad. Since then, she has been constantly photographed visiting soldiers and attending meetings with high ranking North Korean Generals and party officials, all of which have fueled rumors that she might be the next leader of North Korea.
When North Korean media introduced her back in late November, she was referred to as the “beloved” daughter of Kim Jong-Un. This month, her title changed to the “respected” of the Supreme leader which, according to the BBC, is a title “reserved for only the most revered”, in North Korea. The fact that Kim Jong-Un only earned this title after he was confirmed as his father’s successor has further fueled speculation that Ms. Ju-Ae is the heir.
Observers of the region see two potential reasons why Kim Jong-Un is introducing his heir at such a young age. The first one could be that Mr. Kim wants her transition to power to be smoother and easier than his was. Kim was only chosen as his father’s heir a year before his death which led to a chaotic and confusing start to his time in office. By presenting Ju-Ae this early, he may be making sure that her place is more concrete when the time comes. The second reason is that she is a girl. Since its inception after the Second World War, North Korea has been a deeply patriarchal society with all three of its leaders being male, meaning that it will take a long time for the North Korean people, especially high ranking generals and officials, to accept the possibility of a woman leading the country.
Though it is too soon to truly know if Kim Ju-Ae will succeed her father, her recent public appearances and representation in the media have definitely made it a possibility.
References:
- https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-64581465
- https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/02/14/kim-jong-un-daughter-north-korea-ju-ae/
- https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/2/9/north-korea-shows-off-possible-new-icbm-in-huge-military-parade
- https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/3/25/hwasong-17-north-koreas-monster-missile
- https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/kim-jong-un-daughter-successor-north-korea-rcna70731
