The daughter of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has been causing a stir lately in state media and in rare public appearances.
It was first made known last November, when the state released images of Kim Jong Un and his daughter visiting an intercontinental ballistic missile test center. A few months later, she was seen, in close-up, at official meetings, including a banquet for the anniversary of the North Korean army.
The North Korean Stamp Corporation also announced this week that An image of the “respected daughter” will occupy a prominent place on the country’s stampsaccording to South Korean news agency Yonhap. On Saturday, she was again seen in photos with her father at a football match.
The daughter’s world debut is a remarkable breaking with the Kim family’s usual procedure in their public appearancesIn the case of Kim Jong Un, by comparison, a verified photo of him was not revealed until he was around 26 in 2010, a year before the death of his father, Kim Jong Il.
The daughter’s unexpected display has raised questions about whether Kim Jong Un is sending Signs about the next heir to the dynasty Kim, although experts have said it is too early to speculate, especially given that the post is usually reserved for a son.
However, little is known or confirmed about the daughter herself, either by the state or the North Korean leader. Transparency in general has not been a strong point of the kingdom.
Here’s what we know so far about Kim Jong Un’s daughter.
What is the name of Kim Jong Un’s daughter?
Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via Associated Press
His real name has never been officially revealed. by state officials or the media.
The first source to acknowledge the existence of Kim Jong Un’s daughter was NBA player Dennis Rodmanwho struck up a relationship with the North Korean leader during his visit to Pyongyang in 2013.
In an interview with The Guardianrevealed that Kim Jong Un and his wife Ri Sol Ju had a baby.
“I held her baby Ju-ae in my arms and also spoke to Mrs. Ri. He is a good father and has a beautiful family.“Kim told me, ‘I’ll see you in December,'” Rodman told the outlet.
According to a recent article by Radio Free Asia, the local governments of Jeongju and Yongsong cities Women named Ju Ae have been ordered to change the names on their birth certificatesanother clue that could confirm the daughter’s identity.
How old are you?
KCNA via Reuters
South Korea’s National Intelligence Service believes Ju Ae was born around January 2013, according to The Chosunilbowhich puts her at 11 years old.
And considering that Rodman visited the country in February 2013, Ju Ae takes on weight the idea that he has some 10 or 11 years old.
Ju Ae is believed to be the second daughteraccording to the National Intelligence Service.
Kim Jong Un and Ri Sol Ju may have had their first child in the summer of 2010 and a third in early 2017. The sex of both remains unconfirmed.
South Korean lawmakers have said they have received hints that the first child could be a boy, the news agency reported. CNN.
What have official sources and media said about the daughter?
Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP
When North Korean state media KCNA Posting photos of Ju Ae at the missile test center, the agency said Kim Jong Un was at the inspection “with his beloved daughter and wife.”
Months later, at a banquet to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the founding of the Korean People’s Army in February, the media Rodong Sinnum described how Kim Jong Un arrived at the accommodation with his “respected daughter”a descriptive title also given to the North Korean leader in his report.
State news agencies have said little about the daughter beyond passing mentions.
According to former CIA agent Andrew Kim, who was involved in diplomatic efforts between the United States and North Korea, Kim Jong Un may have made an unusual comment about his personal life to then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo back in April 2018.
“‘I am a father and a husband. And I have children,'” the former CIA officer recalled Kim Jong Un telling Pompeo. “‘And I don’t want my children to carry nuclear weapons on their backs all their lives.‘That was his answer.’
Could Kim Ju Ae succeed her father?
Kim Jong Un and his daughter at a sports game.
Experts began to speculate whether Kim Jong Un was signaling his next successor with Ju Ae’s repeated public appearances.
Cheong Seong Chang, an analyst at South Korea’s Sejong Institute, told the CNN that the appearance of the daughter at the scene of the tests and the description that the state media made of the “beloved” daughter could be the last sign that Kim Jong Un has chosen his next heir.
“Given this, there is no longer any doubt that Kim Ju Ae has been designated as Kim Jong Un’s successor, and it is necessary to pay attention to how this will affect North Korea’s domestic and foreign policy in the medium and long term, and how North Koreans will accept the fourth-generation succession,” Cheong said.
But Duyon Kim, an analyst at the Center for a New American Security in Washington, DC, cautioned that it is too early to draw conclusions.
“We can only speculate at this point,” Kim told The Associated Press. “(Kim Jong Un) is obviously intentionally parading her and at the very least, he seems to be trying to reiterate the importance, status and legitimacy of a direct descendant of the Kim bloodline. It’s too early to assume she will be his heir because The son has always succeeded the throne in North Korea“.
Who else could succeed Kim Jong Un?
REUTERS/Jorge Silva/Pool
There has been speculation that Kim Jong Un’s younger sister, Kim Yo Jong, is a possible candidate.
Kim Yo Jong is currently the only woman on the State Affairs Commission, North Korea’s political body.
South Korea’s National Intelligence Service previously pointed out in 2020 that the sister could be the “second in command de facto” of the country, he reported CNNciting Kim Byung-kee, a member of the South Korean parliament who attended a briefing with the agency at the time.
David Straub, a former senior diplomat at the US embassy in Seoul, told The Daily Beast that Kim Jong Un’s recent boasts about his daughter may be worrying signs for the leader’s sister if he is really considering putting Ju Ae at the top of the hierarchy.
“Kim had both his uncle and his stepbrother murdered”Straub told the outlet, referring to Kim Jong Nam, who was killed in Malaysia in 2017 with a chemical nerve agent. Kim Jong Nam was widely regarded as North Korea’s next leader after Kim Jong Il.
“I bet everyone in the Kim clan remembered that, maybe especially Yo Jong,” Straub said.
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Tags: North Korea, Trending, Kim Jong Un, Curiosities