North Korea Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un’s teenage daughter drove a military tank on Friday, with analysts suggesting Ju Ae may be next in line to succeed her father.
Believed to be around 13 years old, Kim’s daughter, reportedly named Kim Ju Ae, was seen driving a tank with her father seated behind her, photos released by state news agency KCNA showed on Friday.
Photos showed the teenager looking out of the driver’s hatch with intense focus, with Kim grinning and leaning against the turret and three uniformed military officials sitting on the hull.
The photos were taken during an event where Kim supervised a drill of a new type of tank, which which demonstrated superior offensive and defensive capabilities against drones and anti-tank missiles, KCNA said.
Rumours of succession
Of late, Ju Ae’s public appearances have also become more frequent — earlier this month, the teenager made another public appearance linked with the military.
In one instance, Ju was pictured at a firing range shooting a rifle, while on a separate occasion, she was photographed firing a handgun.
Since 2022, Ju Ae has accompanied her father to a number of high-profile military events, sparking speculation about her being Kim’s likely successor.
She made her first public appearance during a long-range missile test in 2022, and has since attended several weapons tests, military parades, and factory openings, and even accompanied her father to Beijing last September for Kim’s first summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in six years.
Speculation has been bolstered by North Korean media, which, as per AP, has described the 13-year-old as the Supreme Leader’s “most beloved” or “respected” child, and has even published footage and photos indicating their closeness.
With the teenager making more frequent public appearances, South Korea’s spy agency said last month that Kim was close to designating her as his successor.
Seoul’s National Intelligence Service (NIS), in February, had noted the change in terminology used to describe Kim’s daughter.
“In the past, (NIS) described Kim Ju Ae as being in the midst of ‘successor training.’ What was notable today is that they used the term ‘successor-designate stage,’ a shift that’s quite significant,” lawmaker Lee Seong Kweun, who attended the meeting, was quoted as saying by AP.
