Kim’s daughter: What do we know?
SEOUL, (AFP) - It wasn't the nuclear missiles, ranks of goose-stepping soldiers or medal-bedecked generals that captivated most attention at North Korea's recent military parade: it was a 10-year-old girl. Alongside the country's leader Kim Jong Un, the girl -- likely Kim's second child Ju Ae -- inspected a guard of honour in the most recent of a slew of high-profile appearances that have sparked fervent speculation she has been anointed his heir.
Who is she?
For years, North Korean state media never mentioned Kim's children, although Seoul's spy agency has said he has three with his wife. They are believed to be aged around 13, 10 and 6.
The only previous confirmation of their existence had come from former NBA star Dennis Rodman, who claimed he met a baby daughter of Kim's called Ju Ae during a 2013 visit.
Three months ago, at the launch of his most powerful intercontinental ballistic missile, Kim turned up with his “beloved” daughter in tow. Although North Korea has never officially identified her by name, Seoul's spy agency believe the girl is Ju Ae, Kim's second child.
Is she Kim’s heir?
It certainly looks that way, experts say. State media has called her Kim's “beloved” and “respected” daughter, and she has been shown walking hand-in-hand with her father.
This indicates North Korea has started building a “personality cult” around Ju Ae, said Cheong Seong-chang, a researcher at South Korea's Sejong Institute. It “signals that she has been designated as the de facto successor even though she doesn't hold the official 'successor' status yet”, he said.
In state media images, Ju Ae has been placed in the middle, next to her father and surrounded by the country's top brass. “It suggests that Kim Ju Ae will become the supreme commander of the military in the future,” Cheong added.
Will N Korea accept a woman?
When it comes to women assuming political leadership roles, North Korea's glass ceiling has been bulletproof, says Bronwen Dalton, Head, Department of Management, University of Technology Sydney's business school. But change is afoot, she said, and North Korea's leadership is trying to “maintain its legitimacy by creating a new version of womanhood” that reflects social changes in the country over recent decades.
North Korea's current leadership, although predominantly male, does have some high-profile women, including foreign minister Choe Son-hui and Kim's younger sister Kim Yo Jong as a regime spokeswoman.
So she'll be in charge one day?
Not necessarily, experts say. But her gradual introduction to the public over the next decade or two, coupled with “ideological education”, should help.
While North Korea is not a monarchy, Kim Jong Un is the third generation of his family to rule the country, after his father and grandfather.
“Kim is portraying Pyongyang's nuclear arsenal as a multigenerational asset to national security while proclaiming the military's complete loyalty to his political dynasty.”