It was bring your daughter to Armageddon Day.
North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un introduced his little-known, “beloved” daughter to the public for the first time this week during a nuclear-capable missile launch exercise.
Fridays unveiling marked the first time state media mentioned the girl or published photos of her. The name the fourth-generation member of the country’s ruling family was not revealed by state media on Saturday, but observers believed she is Ju Ae who is about 9 years old.
She was identified in 2013 by retired NBA star Dennis Rodman, who reportedly said he had held Ju Ae during a “relaxing” visit with his strongman pal.
Kim observed the launch of a new intercontinental ballistic missile with his wife Ri Sol Ju, the child, and other officials gathered at Pyongyang International Airport.
Photos from the spectacle show Kim watching the launch from a distance alongside his daughter, who wore a white jacket and a pair of red shoes and had her hair pulled back.
The Hwasong-17 missile traveled 621 miles for about 69 minutes, reaching an altitude of 3,753 miles, according to state media.
Kim Jong Un and Ri Sol Ju, second from right, watched the Hwasong-17 missile’s launch with their daughter. AP
The identities of Kim’s children are a source of strong outside interest. APThe missile is North Korea’s longest-range nuclear-capable missile, with an eight foot diameter and a weight that tops out at nearly a quarter million pounds when fully fueled, according to US-based watchdog 38 North.
Japanese Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada said the weapon was powerful enough to reach the continental United States.
Ri and Kim married in 2009 and have three children — a son, daughter and third whose gender is unknown — who were born in 2010, 2013 and 2017, according to state media.
Kim Jong Un said the Hwasong-17 missile’s launch proved he has a reliable weapon to contain “US-led” threats. APKim, 38, had not named an heir apparent, and details about his children are shrouded in mystery.
When the portly dictator disappeared from the public eye in 2020 amid rumors about health problems, observers speculated that his sister Kim Yo Jong could step in to rule the nation if he were unable to.
The family has ruled the country since it was founded by Kim’s grandfather Kim Il Sung in 1948.
Kim Jong Un reportedly has three children born in 2010, 2013 and 2017. via ReutersAn analyst at the private Sejong Institute in South Korea speculated that Kim could be signaling his daughter would one day take his place.
“Kim Jong Un may have his daughter, who resembles him the most in his mind, as his successor,” Cheong said.
“Under North Korea’s system, the children of Kim Jong Un would have the status of a prince or princess, like in a dynasty. As the Rodong Sinmnum newspaper publicized the photo of the daughter, who took after Kim Jong Un and Ri Sol Ju so much … she has no choice but to live special lives,” Cheong Seong-Chang said.
Other observers said it was too soon to speculate.
“It’s much too soon to infer anything about succession within the Kim regime,” said Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul.
“However, publicly including his wife and daughter in what Kim claims as a historically successful missile test associates the family business of ruling North Korea with the nation’s missile programs.”
“This may be an attempt to compensate for how few economic accomplishments Kim has to support his domestic legitimacy,” Easley said.
With Post wires
