In an unprecedented move, the media of North Korea was permitted to publish photos of Kim Jong Un’s daughter. What has heads spinning is what it means for the dictator, and who just might be stepping up to take his place when he takes leave of his office.
Kim has kept his life very private and learning details about it have taken investigative work on the level of Sherlock Holmes himself. In 2012, The Korea Herald broke the story that the “mysterious” woman flanking Kim at a ceremony had been identified as his wife, Ri Sol Ju. After that, it took the likes of Dennis Rodman to visit North Korea and sit on the beach with Kim for the world to learn that he has one daughter, Ju Ae, according to The Guardian. Experts are still wondering if she’s the daughter in the photos since the North Korean leader has three kids that were born in 2010, 2013, and 2017.
Leif-Eric Easley is a professor at Ewha University in Seoul who told AP, “It’s much too soon to infer anything about succession within the Kim regime. 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.”
While it’s largely speculated that Kim’s move might be to start the process of introducing his heir to the world, some think he might just be attempting to appear more of a family-oriented leader. Nothing says North Korea better than a missile flying overhead as the photographer shoots these special family moments.