JAKARTA - North Korea has again featured Ju Ae, the teenage daughter of Kim Jong Un, in a politically loaded image. Citing AFP from Seoul, Thursday, March 12, the latest photo released by Pyongyang shows Ju Ae firing a pistol, weeks after she also appeared to fire a rifle. The appearance has again sparked speculation that she is being groomed as a successor to power.
Ju Ae stands out in official photos published during the final stage of the Labor Party congress last month. In the latest photo, she is seen firing a gun with one eye closed, while a burst of fire comes out of the gun's muzzle.
KCNA as reported by AFP said Ju Ae attended an event with his father at a "large ammunition factory" that produces new pistols and other portable light weapons. Government media photos also showed Kim and Ju Ae wearing matching leather jackets as they received explanations from officials and reviewed the facility.
At the same location, Kim is said to have visited the factory shooting range, tried a "new type" of gun, and expressed satisfaction with the "superiority" of the weapon.
In recent times, Ju Ae has continued to appear in important state agendas. AFP assessed that the series of appearances strengthened speculation that he was being prepared as a successor.
AFP quoted Lim Eul-chul, a North Korea expert from Kyungnam University, as saying that the regime seemed to be building Ju Ae's image as a strong and tough woman. According to him, the scene of firing a pistol was clearly intended to show the attributes of a military leader.
Ju Ae was first introduced to the public in 2022 when she accompanied Kim Jong Un in the launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile. Before that, her existence had only been confirmed by former NBA star Dennis Rodman after visiting North Korea in 2013.
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