Respectful Aunt Beside Upright Kim Juae... Is North Korea Solidifying Its Succession Structure?

NIS: "North Korea's Ju-ae Undergoing Successor Training"

The daughter of Kim Jong-un, General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea and Chairman of the State Affairs Commission of North Korea, Ju-ae, was seen being respectfully attended to by her aunt, Kim Yo-jong, the party's vice department head.

On the 5th, Korean Central TV reported that Kim Jong-un and his daughter Ju-ae attended the handover ceremony of a new tactical ballistic missile weapon system the previous day.

The striking scene was Kim Yo-jong respectfully attending to Ju-ae. Kim Yo-jong bowed her waist and extended her arm to guide Ju-ae to her seat, but Ju-ae stood upright and followed her father Kim Jong-un up to the podium.

This lends weight to claims that Ju-ae has been identified as a strong successor. It is rare to see Kim Yo-jong, Kim Jong-un’s sister and Ju-ae’s aunt, showing such formal courtesy to someone at an official event.

On the 4th, during the handover ceremony of the new tactical ballistic missile launcher held in Pyongyang, Kim Yo-jong, Deputy Director of the Party, was seen attending to Ju Ae (right), daughter of Kim Jong-un, Chairman of the State Affairs Commission of North Korea. [Image source=Chosun Central TV]

However, there is also analysis that Ju-ae’s presence and frequency of exposure have decreased compared to before. On this day’s Korean Central TV broadcast, Ju-ae was not separately announced as an event attendee, contrasting with past North Korean media that publicly acknowledged her attendance by referring to her as a 'respected daughter' or similar terms.

Additionally, Ju-ae previously sat in the front row of the presidium alongside Kim Jong-un at events such as military parades, but at this event, she sat in the second row of the podium.

Earlier, on the 29th of last month, the National Intelligence Service stated, "North Korea is hinting at Ju-ae as a strong successor at this point and is conducting successor training," adding, "They are adjusting the level of propaganda and frequency of external exposure of Ju-ae while also arranging for covert activities, mindful of public reaction to her."

There is also a cautious view that Ju-ae may not have been officially designated as the successor. On the 9th, the secretary-general of the National Unification Advisory Council, a former North Korean diplomat, said on SBS Radio’s 'Kim Tae-hyun’s Political Show,' "There are rumors that Ju-ae has an older brother or younger brother," and "If they intended to present Ju-ae as the successor, they would have started idolizing and promoting her, but since they are remaining quiet, it seems it has not been finalized yet."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.