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Kim's daughter might have been named successor, says defector-turned-lawmaker

Published: 28 Nov. 2023, 18:37

Kim Ju-ae, left, and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un at an event celebrating the lauching of its spy satellite on Nov. 23. [KOREAN CENTRAL NEWS AGENCY]

People Power Party Rep. Tae Yong-ho said if a report that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s daughter has been praised as the “rising star female general,” is accurate, it means she has been selected as Kim's successor.

In a Facebook post on Tuesday, the former North Korean diplomat said North Korea might have completed its internal process of selecting the daughter, Kim Ju-ae, as the country's next leader.

“So far, North Korean media has called Kim Jong-un’s daughter, who is known as Ju-ae, the ‘most beloved’ or ‘most respected’,” Tae said. “If North Korea is using the recently successful launching of its satellite launch in the deification and idolization of Kim Jong-un’s teenage daughter, it means that it has completed the internal process of naming the daughter as successor.”

The PPP lawmaker stressed that when Kim Jong-un’s father, Kim Jong-il, suffered a stroke and couldn’t walk in 2008, North Korea took a similar approach in preparing the youngest son to succeed his father.

“In early 2009, the deification and idolization process started by unexpectedly giving Kim Jong-un, who was 24 years old at the time, the name ‘Captain Kim,’ and forcing people to sing the song ‘Footsteps’ [which praises the young Kim],” Tae said.

“While there were no official announcements of Kim Jong-un being named as the successor, North Koreans concluded that the succession process had been completed once Kim Jong-un was given the title ‘Captain Kim’,” he added.

However, Tae said if Ju-ae really were picked to succeed her father, the decision would be so absurd — even by North Korean standards — that it would raise questions about Kim Jong-un’s health.

Tae's Facebook post was based on a report by Radio Free Asia (RFA) on Tuesday.

According to the report, Kim Ju-ae was called the “rising star” of North Korea at a lecture for senior leadership to celebrate the successful launching of its reconnaissance satellite last week.

The celebration occurred in Pyongyang on Nov. 23, two days after the launch of the Malligyong-1 satellite.

According to witness accounts, the participants praised Kim Jong-un for opening the country's Space Age and said the future will shine brighter thanks to North Korea's “rising star female general,” referring to Kim Ju-ae.

The daughter first appeared in November 2021 when Kim Jong-un visited an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) test site.

Since then, she has often appeared sitting next to her father, including at a military parade and most recently at the satellite launch celebration.

Her latest public appearance was the first in about 70 days.

Kim Ju-ae is speculated to be the middle child among three children, two of whom are boys.

However, the identities of the other two have not been disclosed to the public.

BY LEE HO-JEONG [[email protected]]