Analysts interpret the gesture as Kim Jong-un’s wish that his descendants continue to lead the country in the future.
Kim Jong Un introduced the fourth generation of his ruling family on Saturday and appeared in photos with his daughter for the first time, giving analysts a clear indication of his dynastic view of power in North Korea.
The state press had never mentioned Kim’s children, and the regime had not even confirmed their existence. But on Saturday, the official news agency KCNA reported that Kim “along with his beloved wife and daughter” saw the launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).
Kim appeared smiling in photos, holding hands with a girl in a white jacket and red shoes walking in front of a huge black and white rocket, apparently to celebrate the launch.
Kim, the grandson of North Korea’s founder Kim Il Sung and the third generation of the Kim family to rule the country, married Ri Sol Ju in 2009, according to South Korea’s spy agency. She gave birth to her firstborn the following year, and subsequent children were born in 2013 and 2017, according to the agency.
The only prior confirmation of Kim’s children came from former NBA star Dennis Rodman, who visited North Korea in 2013 and claimed to have met Kim’s baby daughter named Ju Ae. He then assured that Kim was “a good father”. The girl in the photos could be Ju Ae, possibly Kim’s second daughter, Cheong Seong-chang of the Sejong Institute’s Center for North Korean Studies in South Korea told AFP.
He noted that she is the equivalent of a North Korean “princess.” Cheong felt that if her identity was revealed, she could potentially participate in state affairs and that her appearance alongside her father could indicate that she is his designated successor.
Kim Jong Un’s father, Kim Jong Il, chose him as his successor over his older sons because he looked more like him, he added. “Kim Jong Un may want to do the same with this daughter. She may have qualities that Kim finds similar to his,” Cheong said, adding that if she continues to accompany the father to important events, it could confirm that this is the case is.
North Korea has fired numerous ballistic missiles this year, more than in any other year. Japan indicated that the ICBM launched on Friday may be able to reach the United States mainland.
“The introduction of Kim’s daughter at this time could be a signal to the world that the North Korean regime is not going away,” said analyst Soo Kim. “In a way, it’s a symbolic photo of Kim passing the scepter of command to the next generation,” he noted, which “sends a message to the international community to accept and embrace the fourth iteration of terror and belligerence.” .”
He said the photos also suggest “a certain bond between Kim and her daughter,” a sign that she is being groomed for future leadership. The photos may also be part of a staged attempt to portray Kim as a “normal” leader, Ahn Chan-il, a North Korean scientist, told AFP.
“It seems that Pyongyang is trying to present itself as a ‘normal’ country – while launching these ICBMs demonstrating its military prowess – by showing images of Kim as an apparently doting father,” Ahn said. “It is also a gesture of regime stability by showing the world that it is moving towards fourth-generation succession and ready.”
Including his wife in the public appearance and “especially his daughter softens his image, at least with the local public,” North Korean specialist John Delury wrote on Twitter.
Source: La Verdad
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