TOKYO, February 9. /TASS/. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is likely grooming his daughter Kim Ju Ae as his eventual successor, while the role of his sister, Kim Yo Jong, who serves as deputy director of the Publicity and Information Department of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK), is seen as declining, a South Korean minister said.
"The possibility of [Kim] Ju Ae becoming the successor cannot be ruled out," South Korean Minister of Unification Kim Yung-ho told the Japanese Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper in an interview, recalling an episode during a parade in Pyongyang on September 8, 2023, to mark the 75th anniversary of the founding of North Korea. At that time, one of the photos published by state media showed Pak Jong Chon, vice chairman of the Central Military Commission of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK), talking to the daughter of the North Korean leader while kneeling. The Seoul official assessed that the scene could have been specially staged to show continuity: when Kim Jong Un was young, O Jin-u, who held high military positions, spoke to him in the same way.
"It is necessary to see the likelihood of [Kim] Ju Ae becoming the successor. Kim Jong Un's role, on the other hand, is declining, relatively speaking," Kim Yung-ho said.
According to South Korean media, Kim Ju Ae is about 10 years old. She first appeared in public in November 2022, when she attended the launch of the Hwaseong-17 intercontinental ballistic missile with her father. She later made numerous public appearances with Kim Jong Un. This sparked rumors that she was being groomed for a possible transfer of power in the future.