Is Kim Jong Un Preparing His Young Daughter To Become His Successor?

There's growing speculation about North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un preparing his daughter Kim Ju Ae to become his successor, as she has been included in several recent public appearances.

Earlier this month, Kim visited North Korean troops with his daughter, who's believed to be 10 or 11 years old, to mark the 75th founding anniversary of his army.

North Korea has rolled out new stamps commemorating North Korea's test launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile, and five of those stamps feature Kim's daughter Ju Ae. 

Last year Ju Ae was seen in public for the first time with Kim at a missile launch. 

Her public appearances may indicate Kim's desire to show Jue Ae to the nation as a female leader of the country and a possible heir to the Kim dynasty. 

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"It would not be out of [the] question for him to decide he wants his daughter to be next in line because he has shown his willingness to put women in positions of power," Business Insider quoted Ramon Pacecho Pardo, a professor of international relations at King's College London, saying. 

Pacecho Pardo said Kim views himself as a modernizer, and placing women in important roles in his regime fits his reformist image. 

"Kim appears to distinguish himself from his father Kim Jong Il and grandfather Kim Il Sung, whose wives and mistresses were rarely seen in public and where women were excluded from top government roles," said Pacecho Pardo. 

"The prominent role that women are playing in his leadership, I don't think it is out of character," Pacecho Pardo added. 

Seong Hyon Lee, a senior fellow at the George H.W. Bush Foundation, in an op-ed for Nikkei Asia, said Kim's daughter could be the next possible heir. 

Lee also said that Kim faced difficulty establishing his status after his father's death, which could be a reason for introducing his daughter Ju Ae at an early age. 

Photo: Via The Presidential Press and Information Office on Wikimedia