File 8 reasons why we can evaluate that Kim Ju Ae has been “internally appointed” as the successor of Kim Jong Un
Seong-Chang CHEONG
Director
of Department of Reunification Strategy Studies at the Sejong Institute
softpower@sejong.org
Last November 19, North Korea first released photos of Kim Jong Un with his daughter Kim Ju Ae, inspecting the site of test-launch of its new-type ICBM “Hwasongpho-17.” On November 27, 2022, North Korean state media published more photos of Kim Jong Un and his daughter with the contributors of the test-fire to celebrate the success of the test launch. Additionally, on January 1 of this year, the state media agency released photos of Kim Jong Un with Kim Ju Ae again, inspecting missiles capable of carrying nuclear weapons. On February 8, Pyongyang published more photos of the father and daughter visiting the Korean People’s Army (KPA) general’s lodging and attending a banquet commemorating the 75th anniversary of the founding of the Army, and on the following day, it released even more photos and videos of Kim Ju Ae attending the military parade. Furthermore, on February 14, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) unveiled 8 new stamp designs and Kim Ju Ae appeared in five of them. On February 18, North Korean state media Rodong Sinmun released photos of Kim Jong Un with his “beloved daughter” watching sports games between staffs of the Cabinet and the Ministry of National Defense. Against this backdrop of North Korea’s active “shining a spotlight on Kim Ju Ae,” with even some signs of personal idolization present, there is currently a fierce debate in South Korean society over whether Kim Ju Ae has been “internally appointed” as the successor to her father Kim Jong Un.
I evaluate that Kim Ju Ae has been “internally appointed” as the successor to Kim Jong Un and that she had already started taking a succession training even though the official appointment and corresponding delegation of positions and powers will take place in 10 to 20 years. The reasons for such an evaluation are as follows:
First of all, Rodong Sinmun used an expression “precious child (of Kim Jong Un)” on last November 27. Such an expression as “precious” has only been used for “precedent Supreme Leaders,” including Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il, or for the current Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un. Therefore, it can be interpreted that using such a decoration, which has been reserved only for the “Supreme Leaders,” for Kim Ju Ae means she is likely to become the “next Supreme Leader.”
Moreover, since February 8, North Korean media such as Rodong Sinmun have been using an expression “respected daughter (of Kim Jong Un)” to refer to Kim Ju Ae. Using the adjective “respected” for a teenage girl Kim Ju Ae is to foreshadow the idolization of her will continue in the future.
Secondly, on November 27, 2022, Rodong Sinmun used an elevated expression “(Kim Jong Un’s) most beloved daughter,” and it is natural for Kim Jong Un to choose the most beloved child among others as his successor.
Thirdly, on February 9, another North Korean state media Korean Central TV (KCTV) used a more elevated expression such as “presidium members of the Political Bureau and secretaries of the Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK) Central Committee took the reserved seats for VIPs, escorting the respected daughter of Kim Jong Un” while reporting on the military parade that took place on the previous day. In North Korea, presidium members of the Political Bureau of the Party’s Central Committee are the highest-ranking executives—top 5 in the hierarchy. In other words, if they “escorted” Kim Ju Ae, it suggests that she is in a superior position over them, which is right after her father Kim Jong Un.
Fourthly, on February 8, KCTV aired footage of a white horse belonging to Kim Ju Ae right after his father’s “Paektu warhorse,” while introducing the order of the parade led by cavalry troops. The broadcaster described that “(following the parade,) an excellent horse most loved by the leader’s beloved child continues the flow of the lively military parade.” Since white horses have been closely associated with the Kim dynasty, this footage symbolically showed that Kim Ju Ae would become the next in line to lead North Korea, succeeding to his father Kim Jong Un in the future.
Fifthly, while the participants of the military parade chanting the slogan “Devoted Defense for Kim Jong Un, and for the Paektu bloodline,” it was Kim Ju Ae who appeared on TV. Thus, the slogan can be interpreted as “Devoted Defense for Kim Jong Un and for Kim Ju Ae!” Until now, North Koreans have never chanted such a slogan as “devoted defense” except for their supreme leaders or his heir. In other words, Kim Ju Ae is virtually treated as a “successor” rather than simply as a “beloved daughter” of Kim Jong Un.
Sixthly, pictures taken during the banquet to mark the 75th founding anniversary of the KPA showed that Kim Ju Ae was seated in the center of the lead table between Kim Jong Un and Ri Sol Ju, with high-ranking military officers standing in the background. This can be interpreted that Kim Jong Un was sending a message to North Korean military officers to take good care of Kim Ju Ae, who will succeed him in the future.
Seventhly, on February 14, Pyongyang’s Korea Stamp Corporation unveiled 8 designs of a new stamp series which would be issued on February 18. Of 8 stamps, 5 designs featured Kim Ju Ae’s public appearance, including her walking with his father hand in hand in front of a missile on a mobile launcher and taking a photo with troops. This also reminds us of that North Korean state-run media continuously published photos of the father and son—Kim Jong Il and Kim Jong Un—after Kim Jong Un, who would become a successor later, made his first public appearance during the 3rd Conference of the WPK in September 2010.
Finally, on February 10, Radio Free Asia (RFA) reported that the North Korean government is now forcing everyone named Ju Ae to change his or her name according to sources in North Korea. If Kim Ju Ae had not been designated as the successor, the government would not have asked for such an action. In the past, Pyongyang also asked men named Kim Il Sung or Kim Jong Il to change their names.
As examined above, North Korea’s promoting Kim Ju Ae is much beyond utilizing Kim Ju Ae symbolically or metaphorically just to show that the country has been working hard to ensure the security of “future generations” through the development of nuclear weapons and ICBMs. If it is just to “utilize” Kim Ju Ae to justify the development of nuclear weapons and missiles, it is not logic to use the expressions such as “the precious,” which has been reserved only for the supreme leaders, for Kim Ju Ae. As mentioned above, on February 18, Pyongyang also made public some photos of Kim Jong Un and Kim Ju Ae watching sports games with staffs and members of the Cabinet and the Ministry of National Defense. This suggests that Kim Ju Ae’s field of activity will not be limited to the military one in the future.
I interviewed Kim Jong Un’s aunt Ko Yong-suk and his husband in Washington D.C., U.S., in March 2021. According to the couple’s testimony, a propaganda song for Kim Jong Un titled “Footsteps” was performed in front of Kim Jong Il, Kim Jong Un, and their close staff members during the son’s 8th birthday party on January 8, 1992—when the father was 50 years old. They also confirmed that it was on this day when Kim Jong Il said, “Jong Un will be my successor.” When Ko’s husband indicated that it might be too early to make such a decision, Kim Jong Il replied, “(I chose him because) He took after me.” As Kim Jong Il “internally appointed” Kim Jong Un as his successor at such an early age, Kim Jong Un is also likely to have internally chosen his daughter Kim Ju Ae, who is estimated to be 10 years old now, as his successor, following his father’s precedent. Despite Kim Jong Il’s appointment of Kim Jong Un as his successor at an early stage, this was known only to a small number of key aides. For this reason, it can be inferred that Kim Jong Un may have felt frustrated due to the outside world’s speculations that his half-brother Kim Jong Nam or his brother Kim Jong Chol would succeed his father. It is thus presumed that due to this experience, Kim Jong Un chose his father Kim Jong Il as a teacher on the other hand, and decided to make it public early the fact that he had unofficially appointed Kim Ju Ae as his successor so that any groundless speculations can be prevented from circulating among cadres and people and that the future successor can be provided with a wide range of opportunities and experiences, networking with the officers and the world from an early age.