She would be, a priori, 9 years old.
Ten days ago, no one had ever seen the face of Ju-ae, Kim Jong-un's second daughter.
However, for the second time, the North Korean leader appeared alongside his younger sister, to celebrate the launch of his latest intercontinental ballistic missile: the "monster missile" Hwasong-17.
In the photos made public by the official daily
Rodong Simun
this Sunday, November 27, we see the little girl, dressed in a black coat with a fur collar, arm in arm with her father.
Other shots show the father-daughter duo, visibly very complicit, facing troops of soldiers in uniform.
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Kim Jong-un and his daughter Jue-ae greet the military troops, on the occasion of the launch of his last intercontinental ballistic missile.
(North Korea, November 26, 2022.) STR / AFP
In video, separated for 65 years, a couple of Koreans find themselves
"Beloved Daughter"
Ju-ae's existence was first revealed on Nov. 18, when North Korean media published photos of her in a white puffer jacket and red sneakers on her feet, with her father holding hands as an assistant. at the launch of the Hwasong-17.
Extremely rare fact: KCNA, the North Korean news agency (and the only source of information from Pyongyang), had then pointed out that the leader had gone to the launch accompanied by his “wife and (his) beloved daughter”.
The regime had never previously confirmed the existence of a family of the leader.
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Ju-ae made her first official appearance at the Hwasong-17 launch.
(Pyongyang, November 18, 2022.) STR / AFP
The South Korean intelligence services ensure that Kim Jong-un married Ri Sol Ju in 2009, and that the latter gave birth to three children between 2010 and 2017, without however specifying the sex.
Already in 2013, former NBA star Dennis Rodman, visiting Pyongyang, inadvertently revealed the existence of this child, as well as her first name.
“I held their baby Ju-ae and spoke with Madame Ri too.
He is a good father and he has a beautiful family,” he told the
Guardian
.
A succession in progress?
The appearance of Ju-ae in any case revives speculation about a future transmission of dynastic power in North Korea, where Kim Jong-un succeeded his father Kim Jong-il and his grandfather Kim Il-sung.
Now that his existence has been revealed, Ju-ae will likely be able to participate in state affairs, Cheong Seong-hang, a North Korea specialist at South Korea's Sejong Institute, told AFP.
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Kim Jong-un, very complicit with his daughter Jue-ae.
(North Korea, November 26, 2022.) STR / AFP
Moreover, the fact that she is publicly at her father's side could indicate that she has been chosen as his successor.
Or quite simply serve the propaganda.
Also at AFP, Yang Moo-jin, professor at the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul, said: "It seems that he will continue to parade his daughter on various occasions and use her as an instrument. for propaganda.
No one knows, however, why the North Korean leader has set his sights on his youngest, and what happens to the eldest of the siblings.