North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has given his teenage daughter a leading role in the regime’s powerful Missile Administration, the body that oversees Pyongyang’s nuclear weapons, South Korean media reported on Monday.
The girl, Ju Ae, believed to be 13 or 14 years old, was received by South Korean intelligence on Sunday as acting as “general director of missiles” as authorities monitor developments at the ongoing Ninth Congress of the ruling Workers’ Party, the reports said.
The Chosun dailyAccording to high-level sources familiar with the matter, intelligence agencies have obtained reports that Kim’s daughter has been elevated to the position.
Although Jang Chang-ha is officially listed as director of the government, the intelligence community suggested that Kim’s daughter receives briefings from generals and issues directives.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un (center) and his daughter Ju Ae (right) attend a ceremony on Saeppyol Street in Pyongyang. (KCNA via KNS/AFP via Getty Images)
South Korea’s National Intelligence Service recently told lawmakers that her public profile indicates she is also in the “stage of being designated as a successor,” adding that circumstances have been seen in which she expresses opinions on policy, The Associated Press reported.
The teenager has appeared with her father at high-profile military events, including intercontinental ballistic missile launches and weapons inspections.
North Korean state media first confirmed her existence in November 2022, describing her only as a ‘beloved child” when she accompanied Kim at the launch of the Hwasong-17 ICBM.
Her name has never been officially released by Pyongyang.
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North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and his daughter Ju Ae celebrate the New Year in Pyongyang, North Korea. (KCNA via Reuters)
Her reported role comes as Kim continues to highlight progress in the country’s weapons programs.
On February 18, Kim was photographed in Pyongyang piloting a nuclear-capable 600mm multiple rocket launcher, touting it as one of the most powerful of its kind.
State media showed rows of launch vehicles and said the missiles, which Kim claimed rival short-range ballistic missiles and use artificial intelligence in their guidance systems, have “completely changed” modern artillery warfare, Reuters reported.
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North Korea has suspended all meaningful diplomacy with the United States and South Korea since the collapse of a 2019 summit between Kim and President Donald Trump.
This came amid disagreements over sanctions relief in exchange for steps to phase out Kim’s nuclear and missile programs.
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