Succession Questions Pop Up After Kim Jong-Un Parades His Daughter

North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un took his daughter, aged around 10, to a banquet at a military barracks on Tuesday. The following night, lines of missiles were rolled through the North Korean capital Pyongyang, again it was attended by his daughter.

It is the latest sign that the girl, Kim Ju-ae, is possibly being groomed as his successor in an authoritarian family regime that dates back decades, according to CNN.

On Wednesday, as the North Korean leader took up his usual parade position, at the center of the balcony, he was joined by the girl, who is thought to be his second oldest child.

This is her fifth public appearance, all of them happened in less than three months, reported BBC.

The girl has undergone a remarkable transformation, making it likely that she has been chosen as the future leader of North Korea.

She first appeared publicly in November 2022, at the launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). At the time, many wondered if the girl would one day lead the world's most secretive state.

But she looked too young in her white puffer jacket, red ballet pumps and a ponytail. Perhaps Jong-Un just wanted to portray himself as a good father or make it clear that his family was here to stay.

But with each public appearance, his daughter appears to have grown in stature.

For the banquet for North Korea's top military officials, she was dressed in a demure white shirt and black buttoned-up skirt suit. Her hair was clipped back, and in each photo, she took center stage. She sat between her mother and father and was surrounded by military officials.

Even the language used to describe her was intriguing. She was first introduced in state media as Jong-Un's "beloved" daughter, but by Tuesday's military banquet, she had been elevated to the status of "respected" daughter. It is an adjective used for only the most revered, and only after Jong-Un's status as a future leader was cemented, he was called a "respected comrade."

North Korea has been ruled by three generations of the Kim family, and its citizens are told that the family hails from a sacred bloodline. Jong-Un will want to ensure that he passes the mantle down to the next generation.

The Associated Press reported that analysts said the North Korean leader's decision to bring his daughter to major public events involving his military sends a statement to the world. It says that he has no intention to voluntarily surrender his nuclear weapons. He apparently sees it as the strongest guarantee of his survival and the extension of his family's dynastic rule.

An official from South Korea's Unification Ministry said that the girl's repeated appearances at significant events and her prominent exposure in state media are also aimed at strengthening loyalty to the Kim family.

The official said that it's too early to determine whether she is being primed as her father's successor, but "all possibilities are open."