In the enigmatic world of North Korean politics, the stakes are high, and the rules are ruthless.
Kim Jong Un has reportedly named his 13-year-old daughter, Kim Ju Ae, as his successor, setting the stage for a potentially fierce power struggle with her formidable aunt, according to a recent report.
South Korea’s intelligence agency claims that Kim Ju Ae has been chosen to eventually lead North Korea, a nation armed with nuclear capabilities. Despite being just 42 years old, Kim Jong Un’s health has been a topic of concern due to his past struggles with obesity.
The young successor, already noted for her height comparable to her father, is believed to be undergoing rigorous training to prepare for her future role at the helm of the Kim dynasty.
However, experts like Rah Jong Yil, a former South Korean ambassador to the UK and a former deputy director of Seoul’s intelligence service, warn that Kim Ju Ae may face opposition from her influential aunt, Kim Yo Jong.
At 38, Kim Yo Jong commands substantial political and military influence in North Korea and is often regarded as the second in command in a regime where eliminating rivals, even within one’s family, is not off the table.
“It depends on the timing, but I believe if Kim Yo Jong believed that she had a chance of becoming the top leader then she would take it,” Raa told The Telegraph..
“For her, there are no reasons to refrain from putting into effect her own political project,” he added, noting that a power struggle “is probable.”
Pyongyang has seen this before when Kim took over his father’s position in 2011, with the then-young dictator mounting an attack on his uncle and mentor, Jang Song Thaek.
Kim had Jang arrested on charges of committing “anti-party, counter-revolutionary, factional acts,” with the uncle found guilty and executed by firing squad in 2013.
Kim’s half-brother, Kim Jong Nam, the one-time heir to North Korea, was also killed when a pair of women smeared the deadly VX nerve agent on his face at Malaysia’s Kuala Lumpur International Airport in 2017.
The suspects were foreign nationals dumped into thinking they were carrying out a prank for a Japanese YouTube show. However, the assassination was carried out as four North Korean agents watched from the sidelines, The Guardian reported at the time.
South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS) said they are closely monitoring Ju Ae, noting that it would be significant if she accompanies her father during a Workers’ Party Congress scheduled for later this month.
First appearing in public at a long-range missile test in November 2022, Ju Ae has since accompanied her father to an increasing number of events, including weapons tests, military parades and factory openings, according to Seoul.
She was also with Kim during his visit to Beijing last September, which marked his first summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping in six years.
Ju-Ae’s public appearances at high-profile events suggest that she will be her father’s heir despite North Korea’s deeply conservative culture and tradition of male-dominated leadership, according to the NIS’s briefing to lawmakers.
