The New York Times (NYT) reported that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un recently revealed his second daughter, Kim Ju-ae, to the public, raising interest in his intentions and the possibility of a successor.
In November of last year, North Korea released images of Chairman Kim observing the launch of a Hwasong-17 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) with his second daughter, Kim Ju-ae.
At the end of the same month, Kim Joo-ae also accompanied Chairman Kim for a commemorative photo with the Hwasong-17 launchers.
In an article titled 'Kim Jong-un's most favored daughter is the next leader of North Korea', the NYT reported that Chairman Kim's children appeared in public for the first time, and North Korean media described Kim Joo-ae as "the most loved son". He said that experts are paying attention to the honorific.
Jeong Seong-jang, director of the Center for North Korean Studies at the Sejong Institute, told the NYT regarding the photo release, "It could be part of a carefully crafted plan to show North Koreans that Kim Ju-ae will be her successor."
The NYT saw that if Kim Jong-un chooses Kim Joo-ae as her successor, it would be an unusual decision in North Korea, where patriarchy is deeply rooted.
However, Chairman Kim also inherited the power while being the youngest of the three sons of Chairman Kim Jong-il, and added that there are no women in the core of power, such as Chairman Kim's younger sister Kim Yo-jong, North Korean Vice Minister of the Workers' Party and Foreign Minister Choi Sun-hee.
There is also an analysis that Chairman Kim Jong-un is trying to avoid previous trial and error by disclosing his successor early.
The fact that Chairman Kim is the successor has been hidden for a long time, and because of this, even after taking over the regime, his ability to govern has been viewed with suspicion for a considerable period of time.
It is possible that he brought his successor to the fore early enough to circumvent the skepticism he experienced.
On the other hand, there is also a view that it is not appropriate to judge that Kim Ju-ae is ahead of the succession structure.
Ahn Chan-il, director of the World Center for North Korean Studies, a North Korean defector, said, "It is too early to conclude that Kim Joo-ae is the successor in the presence of Chairman Kim's son."
The NYT added that Rep. Tae Young-ho of the People's Power, who defected to South Korea in 2016 as a public official at the North Korean embassy in the UK, also said that the real successor will be revealed only when the work of idolizing a certain one of Kim Jong-un's children begins.