The young daughter of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is viewed as her father’s potential heir apparent, South Korea’s intelligence service said Thursday, in the first such assessment of the girl who appeared to the outside world just over a year ago.
There has been widespread controversy and speculation abroad about the girl, who is said to be about 10 years old and named Gu Yi, since her first public appearance in November 2022, when she watched a long-range missile test launch with her father.
Since then, the girl has accompanied her father to a number of major public events, with official media describing her as her father’s “most beloved child” or “the most considerate”, and publishing snapshots and photos proving her rising political status and her closeness to her father.
A senior general knelt down and whispered to her as she applauded while watching a military parade at the VIP stand in September.
She was photographed standing in front of her father during a visit to Air Force headquarters in November, as they both wore sunglasses and long leather jackets.
At a New Year’s Eve celebration in a crowded Pyongyang stadium on Sunday, Kim Jong Un kissed her on the cheek and did the same to her mother.
South Korea’s National Intelligence Service said on Thursday that it sees Kim Joo as a very potential successor to her father, pointing to a comprehensive analysis of her public activities and the official protocols provided to her.
The Public Affairs Office of South Korea’s National Intelligence Service told The Associated Press that it is still examining all possibilities related to the North’s power succession process because Kim is still young, does not suffer from major health problems, and has at least one other child.
Kim turns 40 on Monday.
The National Intelligence Service statement confirmed the statements of Representative Yoon Kun-young, who cited the candidate for the position of head of the agency, Cho Tae-yong. Yoon said Cho made the same assessment in written responses to his questions before the parliamentary hearing.
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2024-01-04 18:42:59
