Kim Ju-ae, the daughter of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, made a rare public appearance for the first time in more than 80 days.
This marks her first appearance in North Korean media since attending the inauguration ceremony of Pyongyang’s Jonwi (Vanguard) street on May 14.
On August 5, North Korea’s official newspaper, Rodong Shinmun, reported, “A ceremony for transferring 20 new-type tactical ballistic missile launchers, produced at major munitions enterprises, to the first-line units on the border took place in the capital city of Pyongyang with splendor.”
The newspaper reported Ju-ae’s attendance at the ceremony solely through photographs. Ju-ae was seated in the second row of the rostrum, positioned between Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui and Kim Yo-jong, Kim Jong-un’s sister and the deputy director of the Workers’ Party.
However, the newspaper did not mention Ju-ae specifically in the article. Typically, North Korean media separately highlight Ju-ae’s attendance at public events, but there was no such mention on this occasion.
Ju-ae’s public activities have significantly decreased since she was mentioned at the completion ceremony of the Gangdong Greenhouse Farm on March 15.
Meanwhile, the National Intelligence Service (NIS) stated on July 29, “North Korea is implying Kim Ju-ae as a potential successor and is conducting successor education,” and added, “They are adjusting the level and frequency of her public exposure while balancing it with private activities, conscious of the public’s response to her.”
BY SUNGJAE BAE, YOUNGNAM KIM [hongdoya@joongang.co.kr]
