An incredible development in North Korea – the 10-year-old daughter of Kim Jong-un being catapulted into limelight as a likely heir apparent – has triggered speculation about succession and image-building exercise. It could be an over-reaction of South Korea’s intelligence agency to name Kim Ju-ae as the potential heir to Jong-un, but there is no doubt that the whole move has more than one ulterior motive.
Rarely has the attire of a 10-year-old girl been scrutinised the way it is being done in the case of Ju-ae as indications of momentous developments. When she made her first public appearance in November, 2023 during a missile launch, she wore a puffy coat and red flat shoes sporting a schoolgirl’s fringe. But, she has taken on a more mature look since then. Her appearance at North Korea’s New Year celebrations December 31, 2023 was the most dramatic as she strutted down the red carpet holding her father’s arm, clad in a black leather jacket with a wide fur collar and a hairstyle favoured by her mother Ri Sol Ju and her aunt Kim Yo Jong. A week later she was seen accompanying her father to inspect a newly built chicken factory, her first non-military-related appearance. This time, she added waves to her hair.
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North Korea watchers say the frequency of Ju-ae’s public appearances coupled with the rapid transformation to a more womanly image is probably part of a grand propaganda blitzkrieg engineered by her aunt who heads the Propaganda and Agitation Department.
There could be two reasons for such a campaign. Jong-un is known to be a ruthless, whimsical, unpredictable ruler. He is now believed to be showing off his softer side as an affectionate father, while his wife completes the picture of a strong family bond. This seems to be the calculation when he hugged and planted a kiss on Ju-ae’s cheek during the New Year’s celebration. This was just days before he threatened to annihilate South Korea, if provoked.
On the other hand, from the perspective of the only ruling Workers’ Party of North Korea and the North Korean military, Jong-un appears to be showing that he is securing the future of his country through nuclear capabilities as well as Ju-ae, who represents the fourth generation of the powerful dynasty. Experts say Jong-un is trying to prepare the deeply patriarchal society of North Korea to accept a female successor in the future. According to them he must be acutely aware that having a woman take his place as a successor is going to be very hard and the military is not going to accept it easily. This is believed to be one of the reasons why he started, a few years back, making his sister take a hard line to convince the military top brass that she could rule the North Korean military in his absence. The fact that he has now begun to take his daughter around military facilities reinforces the belief that he is keeping his options open.
As Jong-un keeps the world guessing about his plans for his daughter, the most charitable view that can be taken is that Ju-ae is being internally groomed for her role of heir apparent, but it is not being publicly announced so as not to invite mockery. The most likely interpretation could be that Pyongyang’s propaganda department is planning his successor decades ahead, while refurbishing his brand image to divert global attention from the power dynamics in North Korean politics.
There are misgivings about the sincerity of Jong-un in promoting the ordinary women of North Korea, most of whom have to work hard, making them more vulnerable to exploitation and abuse outside the home. Food availability last year is believed to be at its worst since the 90s famine. COVID-19 has taken its toll on the livelihood of the people. Even if Ju-ae succeeds her father, she is unlikely to change things for ordinary North Korean women, who must struggle tirelessly to safeguard their home and hearth.
