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South Korea on Wednesday said that it’s still premature to determine whether the recently unveiled daughter of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is being groomed as her father’s successor.
Speculation about the status of Kim’s daughter, reportedly named Kim Ju Ae and aged about 10, has further intensified since she recently took center stage at a massive military parade in Pyongyang and appeared in soon-to-be-released postal stamps — both events with her all-powerful father.
During a parliamentary committee meeting in Seoul, Unification Minister Kwon Youngse, South Korea’s top official on North Korea, questioned a belief that she’s being primed as the North’s next leader. Kwon cited Kim Jong Un’s relatively young age – Kim turned 39 last month – and North Korea’s male-dominated power hierarchy.
“There are views that (her appearances) are aimed at talking about a hereditary power transition. But considering Kim Jong Un’s age and the fact that North Korea has a much more patriarchal nature than ours, there are also lots of questions about whether North Korea having a woman (prepared to) inherit power now is indeed right,” Kwon told lawmakers.
Kwon said the girl’s repeated appearances in recent months were more likely meant to shore up public support of Kim’s ruling family and prepare for a future hereditary power transfer.
South Korean media have speculated Kim Jong Un also has a son who is older than Kim Ju Ae and a third child, likely a daughter.
