(PYONGYANG, NORTH KOREA) – North Korean leader Kim Jong un has appeared in public with his teenage daughter Kim Ju ae during a visit to an ammunition factory, where both were photographed firing pistols as the government emphasised efforts to strengthen conventional military forces.
Images released from the visit showed Kim Ju ae standing beside her father while aiming a pistol at a target. The pair wore matching leather jackets during the appearance at the factory.
The visit took place as North Korea continues to modernise its conventional military capabilities following years of focus on nuclear weapons development.
Kim Jong un said the ammunition factory plays a key role in supplying pistols and other light weapons to the country’s military and security forces. He called for increased production capacity and more modern manufacturing lines.
The appearance forms part of a growing number of public events where Kim Ju ae has been seen alongside the North Korean leader, fuelling speculation that she may be preparing to succeed him.
Last month the pair were also photographed observing weapons tests and firing a new type of sniper rifle following a ruling party congress where Kim outlined political and military priorities for the coming five years.
Kim Jong un and his daughter also observed a strike drill involving twelve 600 millimetre ultra precision multiple rocket launchers along North Korea’s east coast.
South Korea’s military said it detected about ten ballistic missiles launched from the Pyongyang region towards the eastern sea during the drill.
Kim Ju ae has appeared alongside her father at several high profile events since late 2022, including missile launches and military parades.
Her first public appearance took place in November 2022 when she accompanied her father during a missile launch.
In February 2023 Kim brought his daughter to an event marking the 75th anniversary of the founding of North Korea’s army, where she attended a banquet with military officials.
She later appeared at a military parade in Beijing, marking her first international appearance.
In early January she accompanied her parents to Pyongyang’s Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, the mausoleum that houses the embalmed bodies of North Korea’s founder Kim Il sung and former leader Kim Jong il.
Despite her increasingly visible public role, the North Korean government has not formally confirmed her position in the line of succession.
Analysts and intelligence officials in South Korea say the teenager, believed to be around 13 or 14 years old, may be in the internal stage of selection to become the next leader of the country.
Kim Ju ae is widely believed to be the second of three children born to Kim Jong un and his wife Ri Sol ju and remains the only child to have appeared publicly.
North Korea has been ruled by the Kim family since 1948, with the government promoting the dynasty as a sacred bloodline central to the state’s political system.
North Korean despot Kim Jong-un watched a live-fire test of multiple rocket launch systems, accompanied by his teenage daughter.
Kim and Kim Ju-ae watched the strike drill involving twelve 600mm-calibre, ultraprecision rocket launchers off North Korea’s east coast.
South Korea’s military said it detected about 10 ballistic missiles fired from North Korea’s capital region toward the eastern sea.
Kim Ju-ae has been accompanying her father at high-profile events like missile tests and military parades since late 2022.
It has fuelled plenty of speculation that she is being groomed as the dictator’s heir.
