Kim Jong Un rides tank with his daughter as succession speculation grows

In their latest joint public appearance, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and his teenage daughter rode a tank together, state media photos showed Friday, days after they watched rocket launches and fired pistols.

The official Korean Central News Agency reported that Kim oversaw firing and other drills involving tank units and infantry troops on Thursday and called for completing war preparations.

KCNA images showed Kim and his daughter, both wearing black leather jackets, riding in an olive-green tank with other soldiers during Thursday’s training. The images showed the girl sticking her head out of the tank’s hatch, while Kim sitting on the top of the tank and smiling.

The girl, reportedly named Kim Ju Ae and about 13, has accompanied her father to a number of high-profile military and other events since late 2022, sparking outside speculation that she is her father’s likely heir. North Korean state media has called her Kim Jong Un’s “most beloved” or “respected” child and published footage and photos indicating the two's closeness.

Last week, they fired pistols during a visit to a light munitions factory and watched a live-fire test of multiple rocket launch systems. Last September, the girl went to Beijing with her father, and during New Years’ Day celebrations she kissed her father on the cheek.

South Korea’s spy agency assessed last month Kim Jong Un was close to designating her as his heir. Some experts disagree with that assessment, citing Kim Jong Un’s relatively young age and the extremely male-dominated nature of North Korea’s power hierarchy.

The North Korean training, meanwhile, came as the US and South Korea were engaged in their annual military exercises that North Korea views as an invasion rehearsal. The US and South Korea wrapped up their 11-day computer-simulated command post exercise on Thursday, but they are still continuing field training.

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