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North Korean leader Kim Jong-un appeared with his daughter, Kim Ju-ae, at an official event related to the North’s Hwasong-17 ICBM, as shown in this photo released by the WPK-run Rodong Sinmun newspaper on Nov. 27. (KCNA/Yonhap)

On Sunday, North Korea’s Rodong Sinmun newspaper reported that leader Kim Jong-un attended another public event related to the Hwasong-17 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) with his daughter and expressed his “expectation and belief” that the country would “expand and bolster up the nuclear war deterrent of the country at an exceptionally rapid speed.”

The newspaper assigned the front page and the following two pages to the story, saying that Kim brought his “precious” daughter to take commemorative photos with those who contributed to the successful launch of the new ICBM Hwasong-17. It did not state the date of the event.

This is the second time that Kim has been accompanied by his daughter, his second child, to a public event. The first time was Nov. 18, when he visited the site of a test launch of the Hwasong-17 ICBM. Rodong Sinmun addressed his daughter as “beloved” during its reportage on Nov. 18 and is now addressing her with the honorific epithet of “precious.”

The paper’s English-language edition maintained the use of the term “beloved.”

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un appeared with his daughter, Kim Ju-ae, at an official event related to the North’s Hwasong-17 ICBM, as shown in this photo released by the WPK-run Rodong Sinmun newspaper on Nov. 27. (KCNA/Yonhap)

Moreover, those who contributed to the development and the test launch of Hwasong-17 stated in a “letter of pledge” that the Hwasong-17 was “the absolute weaponry of Comrade Kim Jong Un both in name and reality.”

In the pledge, the scientists and workers said that they would “only follow those of Paektu bloodline and stay faithful to the very end.”

South Korea’s National Intelligence Service recently reported to the National Assembly Intelligence Committee that the child’s name is Kim Ju-ae.

Many experts have pointed out that the fact that Kim brought his daughter to these Hwasong-17 related events is probably a symbolic political message that he is sending to North Korea’s future generations, a message that since North Korea has clearly demonstrated to the world that it is a nuclear power that can stand up to the US’ nuclear hegemony, they need not worry.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un appeared with his daughter, Kim Ju-ae, at an official event related to the North’s Hwasong-17 ICBM, as shown in this photo released by the WPK-run Rodong Sinmun newspaper on Nov. 27. (KCNA/Yonhap)

However, opinions are divided on whether this has anything to do with the succession of leadership to the fourth generation of Kims. Former Unification Minister Jeong Se-hyun pointed out that “this should be considered a big move that is full of political implications related to the succession issue, since expressions such as ‘precious’ and the phrase ‘only follow those of Paektu blood’ were used in a pledge of loyalty.”

On the other hand, a former high-ranking government official familiar with reading the subtext behind North Korean discourse pointed out that we should ask why Kim is bringing his daughter, not his son, to these events. They claimed that this is a “safety mechanism” meant to curb hasty speculation regarding succession while also fulfilling certain political purposes.

They went on to explain, “In North Korea, they understand the country to be a ‘big socialist family.’ That is, the country is merely an extension of family.”

“By emphasizing that the young supreme leader is also a great parent, the country is able to show the stability of power and ensure that public sentiment is also stable.”

According to them, the main focus of Kim Jong-un and Kim Ju-ae’s visits should be on how well the leader is doing in leading his country, rather than the question of succession.

By Lee Je-hun, senior staff writer

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