The one item you might not expect to find on your teenage daughter’s wish list is a sniper rifle.
But that’s what North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un has gifted his 13-year-old Kim Ju Ae amid rumours he is grooming her to become the country’s future leader.
The despot was pictured, alongside his daughter, on Friday as he presented new sniper rifles to top government and military officials following a weeklong ruling party congress celebrating his leadership.
Ju Ae, believed to be between 12 and 14 years old, was also seen looking down the barrel of a sniper rifle – with her increasingly prominent appearances fuelling speculation that Kim is lining her up as North Korea‘s next dictator.
Kim called the weapons a sign of his ‘absolute trust’ and gratitude for their commitment over the past five years since the last Workers’ Party congress in 2021, North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency said on Saturday.
The report also confirmed that Kim’s powerful sister, Kim Yo Jong – who in recent years has served as his fierce spokesperson toward Washington and Seoul – now serves as the general affairs director of the party’s central committee following a promotion at the congress.
Her new title signals a broader role overseeing the party’s internal operations and administrative affairs.
State media photos showed Kim Yo Jong and other top officials aiming the rifles handed out by Kim Jong Un at a shooting range.
North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un’s daughter, Kim Ju Ae, pulls the trigger on a sniper rifle
The despot gifted the new sniper rifles to top government and military officials following a weeklong ruling party congress celebrating his leadership
North Korean soldiers salute their leader during military a parade in Pyongyang on Friday
The dictator’s teenage daughter, who was wearing a brown leather coat similar to her father’s, was pictured looking down the firing range with binoculars and handling a sniper rifle as smoke rose from the barrel.
Ju Ae made her first public appearance at a long-range missile test in November 2022.
She has accompanied her father to a growing number of events, including military demonstrations, factory openings and a trip to Beijing in September, where Kim Jong Un held his first summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in six years.
The party congress, which concluded on Wednesday in Pyongyang after seven days, is North Korea’s most significant political event.
Held every five years since 2016, it is a carefully choreographed spectacle glorifying Kim’s leadership before thousands of delegates.
At this year’s meetings, Kim doubled down on his plans to accelerate North Korea’s nuclear arsenal, which already is equipped with various weapons systems threatening the United States and its allies in Asia, and confirmed his tough view of rival South Korea.
But he also left the door open for dialogue with the US, reiterating Pyongyang’s earlier stance calling for Washington to abandon demands for the North Korea’s nuclear disarmament as a precondition for resuming long-stalled talks.
South Korean officials and experts closely monitored the congress for signs Kim was preparing to extend the family’s dynastic rule to a fourth generation by cementing his daughter as successor.
Ju Ae’s appearance comes amid speculation the North Korean leader is lining her up as his successor
The teenager made her first public appearance at a long-range missile test in November 2022
Top government and military officials carrying cases which appeared to be containing the new sniper rifles
Kim Jong Un and his heir-apparent daughter were pictured in matching outfits as they sang along with performers at a military parade marking the 9th Congress of the Workers’ Party of Korea earlier this month
Earlier this month, South Korea’s spy agency said it assessed Kim Jong Un was close to designating her as heir.
She was not seen at party meetings during the congress but shared center stage with her father at a military parade on Wednesday night marking its conclusion.
Despite speculation she might receive a formal party post at the congress, state media reports indicated no such move and party rules require members to be at least 18 years old.
Some experts say if Kim Jong Un sought to use the congress to solidify his daughter as successor, the signals would likely be subtle, such as self-congratulatory statements about North Korea’s survival and crediting that endurance to the successful inheritance of the socialist cause.
In a report assessing the congress on Thursday, North Korean state media said the meetings ‘laid a solid foundation for the sacred effort to ensure and realise the glorious succession and development of our party’.