YANGPYEONG, South Korea - Unification Minister Kim Yung-ho of South Korea discussed North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's recent actions, which have raised speculation about succession plans. The minister suggested that the North Korean leader's efforts to publicly introduce his daughter may indicate a focus on hereditary power succession.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the North Korean leader seems eager to showcase his daughter, believed to be named Ju-ae, as part of his strategy to demonstrate his commitment to succession amid various challenges facing North Korea. "This move appears to be an indication of Kim Jong-un's intention to assert his will for succession in light of difficulties facing the North," said Kim during a meeting with reporters in Yangpyeong, about 40 kilometers east of Seoul.
The Unification Minister noted signs of multiple difficulties in North Korea, including the closure of diplomatic missions and food shortages. He urged Kim Jong-un to prioritize improving people's livelihoods over military-focused policies at an upcoming key party meeting. North Korea is set to hold a plenary meeting of the central committee of the ruling Workers' Party later this month to review its 2023 policy measures and outline plans for the next year.
"The North Korean leader should make a bold decision to focus on the economy and people's livelihoods, realizing the challenge of simultaneously pursuing military development and economic growth," the minister added.
A senior official at the unification ministry, speaking on condition of anonymity, mentioned that Kim Ju-ae seems to be introduced early in the hereditary succession process. In 2021, North Korea appointed Kim Jong-un as general secretary and established seven secretarial positions, including the first secretary, who could assume the general secretary's role in his absence.
"The position of the first secretary remains vacant, which could be in consideration of Kim Ju-ae," the official stated. Ju-ae made her first public appearance with her father during the launch of a Hwasong-17 intercontinental ballistic missile on November 18, 2022.
Unification Minister Kim Yung-ho previously acknowledged the possibility of Ju-ae being groomed as an heir to succeed Kim Jong-un, who assumed leadership following his father Kim Jong-il's death in 2011. Kim Jong-il inherited power from his father, North Korea's founder Kim Il-sung, who died in 1994.