If North Korean leader Kim Jong Un intends for his tween daughter to be his successor, then he is wise to begin promoting her now, says Robert Kelly of Pusan National University.
BUSAN, South Korea: Over the past two years, there has been intense speculation surrounding leadership succession in the world’s most secretive state.That photo was anything but an ordinary daddy-daughter moment. For that man wasand the little girl - reportedly 10 years old at the time - his likely heir.
The great struggle in this court has always been succession. The Kims have fathered multiple children by multiple women, leading to constant speculation over who might be elevated. And behind the Kims, of course, is a very large army. The possibility of a coup always lurks. To insure the army’s loyalty, the Kims have alternated between purging the officer corps and showering it with gifts.
Analysts have long worried about such transitional unrest. I have participated in North Koren scenario gaming, for example, where the incident provoking internal factional conflict was a botched succession. Ju Ae, on the other hand, has been increasingly visible in public. Kim has taken to bringing her to public events and showing her various elements of North Korean state power, including missiles and parades. This is the normal route to ascension.
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