North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s presentation of his young daughter at recent public events is likely an attempt to show his people that one of his children will one day inherit the leadership in what would be the third power transfer to a Kim family member in Pyongyang, South Korea’s spy service has told legislators, Report informs, citing Al Jazeera.
Kim was photographed escorting his daughter to three events in the past few months: a ballistic missile launch site, a photo session with North Korean weapons scientists, and a tour of a missile storage facility.
North Korea’s state news media called the girl Kim’s “most beloved child”, sparking outside debate over whether she is being groomed as his heir apparent, although she is believed to still be nine or 10 years of age.
Kim Jong Un, who turns 39 on Sunday, is the third generation of his family that has successively ruled North Korea since its 1948 foundation. He inherited power from his father Kim Jong Il upon his death in December 2011. Kim Jong Il took over when his father and state founder Kim Il Sung died in 1994.