Seoul: North Korea appears to be accelerating efforts to cast leader Kim Jong-un's daughter Ju-ae as his successor, South Korea's spy agency told lawmakers Monday, citing her recent public appearance that showed her driving a new battle tank with her father.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the National Intelligence Service (NIS) made the assessment during a closed-door briefing to the parliamentary intelligence committee, as stated by Reps. Park Sun-won of the Democratic Party and Lee Seong-kweun of the People Power Party. "Ju-ae has recently made appearances in defense-related sectors," the lawmakers quoted the NIS as saying. "This is assessed to be aimed at diluting skepticism around a female successor and accelerating efforts to build a succession narrative."
Last month, North Korea's state media reported that Kim oversaw a drill featuring new battle tanks, releasing photos of his daughter, believed to be in her teens, driving one carrying her father and military personnel. The NIS highlighted that these reports appear to be aimed at emphasizing Ju-ae's military capabilities, drawing a parallel to Kim Jong-un, who was also seen driving a tank in state media footage before succeeding his father, Kim Jong-il.
Ju-ae has been widely seen as a potential successor, as she has increasingly appeared alongside her father at major domestic events. North Korea has been ruled by men of the Kim family over three generations for about eight decades.
Regarding North Korea's recent test of a new missile engine made with carbon fiber material, the NIS noted the possibility that it could be aimed at achieving a lighter missile body and developing multiple-warhead capabilities. Kim oversaw the test of the upgraded engine with a maximum thrust of 2,500 kilonewtons as part of a five-year national defense development plan, as reported by state media late last month.
The NIS also stated that, during the ongoing war, North Korea has yet to send weapons or supplies to Iran, despite traditionally maintaining close ties with Tehran. It noted that Pyongyang did not send a message of condolences to Tehran following the death of Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, nor a congratulatory message when his second son was elected as supreme leader.
The agency speculated that North Korea appears to be making preparations to secure room for diplomacy after U.S. President Donald Trump's planned summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping in May. The NIS also assessed that the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran could wind down in late April based on the results of potential U.S. strikes in the coming days. Trump recently renewed his threats to destroy Iran's power plants and bridges if the Islamic Republic does not reopen the Strait of Hormuz.