A year ago, a schoolgirl in a puffy white winter coat held her father’s hand as he walked past a weapon designed to obliterate an American city, and a new path forward for North Korea’s propaganda machine. Had decided.
the girl has a daughter Kim Jong UnWhich made its debut in the testing of an intercontinental ballistic missile designed to deliver a nuclear weapon to the US mainland. No other child of a North Korean leader had been exposed in this manner at such a young age, and his appearance broke the tradition of keeping the leader’s children out of the public eye until they become part of the state apparatus. .
She has been dubbed a “respected daughter” and a “beloved child” by state media, which has yet to reveal her real name – she is believed to be Xu Ai. South Korea’s spy agency estimates his age to be around 10 years old and believes he is the second of three children born to Kim and his wife. ri soul ju,
Kim’s daughter’s role in state propaganda appears to show the public that there is another generation waiting to carry on the family dynasty built in the Cold War and that it will depend on nuclear weapons for its survival. She humanizes Kim as a father figure with the possible intent of conveying to North Korean parents that supporting the weapons program means protecting their children from American aggression and the “unique” socialism created by the Kim family. Losing the kingdom.
“The preservation of the Kim family regime is, of course, tied to the country’s weapons program,” said Sue Kim, a former Korea analyst for the Central Intelligence Agency who now works at U.S.-based management consulting firm LMI.

He said that while the intention may be to soften Kim Jong Un’s image, it may be a difficult sell. “The North Korean people are still starving and living under brutal repression – whether there are missiles or not. And unless Kim takes dramatic steps to improve his people’s living conditions and grant them true independence, their perceptions of Kim are unlikely to fundamentally change.
But this has not stopped North Korea from using the daughter for political purposes. According to information from the South Korean government, she has appeared in public 16 times in the past year – 13 of which were at military-related events, two for sports and one for the economy.
A little more than a week after her debut, the daughter was with her father again. She looked even more glamorous in a long black coat in the same color as Kim Jong Un’s for a photo session to celebrate the successful launch of the country’s most powerful ballistic missile – prompting cries of “Hooray!” There were stormy cheers,” according to. A Korean Central News Agency dispatch.
Her biggest moment on the public stage in North Korea probably occurred in February, when she joined her mother and father at a banquet honoring the military and a photo put her front and center with some of the most powerful members of the armed forces. Was placed.
She then joined her father at a military parade where his regime took to the streets of Pyongyang in the largest-ever display of a missile designed to launch nuclear attacks on the US and its allies in Asia.
The “respectable daughter” clung to her father’s arm as the soldiers applauded. She then sat in a seat of honor to watch the festivities, which included skydivers descending into the field under neon lights and thousands of military personnel applauding Kim.
The display of weapons and his daughter sent a message to the world that North Korea would not be dealing with its nuclear arsenal any time soon. There was also a personal touch about the importance of the Kim regime, when the daughter joined her father during the demonstration and gently caressed his cheeks – in front of the fawning eyes of state media, which captured the moment and It was broadcast across the country.
Since then she has been prominent in the testing of new weapons, sitting with her father in the country’s new space agency, smoking cigarettes and watching football matches with him.
This has intensified speculation over whether he will be named a successor. Given his young age and the opaque ways in which the leadership functions, it is probably too early to say whether he has been selected to take charge. South Korea’s National Intelligence Service believes that an older brother has not yet been displayed at a public event. Under North Korea’s patriarchal practices, a brother would be the preferred option.
It is highly unlikely that Kim will now install his elementary school-age daughter in a government role, a move that would assure her official status. Given Kim’s relatively young age of 39, he could remain in power for decades. Nevertheless, he is overweight and a heavy smoker and has health problems, so inheritance is a concern.
The state campaign is expected to put him in a prominent role. North Korea released postage stamps with photos of the “great child” making its public debut during an ICBM launch and will mark the one-year anniversary of the launch on Saturday with the first day of a missile industry that will showcase its “world-class strength.” Is. nuclear power.”