Kim Jong Un Attends War Commemorations with Daughter Ju Ae

KNCA/Reuters

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, accompanied by his daughter Kim Ju Ae and his wife Ri Sol Ju.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un marked the 73rd anniversary of the Korean War armistice by paying tribute at war memorials across the country, with his daughter, Ju Ae, joining him for the first time at the annual commemorations, state media reported on Monday.

According to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), Kim visited military cemeteries, met war veterans and laid flowers at the graves of first-generation anti-Japanese guerrilla fighters. During the events, he reiterated Pyongyang's longstanding claim that the 1950–1953 Korean War ended in a "great victory" for North Korea.

The Korean War concluded with an armistice agreement rather than a formal peace treaty, leaving the Korean Peninsula technically still at war.

Photographs and video released by state media showed Ju Ae accompanying her father throughout the commemorations. She was positioned prominently during official ceremonies and was seen greeting elderly veterans alongside Kim, further highlighting her increasingly visible public role.

South Korea's Ministry of Unification said it was the first time Ju Ae had attended the armistice anniversary events and her first recorded visit to either the Fatherland Liberation War Martyrs Cemetery or the Revolutionary Martyrs Cemetery.

South Korea's National Intelligence Service (NIS) has previously told lawmakers it believes Ju Ae is being groomed as Kim's successor, citing what it described as credible intelligence.

The assessment follows a series of high-profile public appearances by Ju Ae in recent months. In March, state media published images showing her driving a newly unveiled tank, after earlier photographs depicted her firing a rifle at a shooting range and handling a handgun.

KCNA also reported that Kim visited the cemetery of Chinese People's Volunteer soldiers, where he paid tribute at the grave of Mao Anying, the son of former Chinese leader Mao Zedong, in what analysts see as another indication of warming ties between Pyongyang and Beijing.

Source: Reuters



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