North Korea releases photos of Kim Jong Un’s daughter firing pistol

North Korea on Thursday released photos of Kim Ju Ae, the daughter of leader Kim Jong Un, firing a pistol, fueling speculation that the teenager could be the potential heir to the dynasty, AFP reports.

Kim Ju Ae, whose exact age remains a mystery, is considered by North Korea experts to be next in the family line of succession after a series of recent public appearances alongside her father. These appearances were widely publicized, particularly during the military parade marking the end of the ruling communist party’s congress. She was also previously shown firing a sniper rifle, CE Report quotes AGERPRES.

On Thursday, the official North Korean news agency Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) published a photo of Kim Ju Ae firing what appears to be a pistol, with one eye closed and flames coming out of the barrel.

She attended an event with her father at a “large arms factory” that produces new pistols and other “portable light weapons,” the agency said.

In the images, father and daughter appear wearing matching leather jackets — considered a symbol of power in North Korea — while listening to officials and inspecting the facilities.

“It seems the regime is trying to cultivate the image of a strong and fearsome woman,” Lim Eul-chul, a North Korea expert at Kyungnam University, told AFP.

“The scene in which she fires a pistol clearly aims to signal that she is cultivating the attributes of a military leader,” he added.

The Kim family has ruled North Korea with an iron fist for decades, and a personality cult centered on their lineage dominates daily life in the isolated country.

Kim Ju Ae was first publicly introduced in 2022 when she accompanied her father to the launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile.

Before that, the only mention of her existence came from former American basketball star Dennis Rodman, who visited North Korea in 2013.