Seoul: North Korean leader strengthens daughter’s position as successor

South Korean lawmakers said today (Thursday), citing the country’s intelligence agency, that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has reinforced the position of his daughter, Kim Ju Ae, as his potential successor after she accompanied him on a visit to China, according to Reuters.Lee Sung-kyoon, a member of South Korea’s parliamentary intelligence committee, said Ju Ae stayed at the North Korean embassy during the Beijing trip and avoided public appearances, but her presence alongside her father on a foreign visit was “enough to build an image” of her as a possible heir to the regime.Another committee member, Park Sun-won, said:
“It has been indicated that Kim Ju Ae’s status as a potential successor is being consolidated through her occasional appearances, while allowing her to gain external experience without attending public events.”Earlier this month, Kim made an unprecedented trip to Beijing to attend a multilateral gathering, where he viewed a military parade and stood alongside Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin.According to South Korean lawmakers, Kim also held bilateral meetings with Xi and Putin on the sidelines of the summit in an attempt to project the image that North Korea is no longer isolated and is seeking to restore ties with China.