North Korea unveils rare image of Kim Ju Ae at shooting range

Kim Jong Un’s teenage daughter was shown firing a rifle at a shooting range in a rare image released Saturday by state media, fueling fresh speculation that she is being prepared as his successor.

Kim Ju Ae, widely viewed by analysts as the likely heir to lead the nuclear-armed state, has recently appeared at a series of high-profile events, including this week’s military parade marking the closing stages of North Korea’s key party congress.

State news agency Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) published a photo of Ju Ae aiming and firing a rifle at an outdoor range, peering through a scope with smoke rising from the barrel. She wore what appeared to be a leather jacket — an outfit frequently donned by both her and her father at major political events, often seen as symbolizing authority and legitimacy.

KCNA reported that Kim presented new sniper rifles to senior party and military officials as a gesture of appreciation and “absolute trust,” though it did not mention Ju Ae in that context. He later visited the shooting range with the officials, fired the weapon himself and posed for a group photograph, the agency said.

South Korea’s intelligence agency said earlier this month that Pyongyang appears to have begun steps toward formally positioning Ju Ae as her father’s successor.

By highlighting her ability to handle and fire a weapon, the images “suggest she is indeed receiving training as a successor,” Yang Moo-jin, former president of the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul, told AFP.

KCNA also reported that Kim’s influential sister, Kim Yo Jong, will head the ruling party’s general affairs department — a position analysts liken to that of a party secretary-general.

The Kim family has ruled North Korea for decades, with a powerful personality cult built around their so-called “Paektu bloodline,” which remains central to the country’s political system.