North moving Kim Jong-un’s daughter to center of military imagery to bolster succession: NIS

North Korea has begun positioning Kim Jong-un’s daughter at the center of its military imagery, South Korea’s spy agency said on April 6, describing it as an effort to lay the groundwork for a hereditary succession in a country that has never had a female leader.

Kim Ju-ae has recently appeared at weapons tests and military drills, including scenes that state media portrayed as highlighting her familiarity with combat equipment, according to lawmakers briefed by the National Intelligence Service (NIS).

The agency pointed in particular to newly released images of Kim Ju-ae engaging in firearms training and riding in a tank, which it said echoed Kim Jong-un’s persona during his rise to power.

“The recent first-time release of Ju-ae’s shooting activities, along with the staged depiction of her operating a tank in a manner reminiscent of Kim Jong-un’s own succession period, appears intended to highlight her military aptitude,” Democratic Party Rep. Park Sun-won quoted the agency as saying in a briefing held with People Power Party Rep. Lee Seong-kweun.

Beyond her public appearances, the intelligence agency said North Korea has taken steps to elevate Kim Jong-un’s authority while gradually reducing the symbolic weight of his predecessors, Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong-il.

Recent changes discussed during a session of the Supreme People’s Assembly reflected that shift, according to Rep. Park.

The NIS cited the renaming of the Mansudae Assembly Hall to the Pyongyang Assembly Hall and a diminished emphasis on the ideology bearing the names of the country’s founding leaders. The agency also noted that North Korea referred to Kim Jong-un as the “head of state” for the first time, replacing earlier designations that described him as the “republic’s supreme leader.”

The agency also highlighted constitutional revisions, including the removal of the word “socialist” from the state’s official constitutional title after decades of use. “This appears to underscore a more universal character as a state norm,” Rep Park said, citing the agency’s analysis.

Other institutional changes included reorganizing the Ministry of State Security into a state information bureau, placing the Ministry of Social Security under the cabinet and signaling the introduction of a police system to take on responsibilities currently held by an internal security and intelligence force. The agency viewed these steps as part of an effort to present North Korea as a more “conventional state,” Rep. Park said.

Kim Yo-jong, the North Korean leader’s powerful sister, has also strengthened her position, reentering the ruling Workers’ Party’s Politburo and being promoted to director of its General Affairs Department, Rep. Park said. She is expected to continue acting as a key aide, overseeing the implementation of Kim Jong-un’s directives and serving as a principal voice in external messaging.

On relations with Washington, the agency said North Korea has framed its approach as a choice between peace and confrontation while offering conditional proposals for normalization. Pyongyang appeared to be placing the burden of any renewed dialogue on the United States, while carefully calibrating its rhetoric, including by avoiding direct criticism of U.S. President Donald Trump, the NIS added.

The agency had previously told lawmakers on Feb. 12 that Kim Ju-ae had entered what it described as a stage of internal designation as a successor.

At the time, Rep. Park quoted the agency as saying, “Ju-ae has taken on a more active role, including visiting sites, listening to concerns, resolving issues and offering opinions on policy implementation,” adding that such activities suggested she had moved closer to a formal succession track.

BY CHO MUN-GYU [kim.juyeon2@joongang.co.kr]