Credible intelligence
The National Intelligence Service (NIS) told lawmakers that its assessment was not based on circumstantial evidence, but on what it described as “credible intelligence” gathered by the agency. This was conveyed by members of the ruling and opposition parties after a closed parliamentary meeting.
The latest assessment of Kim’s daughter, believed to be about 13 years old and named Ju Ae, is an improvement on an earlier analysis by the intelligence agency, which said she was likely being groomed to succeed her father.
Military capabilities and removal of doubts
The NIS said that the video of the daughter driving a tank was intended to highlight her alleged military abilities and remove doubts about the female heir, the representatives said, reports Index.hr.
North Korean state media last month released photos of Kim and his daughter driving a new tank, after earlier footage showed her firing a rifle at a shooting range and using a pistol.
According to Park Sun-won, a representative of the ruling Democratic Party, such scenes were designed as a reminder of Kim’s own public military appearances in the early 2010s, when he was preparing to succeed his own father.
Ju Ae’s repeated presence at defense-related events is aimed at alleviating doubts about a female heir and speeding up the construction of the succession narrative, lawmakers said, citing the NIS. Lawmakers have previously said the agency believes her increasingly prominent role suggests she is already being treated as the de facto second-in-command in the North Korean leadership.
People’s Power Party lawmaker Lee Seong-kweun said the NIS noted that suggestions that Kim’s younger sister Kim Yo Jong might be unhappy with the focus on Ju Ae were wrong, since Kim Yo Jong has no independent power.
Analysts remain cautious
Some North Korea experts, however, have urged caution in interpreting the footage as definitive signals of succession.
Hong Min, an analyst at the Korea Institute for National Unification, said Ju Ae’s mere appearance in the tank was not enough to conclude that she had been confirmed as Kim’s successor. He noted that she appeared with her father, and not independently, unlike Kim Jong Un, who during his preparation phase also had independent military performances.
(Vijesti.ba)
