Is Kim Jong Un planning a family dynasty for North Korea? Seoul’s spy agency thinks so
LA TimesThis undated photo provided by the North Korean government shows North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, left, and his daughter, right, walk to a photo session with those involved in the recent launch of what it says was a Hwasong-17 intercontinental ballistic missile. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s disclosure of his daughter in recent public events was likely an attempt to show his people that one of his children would one day inherit his power in what would be the country’s third hereditary power transfer, South Korea’s spy service told lawmakers Thursday. The young Ju Ae’s appearance came as a huge surprise to longtime North Korea watchers; both Kim Jong Un and Kim Jong Il made public debuts after they became adults. After the second summit between Kim Jong Un and then-President Trump collapsed in February 2019 in Hanoi, Vietnam, Ri called a middle-of-the-night news conference in which he declared that Washington had wasted an opportunity that “may not come again.” South Korea’s spy agency has a spotty record of tracking developments in North Korea. The NIS also told lawmakers that one of the five North Korean drones that recently violated South Korea’s airspace might have photographed South Korea’s presidential office in Seoul, Youn said.