SEOUL: North Korea released a rare image on Saturday of leader Kim Jong Un’s teenage daughter firing a rifle at a shooting range, adding to speculation that she is being groomed as his successor.
Kim’s daughter Ju Ae has long been seen as the next in line to rule the secretive, nuclear-armed state, and took part in a string of recent high-profile outings, including this week’s military parade marking the closing stages of North Korea’s key party congress.
Pyongyang’s official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) released a photo of Ju Ae shooting a rifle at an outdoor shooting range, peering through a rifle scope with her finger on the trigger, smoke rising from the barrel.
She was wearing what appeared to be a leather jacket, a garment often worn by both her and her father at major political events, symbolising authority and legitimacy.
This picture taken on February 27, 2026 shows North Korean leader Kim Jong Un with and his daughter Kim Ju Ae watching as a senior officials firing the new sniper rifle, at an undisclosed place in North Korea. (KCNA VIA KNS / AFP)
