North Korean leader Kim Jong Un presented new sniper rifles to senior government and military officials after a weeklong Workers’ Party congress that celebrated his rule, and state media released images showing his teenage daughter taking aim at a shooting range — an appearance that has intensified speculation he may be grooming her as a successor.
According to the Korean Central News Agency, Kim handed the rifles to top party and military figures as a sign of his “absolute trust” and gratitude for their loyalty over the five years since the previous congress in 2021. Photographs published by state media showed officials, including Kim’s sister Kim Yo Jong, aiming the weapons at a firing range. Kim’s daughter, wearing a brown leather coat similar to her father’s, was also shown handling a rifle as smoke rose from the barrel.
Kim Yo Jong was promoted at the congress to general affairs director of the party’s central committee, a role that expands her oversight of internal party operations and administration. In recent years she has acted as a fierce spokesperson toward Washington and Seoul.
The girl, believed to be Kim Ju Ae and about 13 years old, first appeared publicly at a long-range missile test in November 2022 and has since accompanied her father to an increasing number of events — military demonstrations, factory openings and a September trip to Beijing for Kim’s summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. South Korean officials and outside experts have closely watched the congress for signals that Kim might be positioning his daughter as the next generation of the family dynasty; South Korea’s spy agency recently assessed Kim was close to designating her heir.
She did not attend party meetings during the congress but stood beside her father at a military parade that marked its close. State media did not report any formal party appointment for her; party rules require members to be at least 18.
The seven-day congress — North Korea’s main political gathering held every five years and staged to glorify Kim’s leadership — also reinforced his commitment to accelerate the country’s nuclear arsenal and affirmed a hard line on South Korea. At the same time, Kim reiterated openness to dialogue with the United States, provided Washington drop demands for denuclearization as a precondition for talks.
Analysts say any moves to signal a succession would likely be subtle, conveyed through rhetoric about the regime’s endurance and continuity. North Korean state media said the congress “laid a solid foundation for the sacred effort to ensure and realise the glorious succession and development of our party.”
