Kim Jong Un’s Teenage Daughter Seen Driving Army Tank in North Korea’s Latest Succession Signal
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s teenage daughter, believed to be named Ju Ae and around 13 years old, was pictured driving a military tank with her father seated behind her in photos released Friday by the state‑run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), fueling speculation that she is being groomed as a potential successor.
Ju Ae, who has appeared with her father in increasingly high‑profile public events over the past several months, is shown in the images looking out from the tank’s driver hatch with a focused expression, her hair blowing in the wind, while Kim grins from the turret and three uniformed officers sit on the hull.
Earlier in March, she was photographed at a firing range aiming a rifle, and on another occasion firing a handgun, reinforcing the image of her being gradually introduced to military settings. Pyongyang has not officially confirmed her name or exact age.
On Thursday, Kim supervised a drill featuring a new type of main battle tank that he claimed demonstrated superior offensive and defensive capabilities against drones and anti‑tank missiles, according to KCNA. The images of him riding the tank alongside Ju Ae were released the following day, underlining the North’s broader push to modernize its conventional forces—including tactical missiles—while continuing to develop its strategic arsenal of long‑range ballistic missiles and nuclear weapons.