South Korean media claim that Kim Jong Un, North Korea's supreme leader, has appointed his daughter as "General Director of Missile Affairs" to enable her to take early command of the military amid speculation that she is the next leader.
South Korea’s Chosun Daily website reported that the government received intelligence indicating that Kim Jong Un’s daughter, originally known as "Kim Ju-ae," may in fact be named "Kim Ju-hae," according to a high-level government source.
Intelligence agencies also obtained information that Kim Jong Un’s daughter is serving in the role of "General Director of Missile Affairs" within North Korea and are closely monitoring whether this will be mentioned at the 9th Workers' Party Congress, which began in Pyongyang on the 19th.
Kim Jong Un has taken his daughter, estimated to be about 13-14 years old, to nuclear and missile test sites multiple times. This has led to speculation that he has assigned her the role of "General Director of Missile Affairs" to enable her early control of the military.
It has also been reported that although officially Jang Chang-ha remains the General Director of Missile Affairs, Kim Ju-ae (or Kim Ju-hae) receives briefings from generals and issues various orders.
The National Intelligence Service (NIS) reported to the parliamentary intelligence committee on the 12th that she is in the "process of being positioned as the political heir" and "there are signs she has begun expressing opinions on certain policies."
North Korean media first confirmed the existence of Kim Jong Un’s daughter in November 2022, referring to her as the "beloved daughter" while she accompanied Kim Jong Un to test the "Hwasong-17" intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) site.
However, since then, North Korean media have never reported her real name, just as Kim Jong Un’s official name was not publicly confirmed until he was appointed "General of the People’s Army" as the official successor in September 2010.
The name "Ju-ae" became known in 2013 after former NBA basketball player Dennis Rodman, invited to North Korea, told British media he had "held Ju-ae, Kim Jong Un’s daughter."
Additionally, Ryu Hyun-woo, a former North Korean deputy ambassador to Kuwait who defected in 2019, testified that Kim Jong Un told his father-in-law (Jon Il-chun, former director of Room 39 managing the Kim family’s financial reserves) that he named his daughter "Ju-ae," meaning "a beloved and cherished daughter by many."
There are other theories that her name might be Ju-ye or Ju-hye, and it is possible she changed her name after being chosen as heir, similar to Kim Jong Un, who was originally known as "Kim Jong-un," according to Kenji Fujimoto, former personal chef to former North Korean leader Kim Jong Il.
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