This photo, published by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency, shows Kim Jong-un, left, standing beside his daughter during their visit to an air force command in November, 2023. Yonhap
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is attempting to extend his hereditary power into a fourth generation, but a military coup over the matter is unlikely, a former North Korean diplomat said Monday.
Ri Il-gyu, a former political affairs counselor at the North Korean Embassy in Cuba who defected to South Korea last year, made the point in his presentation materials for a discussion in Seoul on North Korea's human rights.
In recent years, the North's Kim has frequently had his daughter, believed to be Ju-ae, accompany him at major public events, sparking speculation that he may be grooming her to succeed him as the next leader.
Ri described the public appearances of Kim's daughter and the media's use of the term "respected" for her as an "apparent intention" to solidify a four-generation transfer of his hereditary rule to his offspring.
Younger generations in North Korea, exposed to South Korean pop culture and other influences, may oppose the third hereditary power transfer. However, Kim, fully aware of this, is intensifying public scrutiny and control, he argued.
"As long as there is no emergency incident, such as Kim Jong-un's death or a military attack from outside, the Kim regime may retain its relative stability," Ri noted.
He also said it is too early to confirm the daughter as Kim's successor, adding that Kim may be using her public appearances to send a clear message to the public that his offspring will inherit his leadership.
South Korea's spy agency said in January that Ju-ae appears to be Kim's "most likely successor," marking the agency's first assessment of her possible succession in the reclusive regime. (Yonhap)
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