Following a major week-long political gathering in North Korea, leader Kim Jong Un distributed sniper rifles to high-ranking government and military leaders, according to state media reports. The ceremony included striking images of his teenage daughter handling firearms at a shooting range, further intensifying questions about whether she’s being positioned as his eventual replacement.
The rifle presentation took place Friday, with Kim describing the weapons as symbols of his “absolute trust” and appreciation for officials’ dedication during the five years since the previous Workers’ Party congress in 2021, the Korean Central News Agency reported Saturday.
The gathering also resulted in a promotion for Kim’s sister, Kim Yo Jong, who now holds the position of general affairs director within the party’s central committee. This new role expands her responsibilities to include overseeing internal party operations and administrative functions, building on her recent work as a key spokesperson addressing Washington and Seoul.
State media photographs captured Kim Yo Jong and other senior officials testing the rifles distributed by Kim Jong Un at the shooting facility. His young daughter, dressed in a brown leather jacket matching her father’s style, was also photographed using one of the weapons as smoke emerged from its barrel.
The girl, reportedly named Kim Ju Ae and approximately 13 years old, first appeared publicly during a long-range missile demonstration in November 2022. Since then, she has joined her father at an expanding array of events, including military displays, factory visits, and a September trip to Beijing where Kim Jong Un met with Chinese President Xi Jinping for their first face-to-face meeting in six years.
The political congress wrapped up Wednesday in Pyongyang after seven days of meetings. These gatherings represent North Korea’s most important political occasions, occurring every five years since 2016, and serve as elaborate productions celebrating Kim’s authority before thousands of party delegates.
During this year’s sessions, Kim reinforced his commitment to expanding North Korea’s nuclear weapons program, which currently includes multiple systems capable of threatening the United States and its Asian partners. He also maintained his confrontational position toward South Korea.
However, Kim indicated openness to potential talks with the U.S., repeating Pyongyang’s previous position that Washington must drop its demands for North Korean nuclear disarmament before meaningful negotiations can resume.
South Korean intelligence officials and analysts carefully examined the congress for indications that Kim might be preparing to continue the family’s dynastic control into a fourth generation by establishing his daughter as his heir. This month, South Korea’s intelligence service concluded that Kim Jong Un appears close to officially naming her as his successor.
While the girl didn’t participate in party meetings during the congress, she appeared alongside her father at Wednesday night’s military parade that marked the event’s conclusion. Despite expectations that she might receive an official party position during the congress, no such announcement occurred, and party regulations require members to be at least 18 years old.
Some analysts suggest that if Kim Jong Un intended to use the congress to strengthen his daughter’s succession prospects, the indicators would likely be indirect, such as celebratory declarations about North Korea’s resilience and attributing that strength to successful leadership transitions within the socialist system.
In a Thursday assessment of the congress, North Korean state media declared that the meetings “laid a solid foundation for the sacred effort to ensure and realize the glorious succession and development of our party.”
