LEADER Kim Jong-un and his teenage daughter fired pistols during an inspection of a light munitions factory, state media photos showed, as he pushes to modernise conventional forces after years of focusing on nuclear weapons.
North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said Jong-un visited a factory producing pistols and other light arms a day earlier and reviewed a new pistol that recently entered production.
After testing the weapon at a shooting range, Jong-un rated it “excellent”, the agency said.
The agency did not mention the presence of Jong-un’s daughter in its text report, but its photos showed her firing a pistol along with senior military officials.
Jong-un said the factory was crucial for supplying pistols and other light arms to the military and security forces and urged expanded capacity and more modern production lines,.
Since first appearing in public at a long-range missile test in November 2022, Jong-un’s daughter – believed to be named Kim Ju-ae and about 13 – has accompanied her father to a growing number of events, including military displays, factory openings and a September trip to Beijing, where Jong-un held his first summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in six years.
Her increasingly prominent public appearances have prompted South Korean intelligence officials and experts to assess that Jong-un is likely grooming her as a future leader to extend the family dynasty into a fourth generation.
State media last month showed the girl testing a sniper rifle as Jong-un presented the weapons to senior officials following a ruling party congress where he issued his major political and military goals for the next five years.
The visit to the pistol factory followed an inspection Tuesday in which Jong-un and his daughter watched the test launch of what state media described as nuclear-capable cruise missiles from a naval destroyer as Jong-un called for speeding up the nuclear armament of his navy. — AP
