North Korea has released new images of Kim Jong Un at a shooting range with his teenage daughter, widely believed to be Kim Ju Ae, in what analysts see as a fresh effort to present her as a possible successor.
The photos show her handling and apparently firing a sniper rifle, alongside her father and his powerful sister Kim Yo Jong, after Kim gifted “new generation” rifles to senior commanders in praise of their loyalty to the ruling Workers’ Party.
CNN’s review of several of the 27 images suggests that one photo of the girl firing the weapon may have been altered using AI, highlighting how digital manipulation is increasingly part of Pyongyang’s propaganda toolkit. The event blended military pomp with family imagery to project strength and continuity.
The event followed a key party congress at which Kim’s leadership was unanimously endorsed and Kim Yo Jong’s status was elevated. However, much of the attention focused on his daughter’s growing public role and what it signals about dynastic succession in the secretive nuclear-armed state.
Succession implications
Experts note Ju Ae’s repeated public appearances, including prior missile tests and parades, signal her rising profile in a male-dominated dynastic system. Her presence alongside top officials like Kim Yo Jong—recently elevated at a party congress—fuels speculation she could be groomed for power. Yet, one photo appears digitally manipulated, possibly with AI, underscoring North Korea’s evolving propaganda tactics.
Broader context
The display comes amid internal party endorsements of Kim’s rule and external tensions over the nuclear program. While Ju Ae’s youth raises questions about timelines, the imagery reinforces the Kim family’s grip on the isolated nation’s future.
Kim Ju Ae has appeared alongside her father at multiple missile tests and prominent Workers’ Party gatherings, heightening talk that she may become the fourth leader in the Kim dynasty, which has controlled North Korea since prior to the 1950 Korean War outbreak.
South Korea’s intelligence service stated in February that the North Korean leader has begun the process of designating her as his heir.
Pyongyang has issued no formal statement on her future, yet the recent photo depicting her firing a sniper rifle has dramatically increased international scrutiny of her potential path to power.