North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, left, fires a sniper rifle as his daughter, Ju-ae, second left, looks on at an undisclosed location in North Korea in a photo released on Saturday. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s daughter, Ju-ae, fires a sniper rifle at an undisclosed location in a photo released on Saturday. South Korea’s spy agency last month said that Pyongyang appears to have started the process of designating Ju-ae as leader Kim Jong-un’s successor. KCNA also said that Kim Jong-un’s powerful sister, Kim Yo-jong would head the North Korean Workers’ Party’s general affairs department — a role analysts describe as akin to a party secretary-general. The Kim family has ruled North Korea with an iron grip for decades, and a cult of personality surrounding their “Paektu bloodline” dominates daily life in the isolated country.

Source: Taipei Times March 01, 2026 17:16 UTC