Kim Jong Un Parades Daughter At Mausoleum Visit

North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un rang in the New Year not with diplomacy or reform but with dynasty. On January 1, he appeared alongside his daughter, Ju Ae, during a highly symbolic visit to the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, where the bodies of his father and grandfather both brutal communist rulers lie embalmed.

State media broadcast images of Ju Ae standing between her parents in the palace's central hall, signaling, once again, that the young girl is being groomed for something far beyond ordinary childhood. Though her exact age remains unconfirmed, South Korean intelligence believes she is roughly 12 or 13 years old.

The regime’s decision to repeatedly feature Ju Ae in state media and even on foreign trips has sent a clear message to both domestic and international audiences: the dynasty will continue.

This is not just another photo op. It’s part of a carefully orchestrated effort by the hermit kingdom to reinforce its dynastic dictatorship, rooted in three generations of absolute power:

• Kim Il Sung, the founding tyrant, is still referred to as the “Eternal President” despite dying in 1994.

• Kim Jong Il, his son, continued the regime’s legacy of famine, purges, and nuclear ambitions.

• Kim Jong Un, the current leader, has executed family members, built a nuclear arsenal, and now appears to be preparing his daughter to take the reins.

Analysts believe Ju Ae’s growing presence she even accompanied her father on a trip to Beijing last September is not coincidental. In tightly controlled regimes like North Korea, nothing appears in state media without purpose.

The seeds of her future role may have been planted earlier than most realized. Retired NBA player Dennis Rodman, during his infamous visit to Pyongyang in 2013, let slip in an interview that he had “held the baby Ju Ae,” calling Kim “a good dad.” The regime never confirmed this at the time, but it's now clear that the girl Rodman held may one day hold the nuclear codes.

Critics have also raised concerns about the psychological toll this level of exposure and pressure will take on a child. Parenting expert Kirsty Ketley noted that molding a child into a political figure at such a young age is likely to have long-lasting mental health effects.

But human rights concerns rarely figure into Pyongyang’s calculations.

What matters in the eyes of the regime is the survival of the Kim bloodline, no matter how many North Koreans starve or how many dissidents are tortured to preserve it.

The world should take note: North Korea isn’t just keeping the lights on it’s preparing for the next generation of tyranny.

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