Sister or daughter: Is there a power struggle in Kim Jong Un’s family?

Who will succeed North Korean leader Kim Jong Un — his sister, who is gradually gaining more formal power, or his daughter, who is gaining more media exposure? Deutsche Welle writes.

Kim Yo Jong, the sister of the current leader, was promoted to the ministerial-level position of party director at the Ninth Congress of North Korea’s ruling Workers’ Party.

She was also nominated as a candidate for the Politburo — the elite party body reporting to Kim Jong Un.

At the same time, the North Korean leader seems to be making moves that would put his daughter Kim Ju Ae — believed to be 13 years old — as next in line to one day hold power. She has been appearing along her father’s side at high-profile events, including the nighttime military parade last Wednesday.

Kim Jong Un’s efforts to push his daughter to the forefront could trigger a power struggle with her powerful aunt, a former deputy chief of South Korean National Intelligence Service said.

However, another former South Korean intelligence official told DW that such speculation of a power struggle is “a hypothetical scenario with low credibility.”

The official notes that public appearances with Kim Ju Ae are mostly symbolic — to show continuity and the future generation under Kim Jong Un’s leadership.