World

N Korea's Kim, teen daughter pictured driving new tank

Mar 20, 2026

North Korea's Kim Jong-un and his daughter aboard a tank — A state media photo shows Kim Jong-un and his daughter aboard a tank at a Pyongyang training base. -EPA

North ‌Korean leader Kim Jong-un's teenage daughter drove an army tank ‌with her father sitting behind her in photos from state ‌news agency KCNA, with analysts suggesting she may be training to succeed him.

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Kim's daughter, known as Ju Ae and believed to be around 13, has been ‌making increasingly ‌frequent ⁠public appearances with her father in recent months.

In the latest photos, she is seen looking out the driver's hatch with an expression of intent focus and her hair blowing, while her grinning father leans against the turret and ⁠three uniformed military officers sit ‌on the hull.

Earlier this month, she was seen at a firing range aiming ‌a rifle, and on a separate occasion was photographed shooting a handgun.

There has been no official confirmation by the North of her name or age.

Kim on Thursday supervised a drill of a new type of tank, which demonstrated superior ‌offensive and defensive capabilities against drones and anti-tank missiles, according to the KCNA report.

Kim has in recent years pursued the modernisation of the country's conventional weapons, including tactical missiles, alongside the development of a strategic arsenal that includes long-range ballistic missiles and nuclear ⁠weapons.