Kim Jong-un reappears in public with his heiress daughter
North Korean state media have started calling Kim Joo Ae, the heiress, “respected” and “beloved,” after she went out with her father for the seventh time and participated in laying the foundation for new homes with him.
Amid rumors of grooming his daughter as his successor, Kim Jong Un continues to promote his daughter Kim Joo Ae by involving her in public events, such as laying the foundation for a new housing complex in Pyongyang.
Despite predictions of another crisis and famine in North Korea, Kim Jong-un mobilized young workers to start a housing project in Pyongyang’s Sopo area, aiming to build 50,000 houses in the DPRK capital.
Kim Jong-un and his daughter Kim Joo-ae participated in the groundbreaking ceremony.
Kim Jong-un took his daughter to a football game celebrating his late father’s birthday last week.
Kim Joo Ae visited the military parade on February 9 with her father and attended the solemn banquet dedicated to the 75th anniversary of the founding of the country’s army.
Zhu E, believed to be around 11 years old, has been referred to as “respected” and “beloved” in the state media.
Zhu E made her debut appearance in November last year, accompanying her father to meetings with military scientists and missile inspections, in addition to attending ICBM flight tests.
Before that, no one knew about Zhu E's existence, although basketball player Dennis Rodman, who visited the DPRK, mentioned that he was introduced to a little girl, the daughter of Kim Jong-un.
It is believed that Kim Jong-un and his wife Ri Sol-ju have three children. However, their other daughter and son have never been seen in public.
Kim revealed a plan to construct 50,000 new homes in Pyongyang by 2025, and state media reported the completion of the first 10,000 new apartments last year, including an 80-story skyscraper.
He organized youth labor units called Dolgekde or “Shock Brigade” to build houses.
Amid warnings of a worsening food crisis in the DPRK, Kim Jong-un's housing project came shortly after South Korea reported a surge in starvation-related deaths in some rural regions of North Korea.
While North Korea did not acknowledge the food shortage, the ruling party scheduled an end of February meeting to discuss agricultural development, calling it “a very important and urgent task.”
Kim Jong-un stated that the new housing project will be “another proud page in the history of youth movements” and a symbol of the socialist revolution and “political struggle” in the country.
He added, “This will clearly prove to the world how our movement and struggle is moving forward and developing, even in the face of the most difficult trials and difficulties.”
