By: The Trek News Desk
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, accompanied by his teenage daughter, recently visited a light weapons manufacturing facility where they tested newly produced pistols. Photographs released by state media on Thursday showed both of them firing the weapons at a shooting range. The visit comes as Kim continues efforts to strengthen and modernise the country’s conventional military capabilities.
According to North Korea’s state news agency, Kim inspected a factory responsible for producing pistols and other small arms. During the visit, he reviewed a newly developed pistol that has recently entered mass production.
After trying the weapon at a shooting range, Kim reportedly described its performance as “excellent.” While the official report did not directly mention his daughter, images released by the agency showed her participating in the shooting exercise alongside senior military officials.
KCNA reported that Kim highlighted the importance of the factory in supplying pistols and other light weapons to the nation’s military and security agencies. He also called for expanding the facility’s production capacity and introducing more advanced and modern manufacturing lines.
Kim’s daughter first appeared publicly in November 2022 during a long-range missile test. She is widely believed to be Kim Ju Ae and is estimated to be around 13 years old. Since then, she has accompanied her father to several high-profile events, including military parades, industrial inspections, and a visit to Beijing in September, where Kim held his first meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in six years.
Her increasing presence at official events has led South Korean intelligence officials and analysts to speculate that Kim Jong Un may be preparing her for a future leadership role, potentially continuing the Kim family’s rule into a fourth generation.
Last month, state media also showed the young girl testing a sniper rifle during a ceremony where Kim introduced new weapons to senior officials after a ruling Workers’ Party congress outlining the country’s political and military goals for the next five years.
The latest factory inspection followed another event earlier in the week when Kim and his daughter observed the test launch of nuclear-capable cruise missiles from a naval destroyer. During that visit, Kim emphasised the need to accelerate efforts to strengthen the nuclear capabilities of North Korea’s navy.
Source: News Agencies
