April 7, 2026

It seems like a familiar rite of passage: a dad teaching his daughter to drive. Except in this case, the girl is at the helm of a hulking battle tank, her head sticking out from the driver’s hatch, while the father — the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un — reclines on the hull behind her.

The video and photographs of the girl, Kim Ju-ae, who is believed to be around 13, apparently driving the heavily armed vehicle during a military exercise, were published last month by North Korean state media. It was the latest in a series of public appearances that have fueled speculation that she is being groomed to succeed her father.

Kim Jong-un’s teenage daughter is now being paraded atop North Korea’s war machine — literally. New images show Kim Ju-ae, believed to be about 13, driving a tank while her father rides on the hull, a striking display that has supercharged speculation she is being groomed as his successor. South Korea’s spy agency now believes she has officially been chosen to inherit power, lawmakers say, citing what they called credible intelligence. In a regime where symbolism is strategy, the message is blunt: the succession race may already be underway.

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