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North Korea propaganda experts believe that the face of leader Kim Jong-un ’s daughter has been secretly unveiled.
The experts in China believe the girl – tentatively identified as Kim Ju-ae, the dictator’s only known child – appeared on stage at the country’s National Day celebrations earlier this month.
There was something in particular that made her stand out, as she was one of several children performing a song for Kim Jong-un and his wife, Ri Sol-ju, experts say.
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One analyst on the InDPRK blog, writing under the alias Samhero, noted how Ri Sol-ju reaches for this particular girl at the end of the show.
She places her hand on the child’s back and is seen talking to her personally, only breaking off when she needs to move another girl out of her husband’s path.
And when the other children huddle around Kim, jumping with excitement, she appears calmer, even grabbing another girl’s arm to hold her back when she follows him too closely.
The analyst saw further clues during the actual performance itself: the camera focuses on her as the singing begins, lingering for several seconds, before returning to her again and again.
Her appearance also makes her stands out – she is the only girl wearing her hair down, and the only one donning white socks.
Furthermore, the Kims themselves seem very invested in the performance – at one point the camera cuts directly from the beaming first family to a close-up of the girl.
Michael Madden, an expert on the North Korean elite, said Kim’s daughter would be close to ten-years-old in 2022, which is about the age of the girl shown in state media footage.
He added that Ri Sol-ju had made multiple TV appearances before she was ever identified as part of the first family.
“Madame Ri appeared on North Korean television on several occasions as a singer, sometimes as a soloist, at concerts,” he said.
“These appearances occurred prior to her July 2012 identification as Kim Jong-un’s wife.”
But he emphasised that making his daughter too public could carry risks for Kim.
Mr Madden said: “When Kim Jong-un was a child and teenager, he was kept cloistered from all but the top North Korean elites who had close family or personal relationships to his father.
“North Korean elites could not interact with him or his siblings without his father’s approval.
“Potential adversaries among North Korean elites, if aware of the identities of the leader’s children, could present a vulnerability.
“This applied to Kim Jong-un when he was growing and could very well apply to his own children.”
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