SEOUL, Feb 28 - North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un presented new-generation sniper rifles to senior party and military figures at a ceremony held at the Workers’ Party of Korea headquarters, state media reported.
According to the state account, Kim met with leading cadres and commanding officers and distributed rifles developed and produced by the country’s Academy of Defence Science. Kim was quoted as saying: "As was already made public, this new-generation sniper’s rifle our Academy of Defence Science developed and produced is really a wonderful weapon." The handing out of the weapons was made in connection with the Ninth Congress of the party.
Recipients named by state media included members of the party’s Central Military Commission, senior commanders of the Korean People’s Army and guard units. The report also singled out Kim’s sister, Kim Yo Jong, identifying her for the first time as director of the General Affairs Department of the party’s Central Committee.
Photographs released alongside the report showed Kim’s daughter, identified in state media as Ju Ae and believed to be in her early teens, attending the gift presentation and later aiming a rifle at a firing range. The state coverage noted her increased visibility in recent appearances with Kim, including involvement in inspections of weapons projects.
Analysts mentioned in state and public commentary have speculated that Ju Ae may be being groomed as a fourth-generation leader, a point the state images and her public role have fueled. South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS) was cited as saying that her prominence in public settings indicates she has begun to provide policy input and that she is being treated as the de facto second-highest leader.
State media also published an image of Kim Yo Jong holding a rifle alongside Hyon Song Wol, an aide described in the report as close to the leader’s wife. The public distribution of weapons and the accompanying photographs were presented as part of the activities surrounding the party gathering.
The week-long Ninth Congress concluded with a military parade, according to the state account. The series of events - the rifle presentations, the images published by state media and the parade - were reported as elements of the party congress activities.
Context and reporting note
The information in this report is drawn from accounts and photographs released by the North Korean state news service and from assessments attributed to South Korea’s National Intelligence Service as set out in the public report.