Teenage girl takes charge of North Korea's nuclear forces

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un appointed his teenage daughter to a senior position in the Missile Administration. The department oversees North Korea's nuclear forces, reports the South Korean publication The Chosun Daily.

The publication refers to a high-ranking government official who has intelligence data. The girl's name is believed to be Kim Joo Ae and she is currently 13 years old.

Experts studying the internal political situation of the DPRK noted that the girl began to often accompany Kim Jong-un at public events. She also attended missile test launches. The publication notes that after this there were suggestions that it was Kim Ju-ae who was chosen as the favorite as the successor to the supreme leader.

Then the girl was promoted to the position of director of the rocket bureau. As Newsweek adds , the next step in the hierarchy of the North Korean political ladder for Kim Ju-ae will be the post of Commander-in-Chief of the Korean People's Army.

According to The Chosun Daily, the daughter of the Supreme Leader of the DPRK already participates in briefings with generals, and in some cases even gives them orders, although this should be done by Chang Chang Ha, who has officially served as the Director of the Missile Administration since the end of 2023.

Journalists, citing a source, suggest that it is Kim Ju-ae who is now the main contender for the post of Kim Jong-un. At the same time, analysts note that the struggle for power could significantly change the roles of the main characters in North Korea. Jong Un's sister, Kim Yo Jong, is still extremely powerful.

Kim Jong-un himself on Sunday, February 22, 2026, was re-elected to the post of Secretary General of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea. He has held this post for 15 years.

Photo: Korean Central News Agency