North Korea’s state propaganda vehicles, including the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) and state television, published images on Friday of Kim Ju-ae, the tween daughter of communist dictator Kim Jong-un, appearing to drive a military tank.
The images were part of a larger report on Kim Jong-un attending an “offensive tactical drill” to test the ability of an allegedly new line of tanks to resist drone and missile attacks. Military experts told South Korean media that the development of these new models could be the application of experience that the North Korean military is acquiring from its role in aiding the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Kim Jong-un revealed in April 2025 that he had approved the deployment of North Korean soldiers to Kursk, Russia, a border area that Ukraine had counter-invaded in 2024. Ukrainian forces had revealed evidence of a North Korean presence in the war months before this admission.
According to KCNA, the flagship news outlet of the communist regime, Kim and his daughter visited a training base on Thursday to watch and, apparently, participate in a drill “aimed at getting familiar with the coordinated order and combat methods in the tactical sub-units’ offensive action.”
“When the tactical drill was launched, various kinds of attack drones struck the enemy’s commanding base and anti-armor firing positions on the basis of real-time reconnaissance data,” KCNA claimed, adding that the tanks in question allegedly “intercepted 100 percent anti-tank missiles and drones attacking it from different positions and directions to clearly prove the efficiency of its superior active protection system.”
Kim Jong-un reportedly issued comments declaring that the drills are necessary in the face of the potential of “an actual war.”
“Saying that the new-type main battle tank, which made its debut to demonstrate the amazing combat efficiency again, is very superior,” KCNA reported, “he added this is unequalled in the world in its striking power and mobility and, especially, self-defence capacity. Our army will be equipped with such most powerful tanks, he said with pride.”
KCNA’s English-language coverage did not mention the presence of Ju-ae, believed to be about 12 or 13 years old. Footage from the tank testing appears to show her, however, driving a tank while her father rides alongside her.
The South Korean newspaper Korea JoongAng Daily observed that the date of the test corresponded to the last day of the annual “Freedom Shield” exercises conducted jointly by Seoul and Washington, which Pyongyang always vocally objects to. Military experts speaking to the newspaper identified the tanks in the photos as having first debuted in a military parade in October.
“The drill is notable in that it presents a North Korean response to drones and anti-tank missiles, which have reshaped modern warfare,” Lim Eul-chul, a professor at Kyungnam University’s Institute for Far Eastern Studies, told JoongAng. “The new technologies applied to the tank appear to be the result of data and technological exchanges gained through participation in the Russia-Ukraine war.”
The choice to highlight the younger Kim in a position of actively engaging in wartime activities follows reports from South Korean intelligence that Kim Jong-un has already made the decision to choose her as his successor. North Korea, one of the most repressive communist regimes in the world, has since its founding forced its people via threat of execution to worship the Kim family, beginning with founder Kim Il-sung, Kim Jong-un’s grandfather. While power has been handed down from Kim Il-sung to Kim Jong-il to his son, Kim Jong-un, the current dictator did not make many any such public appearances as a child and is believed instead to have been secretly shipped away to Europe for education. The situation with Ju-ae is unprecedented in that she is so prominent in North Korean propaganda, appears to be receiving a domestic education, and is the first female placed in such a high position of respect in the Kim family cult.
“The release of images showing Ju-ae firing weapons and riding a tank appears to be part of a sophisticated propaganda effort to portray the next leader as a ‘military prodigy’ well-versed in modern warfare,” Lim, the professor speaking to JoongAng, told the newspaper. “It signals a transition from a mere observer to a ‘warrior’ and ‘commander,’ reinforcing the narrative of succession.”
Kim Ju-ae has become a regular participant in her father’s military propaganda activities. Last week, the younger Kim joined her father at an event to mark the testing of “600mm-calibre ultra-precision multiple rocket launchers,” which North Korean state media claimed went perfectly. Shortly before that, state media published photos of Kim and her father at a shooting range, testing homemade firearms.
While North Korea’s government regularly threatens South Korea, Japan, and the United States, Kim Jong-un has not engaged in any especially escalatory behavior since the return of President Donald Trump to the White House in January 2025. Trump met with Kim on three occasions and the two, according to both American sources and North Korean media, enjoyed a positive personal relationship. Kim notably sent Trump well-wishes following the failed assassination attempt against him in 2024.
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