Hidden purpose of NK’s new holiday is to enhance image of Kim’s daughter: expert

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and his daughter Ju-ae pose with top Navy officers during their visit to the reclusive nation's Navy command, Aug. 27, the day before the anniversary of the Navy's foundation. An expert said on Monday that the regime may seek to boost the daughter's image as his successor by designating a new holiday on Nov. 18, the day she made her first public appearance in 2022. Yonhap

Nov. 18 has been designated as a new holiday in North Korea to celebrate the anniversary of the successful test launch of its Hwasong-17 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) in 2022. But the regime may have an ulterior motive for making the move, according to an analyst on Monday.

Speaking to The Korea Times, Cheong Seong-chang of the Sejong Institute, a think tank, said a hidden motive behind establishing Missile Industry Day is to boost the image of Kim Ju-ae, the first daughter of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, as his successor.

“On that day, Kim Ju-ae made her first public appearance with her father at the test site for the Hwasong-17 ICBM,” Cheong said. “But given that the Hwasong-17 is neither the first nor the latest ICBM of North Korea, the decision makes little sense.”

North Korea could have chosen another date, such as Nov. 29, the day Kim Jong-un declared the “completion” of its nuclear force in 2017 after the successful test launch of its Hwasong-15 ICBM, or it could have waited for the completion of the Hwasong-18, its first solid-fuel ICBM, he noted.

“North Korea chose that particular date mainly because its real aim is to boost her presence and build up her image as the next leader,” Cheong said. “Officially, the regime would celebrate the development of the Hwasong-17. But in doing so, it would show the public the file photos of Kim Ju-ae standing beside her father in front of the missile every year.”

To achieve that political objective, Kim Ju-ae will likely make another public appearance this month, possibly at North Korea’s launch site for its first military spy satellite, he added.

This assessment is in line with that of Unification Minister Kim Yung-ho, who said the same day that “the possibility of Kim Ju-ae’s succession should not be ruled out.”

“She has made public appearances on 16 occasions, which appears to be the expression of the (regime’s) will for succession,” Kim told reporters, adding that the political intention may have been factored into the decision regarding the date of Missile Industry Day.

North Korea’s state media reported the previous day that the Supreme People’s Assembly made the decision to celebrate the country's status as “a world-class nuclear power and the strongest ICBM possessor.”

When Kim Jong-un's daughter was revealed to the world, many experts were skeptical of the possibility of her succession in a country where female political leaders are rare. But given how she has been portrayed in state media since then, some of them have become more open to that scenario.

Park Won-gon, a professor of North Korean studies at Ewha Womans University, believes it still is too early to tell if she is the heir apparent. But he said the possibility is “evidently higher now than it was a year ago.”

However, he said the chief purpose of establishing the new holiday is to promote Kim Jong-un’s accomplishment. “This aims to cement his legacy as a leader and protector for his people, including future generations in North Korea,” Park noted.

At Monday’s press briefing, the Ministry of Unification said it is “deplorable” that Pyongyang created the holiday to celebrate the advancement of its weapons despite sanctions banning it.

“It is disappointing and deplorable that North Korea is celebrating an act that threatened the Republic of Korea as well as the international community, while blatantly violating U.N. Security Council resolutions banning its development of ballistic missiles," said Koo Byoung-sam, the ministry’s spokesman.