North Korea’s Kim gifts rifles to officials and his daughter takes aim after party congress

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SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un gifted new sniper rifles to top government and military officials following a weeklong ruling party congress celebrating his leadership, with state media highlighting an image of his teenage daughter taking aim at a shooting range as her increasingly prominent appearances fuel speculation Kim is grooming her as a future leader.

Kim presented the rifles to senior party and military officials on Friday, calling them a sign of his “absolute trust” and gratitude for their commitment over the past five years since the last Workers’ Party congress in 2021, North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency said Saturday.

The report also confirmed Kim’s powerful sister, Kim Yo Jong, who in recent years has served as his fierce spokesperson toward Washington and Seoul, now serves as the general affairs director of the party’s central committee following a promotion at the congress. Her new title signals a broader role overseeing the party’s internal operations and administrative affairs.

State media photos showed Kim Yo Jong and other top officials aiming the rifles handed out by Kim Jong Un at a shooting range. Kim’s young daughter, wearing a brown leather coat similar to her father’s, also was seen handling the weapon as smoke rose from the barrel.

Since first appearing in public at a long-range missile test in November 2022, the girl — believed to be named Kim Ju Ae and about 13 years old — has accompanied her father to a growing number of events, including military demonstrations, factory openings and a trip to Beijing in September, where Kim Jong Un held his first summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in six years.

The party congress, which concluded Wednesday in Pyongyang after seven days, is North Korea’s most significant political event, held every five years since 2016, and a carefully choreographed spectacle glorifying Kim's leadership before thousands of delegates.

At this year’s meetings, Kim doubled down on his plans to accelerate North Korea's nuclear arsenal, which already is equipped with various weapons systems threatening the United States and U.S. allies in Asia, and confirmed his hard-line view of rival South Korea.

But he also left the door open for dialogue with the U.S., reiterating Pyongyang’s earlier stance calling for Washington to abandon demands for the North’s denuclearization as a precondition for resuming long-stalled dialogue.

South Korean officials and experts closely monitored the congress for signs Kim was preparing to extend the family's dynastic rule to a fourth generation by cementing his daughter as successor. Earlier this month, South Korea’s spy agency said it assessed Kim Jong Un was close to designating her as heir.

She was not seen at party meetings during the congress but shared center stage with her father at a military parade Wednesday night marking its conclusion. Despite speculation she might receive a formal party post at the congress, state media reports indicated no such move and party rules require members to be at least 18.

Some experts say if Kim Jong Un sought to use the congress to solidify his daughter as successor, the signals would likely be subtle, such as self-congratulatory statements about North Korea’s survival and crediting that endurance to the successful inheritance of the socialist cause.

In a report assessing the congress on Thursday, North Korean state media said the meetings “laid a solid foundation for the sacred effort to ensure and realize the glorious succession and development of our party.”