North Korea’s Kim and daughter take centre stage at military parade

North KoreaAdd to myFTGet instant alerts for this topicManage your delivery channels hereRemove from myFTNorth Korea’s Kim Jong Un and daughter take centre stage at military paradePyongyang hails ‘irreversible’ status as a nuclear power at conclusion of keynote five-yearly summitNorth Korean leader Kim Jong Un, right, and his daughter Kim Ju Ae observe a military parade in Pyongyang © KCNA/EPA/ShutterstockNorth Korea’s Kim Jong Un and daughter take centre stage at military parade on x (opens in a new window)North Korea’s Kim Jong Un and daughter take centre stage at military parade on facebook (opens in a new window)North Korea’s Kim Jong Un and daughter take centre stage at military parade on linkedin (opens in a new window)North Korea’s Kim Jong Un and daughter take centre stage at military parade on whatsapp (opens in a new window) Save North Korea’s Kim Jong Un and daughter take centre stage at military parade on x (opens in a new window)North Korea’s Kim Jong Un and daughter take centre stage at military parade on facebook (opens in a new window)North Korea’s Kim Jong Un and daughter take centre stage at military parade on linkedin (opens in a new window)North Korea’s Kim Jong Un and daughter take centre stage at military parade on whatsapp (opens in a new window) Save Daniel Tudor in SeoulPublishedFebruary 26 2026Jump to comments sectionPrint this pageUnlock the Editor’s Digest for freeRoula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.North Korea has closed its ruling party’s five-yearly congress with a monumental military parade as leader Kim Jong Un, accompanied by his leather jacket-clad daughter, projected defiance over his nuclear arsenal.The government had “permanently and irreversibly solidified” North Korea’s status as a nuclear power, state media said at the conclusion of the ninth Workers’ Party congress. Pyongyang pledged to “increase the number of nuclear weapons and expand the means and space for nuclear operation and use”, it added.Despite the defiant tone, Kim left the door open to talks with Washington, provided the US “withdraws its policy of confrontation by respecting our country’s current status”, a reference to North Korea’s nuclear stockpile.The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute estimates North Korea has about 50 warheads, with enough fissile material to produce another 40.Kim met Donald Trump three times during the US president’s first term, and has repeatedly expressed interest in a reunion after their last summit in Hanoi in 2019.Analysts have speculated about the possibility of another Trump-Kim meeting as early as April, when the US president is due to visit China.Show video infoShow video descriptionVideo descriptionNorth Korea’s Kim Jong Un and his daughter oversee a large military parade on ThursdayNorth Korea’s Kim Jong Un and his daughter oversee a large military parade on Thursday © ReutersDespite Kim’s messaging to Trump, the military parade — which included 14,000 soldiers and a fireworks show — did not showcase nuclear weapons. But signs of North Korea’s burgeoning relationship with Russia were prominently on display. Troops that fought in Moscow’s war in Ukraine were among the participating units, and Kim arrived in a Russian-made Aurus limousine gifted by Russia’s President Vladimir Putin.The North Korean leader also laid out his wider military ambitions, including “enhanced land- and submarine-launched intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) systems, various artificial intelligence unmanned attack systems, special assets to attack enemy satellites in times of crisis, highly powerful electronic warfare weapon systems to paralyse enemy command centres, and more advanced reconnaissance satellites”.Kim, who is believed to be 42, was accompanied at the parade by his daughter Kim Ju Ae, who is believed to be 13 or 14, a move that will further fuel speculation that she is being groomed for eventual leadership.“Kim intends to make her his successor,” said Koh Yu-hwan, professor emeritus at Dongguk University in Seoul. “If you look at his recent public appearances, he keeps accompanying his daughter and she is treated as the second most important person.”But Kim Yeoul-soo at the Korea Institute for Military Affairs cautioned that the Kim dynasty’s elevation of its fourth-generation leader would be a long-term project.“For North Koreans to naturally accept a woman as their leader,” he said, Kim Jong Un would need to “continue to bring her along and brainwash” his subjects. “Kim Ju Ae’s succession scheme might be unveiled at the 10th party congress when she turns 18,” he added.Soldiers marching during the military parade at the conclusion of the Workers’ Party congress in Pyongyang © KCNA via KNS/AFP via Getty ImagesThe congress also underscored Kim’s opposition to eventual reunification with South Korea, or even any sort of relationship.“There is nothing to discuss . . . [the South] will be permanently excluded from the category of ‘same people’,” state media said, using a phrase that refers to the historical ethnic and cultural ties between the Korean people.It also referred to Seoul as the “number one hostile country and an unchanging principal enemy” of North Korea.The rhetorical break with a policy of reunification, which Kim first declared in 2023, marks a striking departure from the doctrines of his father Kim Jong Il and grandfather Kim Il Sung, North Korea’s founding leader.Both had formally maintained that the two Koreas were part of a single nation destined for eventual unification under Pyongyang’s leadership.Seoul has attempted to pursue closer relations with Pyongyang under a policy of “peaceful coexistence” rather than a declared goal of reunification by absorption or other means, a stance Kim has rejected as “deceptive”.Kim Yeoul-soo of the Korea Institute for Military Affairs said the North Korean leader’s messaging reflected a strategy of “Tongmi-bongnam”, or “bypassing Seoul and engaging with the US”.Kim used the congress to solidify his hold on power, replacing 23 of the 39 members of the party’s executive presidium, elevating younger cadres he has groomed to replace those who had served under his father.Veterans such as Choe Ryong Hae, the country’s former second-ranking official, and Kim Young Chul, a former party vice-chair and head of the country’s intelligence agency who is often referred to as an expert on South Korea, lost their seats in the shake-up.Kim’s sister Kim Yo Jong, who has emerged as a vocal proxy for her brother, particularly in defending North Korea against its enemies, was promoted to a ministerial level. She also retained her position as an alternate member of the Politburo.Additional reporting by Kang Buseong in SeoulReuse this content (opens in new window) CommentsJump to comments section Follow the topics in this article North Korea nuclear tensions Add to myFT Government of North Korea Add to myFT Kim Jong Un Add to myFT North Korea Add to myFT Kim Ju Ae Add to myFT Comments