North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un toured a domestic light munitions factory on Wednesday, March 11, accompanied by his teenage daughter, according to images released by the country’s state-run Korean Central News Agency.
State media identified the facility as a factory producing pistols and other light arms, though it did not specify the location of the plant.
During the visit, Kim reviewed a newly manufactured pistol that had recently entered production at the facility.
Kim and his daughter proceeded to a shooting range inside the factory, where both fired the new handgun alongside senior military officials.
After testing the weapon, Kim rated it “excellent,” according to the agency.
Notably, the agency did not mention the presence of Kim’s daughter in its text report, but its photos showed her firing a pistol along with senior military officials.
NBC News reported that Kim declared the factory was crucial for supplying pistols and other light arms to the military and security forces, and urged expanded capacity and more modern production lines.
The factory inspection came just one day after a separate high-profile military event.
Kim and his daughter watched the test launch of what state media described as nuclear-capable cruise missiles from a naval destroyer, as Kim called for speeding up the nuclear armament of his navy.
The visit to the factory took place a day after Kim Jong Un oversaw the launch of strategic cruise missiles from the Choe Hyon destroyer over the Yellow Sea, in direct response to the joint Freedom
Shield military exercises between South Korea and the United States, which were being conducted from March 9 to 19.
State media images showed the pair, donning matching leather jackets — often seen as a symbol of power in North Korea — being briefed by officials as they inspected the facility.
Kim’s daughter, believed to be named Kim Ju Ae and about 13, has accompanied her father to a growing number of events since first appearing in public at a long-range missile test in November 2022, including military displays, factory openings, and a September trip to Beijing, where Kim Jong Un held his first summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in six years.
The National Intelligence Service of South Korea confirmed in February 2026 that Kim Jong Un positions her as the most prominent figure after the regime’s leader. According to NIS analysts, the young girl has made over 50 public appearances, with 70 percent of them taking place in military facilities.
A South Korean government official stated that she is being briefed by senior generals and, in some cases, is already issuing directions that could supersede the current missile chief, Jang Chang Ha.
Her increasingly prominent public appearances have prompted South Korean intelligence officials and experts to assess that Kim Jong Un is likely grooming her as a future leader to extend the family dynasty into a fourth generation.
State media last month showed the girl testing a sniper rifle as Kim presented the weapons to senior officials following a ruling party congress where he issued his major political and military goals for the next five years.
NBC reported that Lim Eul-chul, a North Korea expert at South Korea’s Kyungnam University, stated that “it appears the regime is trying to cultivate the image of a strong and formidable woman.”
The Kim family has ruled North Korea with an iron grip for decades, and a cult of personality surrounding their “Paektu bloodline” dominates daily life in the isolated country.
