SEOUL (Reuters) -North Korean leader Kim Jong Un attended a military parade in China on Wednesday to celebrate the formal surrender of Japan in World War Two, marking a rare overseas trip for the reclusive leader.
Kim walked side by side with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin ahead of other foreign leaders as they entered the parade ground on Wednesday.
Here are details of the North Koreans seen with Kim since he left North Korea by train to visit China this week.
KIM JU AE
Kim brought his teenage daughter with him for her first public outing overseas. North Korea has never revealed her name or age, but South Korean intelligence officials believe she is the daughter identified as Ju Ae by former American basketball player Dennis Rodman.
She was photographed standing behind Kim when he arrived in Beijing and her presence will fuel further speculation that she may be Kim’s potential successor in the family’s dynastic rule of North Korea.
CHOE SON HUI
Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui is one of the few North Korean women to hold high office. She was appointed in 2022, having previously been the first vice minister of foreign affairs.
Choe has been one of the very few officials closely involved in North Korea’s diplomacy on weapons development for more than 20 years, dating from the early days of its nuclear programme.
Choe was seen during Kim Jong Un’s previous high-profile meetings with other world leaders, including summits with U.S. President Donald Trump during Trump’s first term.
State media mentioned her by name as one of the officials travelling with Kim.
KIM SONG NAM
Kim Song Nam is the director of the International Affairs Department of the sole ruling Workers’ Party of Korea, which manages party-to-party ties with China’s ruling Communist Party.
In that position, he is Kim Jong Un’s lead adviser and point man on China-North Korea relations, said Michael Madden, a North Korea leadership expert with the U.S.-based Stimson Center.
Kim Song Nam has been an interpreter for all three members of the ruling dynasty, including Kim Jong Un’s father and grandfather, in interactions with Chinese leaders, Madden said.
A state media photograph showed him sitting alongside Kim Jong Un and Choe on Kim’s train.
KIM TOK HUN
A secretary of the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea, Kim Tok Hun is a former premier who led economic and internal affairs.
In January, he also became chairman of the budget committee of the legislature, the Supreme People’s Assembly, said South Korea’s Unification Ministry, which handles inter-Korean affairs.
Kim is a rare rags-to-riches story in North Korea, having been a factory manager in his early career before rising to the top ruling echelon, analysts have said.
Kim was photographed in Beijing when Kim Jong Un arrived.
JO YONG WON
In 2022, Jo Yong Won became the director of the organisation and guidance department of the ruling party, a powerful body that governs nearly every aspect of life in North Korea.
It handles personnel changes in party organisations and the direction of policy implementation.
A 2017 U.N. resolution placed Jo under an international travel ban and asset freeze after a series of missile tests by North Korea.
In 2019, Jo was on Kim’s long train trip to Vietnam for a summit with Trump.
State media did not mention Jo or his name for several weeks this year, setting off speculation about his standing, before he featured again in July.
Jo was photographed in Beijing when Kim arrived.
HYON SONG WOL
Hyon Song Wol is a Workers’ Party of Korea official believed to be a close aide of Kim.
A former singer and art troupe leader, Hyon gained international recognition when she led a North Korean art troupe to South Korea during the 2018 Winter Olympics.
She is believed to oversee Kim’s protocol and event-related affairs, and is thought to be a vice director of the propaganda and agitation department, according to South Korea’s Unification Ministry. Her position is similar to Kim’s sister, Kim Yo Jong.
She also accompanied Kim during his 2019 summit with Trump in Vietnam.
South Korea’s National Intelligence Service said on Tuesday that Hyon was on the trip and she appeared to be visible in footage of Kim’s arrival in Beijing.
JU CHANG IL
Ju Chang Il is the director of the propaganda and agitation department of the Workers’ Party of Korea, according to South Korea’s Unification Ministry.
His department engages in or is responsible for censorship and since 2024 Ju has faced U.S. sanctions.
Ju was seen in the corner of one photograph taken when Kim arrived at Beijing.
(Reporting by Joyce Lee, Josh Smith and Jack Kim; Editing by Ed Davies, Clarence Fernandez and Michael Perry)
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