Kim Jong Un has recently been seen bringing his preteen daughter, Kim Ju-Ae, to a missile launch and a military parade, leading to speculation that he is announcing her as his successor. However, upon closer examination of the photos, it is clear that Kim Ju-Ae is not being framed as a strong leader, but rather as a doting and devoted kid. Additionally, for North Korea to have a woman leader would be a major departure from the past. It is more likely that Kim Jong Un is using his daughter to send a message to North Koreans and to the outside world, a message that countless other authoritarian leaders have used before - to focus on the trust between a child and a parent, and to put aside major concerns about food insecurity, secret political prisons, torture, repression, and extrajudicial killings.