North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has brought his daughter and possible heir, Kim Ju Ae, to Beijing to attend a major military parade. The trip marks the teenager’s first known international appearance and is being viewed by analysts as a clear signal of her growing importance in North Korea’s succession planning.
First introduced to the public in 2022 at an intercontinental ballistic missile launch, Kim Ju Ae’s public profile has steadily risen. She has since attended multiple North Korean weapons tests alongside her father. While state media has never officially named her, South Korean intelligence identifies her as Ju Ae, the daughter of Kim and his wife, Ri Sol Ju. Former NBA star Dennis Rodman was the first to reveal her existence to the world during a 2013 visit.
In recent years, state media has referred to her as “the beloved child” or “the esteemed child,” and footage has shown adults bowing deeply before her. During public appearances, she has often been seen walking ahead of her powerful aunt, Kim Yo Jong, and her mother, linking arms with her father and even entering a car before him.
Her public image also suggests a taste for luxury, as she has been seen in Gucci sunglasses and Cartier watches, at times mirroring her father’s distinctive style with matching leather jackets.
A formal debut on the world stage
Analysts view the Beijing trip as a “formal debut on foreign soil” and possibly the “final gateway toward succession.” Yang Moo-jin, a former president of the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul, noted that her appearances have transitioned from domestic military and diplomatic events to a high-level visit with a key ally.
Lim Eul-chul, a professor at Kyungnam University, echoed this sentiment, stating that the trip is not a “simple family trip but in effect a ‘debut as successor.'” He pointed out that past North Korean heirs, including Kim Jong Un’s father, have consolidated their status through visits to China.
Could she really be the next leader?
In 2024, South Korea’s National Intelligence Service acknowledged for the first time that Kim Ju Ae is the most likely successor. This came as a surprise to some, as North Korea’s male-dominated society had long led analysts to believe her candidacy was “premature.”
However, her public appearances tell a different story. Cheong Seong-chang of Seoul’s Sejong Institute noted that at a military parade, Ju Ae’s white horse appeared second only to her father’s. The release of stamps featuring the pair and footage of high officials kneeling before her are also seen as evidence of her role as the chosen successor.
AFP
