North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s daughter, Ju Ae, who is widely seen as a potential heir, made her first public visit to the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, state media photographs showed on Friday. The visit, conducted on January 1 alongside her parents, marked a significant new step in Ju Ae’s growing public prominence and further fuelled speculation about her role in North Korea’s dynastic succession.
State media images released by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) showed Ju Ae walking between Kim Jong Un and his wife, Ri Sol Ju, as they paid their respects to Kim’s grandfather and father founding leader Kim Il Sung and former leader Kim Jong Il. Senior officials also attended the ceremony at the Kumsusan mausoleum, where the bodies of both late leaders lie in state.
Growing Signs of Succession Preparation
Analysts say Ju Ae’s inclusion in the high-profile visit may signal her father’s calculated move to introduce her more formally to the North Korean elite and public ahead of the upcoming ruling Workers’ Party Congress. Cheong Seong-chang, vice president at the Sejong Institute, said the appearance was “a symbolic gesture” pointing to possible steps to formalise her future role at the meeting.
Over the past three years, Ju Ae has made increasingly visible appearances in official events from military parades to state banquets often positioned at her father’s side. South Korea’s intelligence agency and several North Korea watchers have interpreted these public outings as part of Kim’s long-term effort to legitimise her as his successor in a fourth-generation leadership line.
Building the Image of a “Stable Family”
Hong Min, a senior analyst at South Korea’s Korea Institute for National Unification, noted that Pyongyang has been using these family appearances to project stability. “By showing Kim’s wife and daughter together at key events, North Korea is portraying an image of a stable, confident leadership,” he said.
Ju Ae, believed to have been born in the early 2010s, also attended this year’s New Year celebrations and accompanied her father on a September trip to Beijing her first known overseas appearance. North Korea has not disclosed her age, but observers estimate she is about 13 years old.
Questions Remain Over Formal Succession
Despite growing attention, Seoul’s Unification Ministry cautioned against premature assumptions about Ju Ae’s status. A ministry spokesperson declined to comment directly, while another official said it was “too early to say she is a successor,” noting her age and lack of any official position.
Hong Min echoed that assessment, suggesting Kim’s other children could still play undisclosed roles. “It’s practically impossible to publicly designate Kim Ju Ae, who is believed to have just turned 13, as the successor when she’s not even old enough to join the Workers’ Party,” he said.
Kim’s visit to the Kumsusan mausoleum reinforced his family’s dynastic continuity a hallmark of North Korea’s political identity since its founding. Whether Ju Ae’s appearance was symbolic or substantive remains uncertain, but her steady rise in visibility suggests that succession planning may already be underway behind the scenes.
with inputs from Reuters
