The presence of Kim Jong-un’s daughter in China ahead of Xi Jinping’s military parade in Beijing has sparked further speculation that she is being prepared to become North Korea’s first female leader.
Images released by North Korean state media showed Kim Ju-ae, believed to be in her early teens, stepping off her father’s armored train in Beijing, where she was welcomed by Chinese officials—marking her first appearance on the international stage.
Though the regime has never publicly confirmed her name or exact age, Ju-ae is no stranger to high-profile engagements, having joined her father on numerous official functions within North Korea, including ballistic missile tests and, more recently, the unveiling of the Wonsan Kalma coastal resort.
If, as many experts suggest, Ju-ae is her father’s chosen successor, she would be the fourth member of the Kim dynasty to lead the country since its founding by her great-grandfather, Kim Il-sung, in 1948.
First acknowledged by former NBA star Dennis Rodman—who claimed to have held her as an infant during a 2013 visit to Pyongyang—Ju-ae has never spoken publicly, but she has become a near-constant presence in her father’s inner circle, alongside his influential sister and adviser, Kim Yo-jong.
North Korea’s state media had never reported on any of Kim’s children until Ju-ae was first seen alongside him during a 2022 intercontinental ballistic missile launch. Months later, she appeared at a military parade, and state media began referring to her as Kim’s "respected" daughter.
According to a 2017 South Korean intelligence report, Kim and his wife, Ri Sol-ju, have three children: a son born in 2010, a daughter believed to be Ju-ae born in 2013, and a child of unconfirmed gender born in 2017.
In Beijing, Ju-ae, dressed in a navy blue suit and smiling, stood behind her father as they disembarked after an overnight journey from Pyongyang—their first known overseas trip together.
Analysts suggest her involvement in an event that seemingly signaled a new, albeit loosely defined, anti-Western alliance reinforces speculation that she is Kim Jong-un’s designated successor.
"Currently, Ju-ae is the likeliest candidate to become North Korea’s next leader," said Michael Madden, a leadership expert at the US-based Stimson Center. "She is gaining essential diplomatic experience that would serve her well as a future leader or key official."
"There is no indication Kim Jong-un accompanied his father, Kim Jong-il, on foreign visits, though the former leader was said to avoid flying—a fear his son does not seem to share."
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