Kim Jong Un’s teenage daughter may play a central role in the future leadership of one of the world’s most secretive nations.
Attention is increasingly focused on the only publicly known child of the North Korean leader – a girl reportedly named Kim Ju Ae, believed to be around 13 years old. South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS) suggests that she is likely being positioned to succeed her father as the country’s supreme leader.
Ju Ae has maintained a prominent public presence and attended around 60 official events since her debut in 2022, more than half of them linked to the armed forces. She first appeared at a long-range missile test and has since taken on a more active role in top-level military settings: unveiling new weapons systems, attending parades and observing the launch of a new warship. Ju Ae is understood to already be providing input on defence policy and was recently photographed firing a sniper rifle.
Her appearances have also extended to diplomatic and cultural matters. Last year, she visited the Russian embassy in Pyongyang and accompanied her father to Beijing for a summit with Chinese officials, mirroring Kim Jong Un’s own trip with his father shortly before assuming power. Ju Ae has made her way to the front row at events and in photos. State media uses language typically reserved for the supreme leader, referring to her as the ‘most respected child’.
The regime promotes a ‘twin’ look of authority, often showing the father and daughter in near-identical attire – notably dark sunglasses and long black leather coats. In North Korean political iconography, leather is associated with the image of the leader as a guarantor of national strength and prosperity. North Korea has highlighted Ju Ae’s athletic nature, showcasing her skills in swimming, skiing and horseback riding. She is occasionally pictured with a white horse – a symbol tied to the Kim dynasty’s highly mythologised ‘Paektu bloodline’.
Yet she may still face significant challenges. A daughter inheriting power would be unprecedented in North Korea, which remains patriarchal and staunchly conservative. At such a young age, Ju Ae’s legitimacy rests on her father’s continued support. Should his health deteriorate prematurely, power may initially lie with senior officials who could reject her authority.
Analysts point in particular to the opposition she may face from her ambitious aunt, Kim Yo Jong. As a teenager, Ju Ae lacks her aunt’s established networks of loyalty. Kim Yo Jong is also far more experienced, having recently been promoted to a senior position in the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea.
A formal succession process is likely to take time. Despite her growing visibility and high-profile appearances – the latest being at the Party Congress – Kim Ju Ae has not been given a formal title, and state media has never published her name or age.
Though Ju Ae’s status has yet to materialise, the future of North Korea may once again be determined within a single family.
