North Korea has given its clearest hint yet about who might one day take over from Kim Jong Un, putting his young daughter Kim Ju Ae at the centre of solemn New Year commemorations in Pyongyang on Friday.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!In newly released images by the state media, Kim Ju Ae is seen as a potential fourth‑generation leader walk into the Kumsusan Mausoleum on Friday flanked by her father, her mother Ri Sol Ju and a host of senior officials. Her appearance further fuelled speculation that she is being groomed as her father’s successor.
The mausoleum, which holds the embalmed bodies of state founder Kim Il Sung and his son Kim Jong Il, is the symbolic heart of the regime and a stage traditionally reserved for moments that reinforce the family’s absolute grip on power.
Kim’s visit there on Thursday, accompanied by his daughter for the first time, folds her directly into the story the ruling Workers’ Party says about the “Paektu bloodline” and its right to rule the nuclear‑armed country.
Ju Ae has rapidly moved from total obscurity to a familiar face in North Korean propaganda over the past three years, appearing at missile launches, military parades and now state events once limited to the country’s top leadership. South Korean intelligence officials and outside analysts say the frequency and prominence of these appearances suggest she is being prepared to succeed her father, even though Pyongyang has never formally named an heir.
State media have given her unusually reverential treatment, referring to her as a “beloved child” and a “great person of guidance”, references once reserved for North Korea’s rulers and their chosen successors. Her presence at the mausoleum, standing between her parents as they bowed to the glass coffins of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il, will likely be read by North Koreans as a powerful cue about where the dynasty is heading next.
The New Year visit capped a series of high‑profile appearances by Kim’s daughter, including her attendance at mass celebrations in the capital and a rare overseas trip to China alongside her father in September.
Hong Min, an expert on North Korea at the state-run Korea Institute for National Unification said the nation has been presenting Kim’s “stable family” by including the leader’s wife and daughter at important occasions.
A representative for South Korea’s Unification Ministry declined to comment on Ju Ae’s attendance. Given her age and the fact that she does not have a formal job, an official told reporters that the administration believes it is too soon to declare her a successor.
According to Hong, conclusions on Ju Ae’s succession should be made cautiously due to the possible roles of Kim’s other children.
“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.
Cheong Seong-Chang, deputy head of the private Sejong Institute in South Korea said that Kim might offer his daughter the Workers’ Party’s first secretary position, which is the party’s second-highest position at the congress. According to other analysts, she might be offered lower-level positions because she is too young to assume such a prominent position.
With questions growing about Kim’s long‑term health and the future of one of the world’s most secretive states, the images from Kumsusan appear designed to reassure domestic elites that the Kim family intends to rule on through another generation.