SEOUL — The teenage daughter of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, reportedly named Kim Ju Ae and around 13 years old, made her first known visit to a sacred family mausoleum on New Year’s Day. This move, experts say, could reinforce her standing as a potential successor.
State media images released Friday showed Kim Ju Ae at the forefront alongside her parents, bowing deeply at Pyongyang’s Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, where the embalmed bodies of her late grandfather Kim Il Sung and great-grandfather are preserved. The palace, often described as a symbol of the regime’s legitimacy, is frequently visited by Kim Jong Un during major state anniversaries.
Cheong Seong-Chang, deputy head of South Korea’s private Sejong Institute, described the visit as “a politically orchestrated move” ahead of the upcoming Workers’ Party congress. Analysts speculate that Kim Jong Un may consider giving his daughter a senior party post, potentially the first secretary role, which is the second-highest position in the ruling party. However, other experts caution that she may instead be assigned lower-level positions due to her young age.
Kim Ju Ae has appeared in state media since November 2022, accompanying her father at military parades, missile launches, and high-profile visits abroad, including a September trip to Beijing. During this year’s New Year celebrations, she was seen kissing her father on the cheek, highlighting their close relationship.
The upcoming Workers’ Party congress, the first in five years, is expected to set new policy priorities and reshuffle officials. North Korea has not announced the exact dates, but South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS) projects it could occur in January or February.
The NIS also previously identified Kim Ju Ae as her father’s likely heir, though some international analysts argue that her young age and North Korea’s male-dominated power structure could complicate succession. Kim Jong Un, 41, has reportedly shown no major health issues, easing concerns about an immediate leadership transition.
Observers note that publicly introducing Kim Ju Ae marks a departure from tradition. Neither Kim Jong Un nor his father, Kim Jong Il, were publicly acknowledged in state media during their childhoods. Experts suggest that repeated appearances by Kim Ju Ae are likely intended to cultivate public acceptance of a continuation of the Kim family’s dynastic rule.
Edgardo Hernal started college at UP Diliman and received his BA in Economics from San Sebastian College, Manila, and Masters in Information Systems Management from Keller Graduate School of Management of DeVry University in Oak Brook, IL. He has 25 years of copy editing and management experience at Thomson West, a subsidiary of Thomson Reuters.
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