North Korean leader Kim Jong Un made a public appearance with his daughter Ju Ae during a New Year’s visit to the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, a symbolic site honoring the country’s founding leaders.
Footage from state news agency KCNA shows Ju Ae standing between her parents in the main hall of the mausoleum, a moment that analysts say has fueled speculation about her future role in the regime.
Ju Ae has appeared more frequently in state media over the past three years, fueling speculation from analysts and South Korean intelligence that she may be positioned as a potential successor to Kim Jong Un.
The appearance follows a long tradition in North Korea, where Kim visits the mausoleum on key dates and anniversaries to reinforce the legitimacy of the nuclear-armed country’s dynastic legacy.
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North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, his wife Ri Sol Ju and their daughter Kim Ju Ae visited the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun on January 1 to mark the New Year in Pyongyang, North Korea. (KCNA via Reuters)
North Korea has never confirmed Ju Ae’s age and her exact age remains unknown, but she is believed to be around 12 or 13 years old.
After being publicly introduced to North Korea in 2022, Ju Ae made her first public appearance outside her home country as she accompanied her father on a trip to Beijing in September, his first visit to China in years, a move that analysts say could point to her role as North Korea’s future heir.
Ju Ae’s existence was inadvertently revealed over a decade ago by retired NBA star Dennis Rodman in an interview with The Guardian.
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North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and daughter Kim Ju Ae attended an event to celebrate the New Year in Pyongyang, North Korea. (KCNA via Reuters)
Rodman told reporters during a 2013 trip to Pyongyang that he “held the baby Ju Ae,” while calling Kim Jong Un a “good father.”
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North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and daughter Kim Ju Ae attended an event to mark the New Year. (KCNA via Reuters)
“She is being cast into a role rather than being supported to find out who she is as an individual, and that pressure could have a huge impact on her mental health,” she said.
