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Kim Jong Un’s Daughter Steps into the Spotlight, Fueling Succession Talk
Pyongyang, North Korea – North Korean leader Kim Jong Un made a notable New Year’s Day appearance at the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, a revered site dedicated to the nation’s founding leaders, and this time he wasn’t alone. His daughter, Ju Ae, was prominently featured alongside him, sparking intensified speculation about her potential future role within the secretive regime.
State news agency KCNA released images showing Ju Ae positioned between her parents in the mausoleum’s main hall, a visual cue that analysts are dissecting for clues about her trajectory. This public display is the latest in a series of appearances for Ju Ae over the past three years, leading both international observers and South Korea’s intelligence agency to suggest she is being groomed as a possible successor to her father.
The visit aligns with a long-standing North Korean tradition where Kim Jong Un visits the mausoleum on significant dates, a practice designed to underscore the legitimacy and dynastic heritage of the nuclear-armed nation.
While North Korea has never officially confirmed Ju Ae’s age, she is widely believed to be around 12 or 13 years old. Her public introduction in North Korea occurred in 2022, and she made her first public appearance outside the country in September, accompanying her father on a trip to Beijing. This visit, Kim’s first to China in years, further amplified the notion among analysts that she is indeed being positioned as North Korea’s heir-in-waiting.
Ju Ae’s existence first came to light over a decade ago, inadvertently revealed by retired NBA star Dennis Rodman. During a 2013 trip to Pyongyang, Rodman told reporters he had “held the baby Ju Ae” and described Kim Jong Un as a “good dad.”
The implications of such a high-profile upbringing for Ju Ae were highlighted by parenting expert Kirsty Ketley, who commented to Fox News Digital in September. Ketley suggested that placing Ju Ae in the global spotlight at such a young age could have profound and lasting consequences. “She’s being shaped into a role rather than being supported to figure out who she is as an individual,” Ketley explained, “and that pressure could have a huge impact on her mental health.”