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By Micah McCartney
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North Korean state media has released photos of Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un’s daughter, Kim Ju Ae, with her father at the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun in her first public appearance at the symbolically important site.
Why It Matters
Speculation has swirled around Ju Ae since she made her public debut in 2022. She has since accompanied the 41‑year‑old leader on a number of high‑profile visits, from military launches to diplomatic functions, including his trip to Beijing for China’s “Victory Day” parade in September.
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Though Pyongyang’s palace politics are always opaque, Ju Ae, believed to be in her early teens, is viewed by some as a sign of growing confidence in Kim Jong Un’s chosen successor and a potential heir, and as a continuation of leadership within the Kim dynasty.
Newsweek reached out to the North Korean Embassy in Washington, D.C., by email with a request for comment.
What To Know
Kim Jong Un, his wife Ri Sol-Ju and daughter Ju Ae joined officials at the mausoleum on New Year’s Day to pay their respects to Kim Jong Il and Kim Il Sung, the supreme leader’s father and grandfather, whose embalmed bodies are on display..
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The pair laid flower baskets before the statues of the two bygone supreme leaders. “All the visitors made a firm pledge to fulfill their responsibility and duty in the vanguard of accomplishing the sacred cause for the eternal prosperity and development of the great DPRK and the promotion of the people's well-being, true to the ideas and leadership of Kim Jong Un with single‑minded loyalty,” according to the Korean Central News Agency.
The appearance has again put the spotlight back on conversations about the line of succession for the 41‑year‑old leader, which has often included speculation about the role of another potential contender, Kim’s powerful sister Kim Yo Jong.
Jue Ae's name has never been formally announced by the regime but was revealed by former NBA player Dennis Rodman following a visit to Pyongyang and later confirmed by South Korean intelligence officials.
What People Are Saying
Hong Min, senior researcher at the Korea Institute for National Unification, told South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency: “If only Ju‑ae accompanied her father, it could be viewed from a different perspective. But given Kim Jong Un’s wife, Ri Sol‑ju, also appeared at the location, it strongly points to a family image.”
Michael Madden, nonresident fellow at the Stimson Center, wrote for that think tank’s North Korea‑focused publication 38 North in October: “Kim Jong Un will have to tweak the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s political and decision‑making culture to accommodate a potential co‑leadership and create the process and organizational interface to ensure a smooth transition. If Ju Ae is selected as successor, then part of these publicity and indoctrination efforts will attempt to create conditions to support North Korea’s first female supreme leader.”
What Happens Next
Time will tell how the succession will unfold.
Some North Korea watchers have pointed how unprecedented a female ruler would be for the patriarchal society and argued that Ju Ae’s increased visibility may be more about reinforcing Kim Jong Un’s image as a father and head of a stable ruling bloodline.
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