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By Micah McCartney
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Intrigue swirls around Kim Ju Ae, the daughter of Kim Jong Un who South Korean intelligence believes is the favorite to eventually succeed her father.
Who Is Ju Ae
Ju Ae is believed to be around 13 years old. She has never been publicly named by state media, with the world first learning of this name after former NBA star Dennis Rodman's visit to Pyongyang in 2013, during which he was introduced to the then-infant.
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Since appearing at her father's side at a missile launch in 2022, she has joined him at a growing number of highly choreographed events. Adding to speculation, state media has referred to her as a "person of great importance"—a term historically associated with members of the ruling family.
Why It Matters
North Korea's next supreme leader will shape the trajectory of relations with U.S.-allied South Korea. These have sharply deteriorated amid Pyongyang's frequent ballistic missile tests and continued expansion of its nuclear weapons program
If Ju Ae ultimately becomes the fourth generation of the Kim family to rule North Korea, she would be the first woman to do so, a notable break in a system that has historically favored male heirs.
Newsweek reached out by email to the North Korean embassy in Beijing for comment.
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What To Know
Ju Ae is the "most likely successor," South Korean lawmakers cited the National Intelligence Service (NIS) as saying Thursday, per the Yonhap News Agency.
They cited her frequent public appearances, including at an event marking the anniversary of the Korean People’s Army and a New Year’s Day visit to the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, where her grandfather Kim Jong Il and great-grandfather Kim Il Sung lie in state.
The intelligence service said it will watch closely to see whether she appears at the upcoming Ninth Party Congress, later this month. Her attendance would further reinforce the view she is being positioned as a successor.
Other Contenders
Analysts have cautioned the succession picture is likely still in flux and could change course because of variables such as internal power jockeying, including by Kim Jong Un's powerful sister Yo Jong.
"In the immediate term, more politically established candidates, like Kim Yo Jong, are more likely to succeed in the event of Kim Jong Un’s sudden death or serious illness." Hans Horan, a strategic analyst at The Hague Centre for Strategic Studies, wrote in a December analysis for website 38 North.
"Other candidates, such as Kim Ju Ae or her undisclosed brother(s), are still too young and unestablished to realistically be considered for succession in the coming 5-15 years, Horan wrote. "Kim Yo Jong, for example, will be able to immediately outmaneuver the others due to the political and military support she has garnered within the Workers’ Party of Korea."
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