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| ▲ This photo, released by the Korean Central News Agency, North Korea's state mouthpiece, shows Kim Ju-ae (marked in a red circle), daughter of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, standing behind her father as they arrived in Beijing, on Sept. 2, 2025, in leader Kim's first trip to China in more than six years. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap) |
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| ▲ North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (R) attends a ceremony alongside his daughter, Ju-ae, to mark the completion of a new street in Pyongyang on May 14, 2024, in this file photo carried by the North's official Korean Central News Agency the next day. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap) |
(News Focus) NK leader-daughter
(News Focus) Daughter of N. Korea's Kim on China trip heightens speculation she is next in line for succession
By Kim Seung-yeon
SEOUL, Sept. 3 (Yonhap) -- The young daughter of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, Ju-ae, accompanied her father on his trip to China on Wednesday, further fueling speculation that she may be next in line to take the helm of the communist dynasty.
When leader Kim disembarked from his armored train upon arriving in Beijing to attend a military parade, Ju-ae was seen standing behind him as he was greeted by top Chinese officials, including Foreign Minister Wang Yi, photos released by the North's state media Korean Central News Agency showed.
Ju-ae, believed to be in her early teens, has emerged as a potential successor to the Kim regime, which has ruled North Korea for eight decades, as she increasingly appears alongside her father at domestic events, such as missile displays and a resort opening.
As Ju-ae accompanied her father on his visit to China, the trip marks her first overseas appearance in public and, perhaps a diplomatic debut of her own, reinforcing speculation that she is being groomed to become North Korea's first female leader.
"Ju-ae was seen standing behind her father as Kim Jong-un was received by top Chinese officials at Beijing Station. This indicates that Ju-ae receives the same protocol accorded to North Korea's 'second-in-command,'" Cheong Seong-chang, vice president at Sejong Institute, said.
"Kim Jong-un's decision to bring Ju-ae along to China is seen as a strong signal to the international community that she's his likely successor, as well as an opportunity for her to begin formal diplomatic training," Cheong said.
Kim Jong-un, who took power following his father Kim Jong-il's sudden death in 2011, is known to have undergone successor training by his father after being chosen as the next leader in 2009. However, like his father, the course of action in his succession had been largely confined to domestic boundaries.
There were unconfirmed reports that Kim Jong-un accompanied his father on a trip to eastern China in 2010 and met then Chinese President Hu Jintao in a closed-door meeting.
Unlike her father, Ju-ae has made frequent public appearances since first being introduced in state media in 2022, as a young girl affectionately holding her father's hand in front of an intercontinental ballistic missile.
Since then, Ju-ae has been seen gradually taking on a role that elevates her status above that of her mother, first lady Ri Sol-ju. Ri has increasingly either stood behind her daughter and Kim Jong-un or not appeared at public events at all.
Last year, state media pictured Ju-ae standing front and center, with her father behind her -- a rare public display of the ruling family, given North Korea's unique governance system that normally keeps the leader in the spotlight.
In the same year, Ju-ae was also once spotted being ushered in by her aunt, Kim Yo-jong, considered one of the most powerful figures in North Korea, at a state ceremony.
In May this year, Ju-ae was present with her father visiting the Russian Embassy in Pyongyang at an anniversary event to highlight deepening ties with Moscow.
Cheong noted that Kim Jong-un may want to give Ju-ae as many opportunities as possible for hands-on diplomatic experience, believing he did not receive enough training himself.
"This could reflect Kim Jong-un's determination not to pass on those shortcomings and train her at diplomatic stages from an early age," he added.
Still, other experts say it is too early to interpret Ju-ae's trip to China as cementing her succession, given that North Korea has historically made successions official through the party system.
"If Ju-ae were truly to be designated as the successor, the North would have first made it official through its internal approval system by the party," Hong Min, a senior researcher at South Korea's Korea Institute for National Unification, said.
"We need to remember that North Korea has a strict patriarchal and military-centered culture, so appearing in public holding her father's arm does not necessarily indicate that she is next in line," Hong added.
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