North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s teenage daughter made her international debut in China this week, with her unprecedented appearance abroad intensifying speculation she is being groomed as his eventual successor.
Mr Kim arrived in China on Tuesday aboard a bulletproof train to attend a military parade in Beijing. As he disembarked from the train, his daughter, thought to be named Ju Ae and about 12 to 13 years old, emerged right behind her father in a dark jacket with a navy blue ribbon in her hair.
The school-aged girl’s Beijing trip marks her first appearance at an overseas diplomatic event, drawing comparisons to Mr Kim’s own visit to China in 2010, when he reportedly accompanied his father, Kim Jong Il, to meet former president Hu Jintao.
Given her young age and the famously opaque manner in which the leadership operates in North Korea, it is impossible to know for certain that she is part of the succession plan. But South Korean intelligence officials have said the daughter is receiving lessons to take over the country, which has been ruled by the Kim family since its founding in the 1940s. She is believed to be one of two or possibly three children of Mr Kim and his wife, Ri Sol Ju. No other children of Mr Kim have been confirmed by North Korea.
Ju Ae – who has been dubbed the “respected daughter” and “beloved child” by North Korean state media – first appeared at a state event in 2022 when she attended the test of an intercontinental ballistic missile designed to deliver a nuclear warhead to the US mainland. She has since played a prominent role in state propaganda, appearing alongside her father observing major weapons tests.
Questions linger over whether Mr Kim has decided that his daughter will take over. North Korea’s other leaders – state founder Kim Il Sung and his son Kim Jong Il – installed their adult sons in the state apparatus to train them as successors, giving them official posts as they waited in the wings to build their stature. The daughter has yet to be formally identified by name in official media reports.
While Mr Kim attended the parade on Wednesday morning, his daughter was not pictured at that venue in state media broadcasts.
Given that Mr Kim is still in his 40s, he could remain in power for decades. Regardless of who will inherit the leadership when the time comes, Ju Ae’s presence on the sidelines of the high-profile ceremonies in Beijing sends a clear message to the world that the family has another generation waiting in the wings, and that North Korea will not be bargaining away its nuclear arsenal any time soon.
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China's President Xi Jinping with Russia's President Vladimir Putin and North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un before a military parade in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square marking the 80th anniversary of victory over Japan and the end of the Second World War. AFP -
Balloons are released over in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square at the end of a military parade marking the 80th anniversary of victory over Japan and the end of the Second World War. AFP -
China’s President Xi Jinping attends a military parade in Tiananmen Square, Beijing, marking the 80th anniversary of victory over Japan and the end of the Second World War. Getty Images -
Chinese military personnel at Tiananmen Gate in Beijing take part in a parade to commemorate the 80th anniversary of Japan's Second World War surrender. AP -
Chinese military veterans arrive at Tiananmen Square in Beijing for a parade to mark 80 years since Japan's defeat in the Second World War. Bloomberg -
China's President Xi Jinping, his wife Peng Liyuan and dignitaries including Russia's President Vladimir Putin and North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un before a military parade in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square marking the 80th anniversary of victory over Japan and the end of the Second World War. AFP -
Visitors to Beijing wait for the beginning of a military parade to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War. Reuters -
Soldiers rehearse for a military parade in Beijing to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War. Reuters -
A drone is part of the convoy during a military parade marking the 80th anniversary of victory over Japan and the end of the Second World War in Beijing. AFP -
Chinese soldiers during a military parade in Beijing to mark the 80th anniversary of victory over Japan and the end of the Second World War. AFP -
Two Mighty Dragon J-20 stealth fighters and a tanker plane of the People's Liberation Army Air Force fly over the military parade in Beijing marking the 80th anniversary of the end of the Sino-Japanese War. EPA
The military parade in Beijing marks 80 years since Japan’s defeat in the Second Word War. It is the first time Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russia’s Vladimir Putin and Mr Kim have appeared together at a public event, sending a signal of their resolve to co-ordinate more openly in challenging the US-led global order.
North Korea has shunned recent efforts by Seoul to ease tension on the Korean peninsula and said any attempt to resume dialogue should start with recognising the North as a nuclear power.
