Kim Jong-un's Daughter Ju-ae Emerges in Public Amid Succession Speculation in North Korea
On 1 January 2026, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, his wife Ri Sol-ju, and their daughter Kim Ju-ae visited the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun to mark the New Year. Photographs of the visit were released by KCNA and Reuters, showing Ju-ae positioned between her parents in the main hall, an arrangement that aligns with state media's portrayal of a stable and united ruling family.
Ju-ae has been widely speculated to be Kim Jong-un's probable successor, with analysts and South Korea's intelligence agency considering the possibility of a fourth-generation ruling lineage in North Korea. This visit to the palace, where former leaders Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il are honored on key dates, is seen as part of the subtle succession signaling leading up to the ruling party congress, where the leadership transition might be formalized.
Experts like Cheong Seong-chang of the Sejong Institute have described the visit as a calculated move by Kim Jong-un ahead of the party congress. However, Hong Min from the Korea Institute for National Unification has cautioned that Ju-ae's exact age and any public designation as successor remain uncertain. While she is believed to have turned 13, North Korea has never officially confirmed her birth year or age.
Over the past three years, Ju-ae's appearances in state media have increased, including attending New Year celebrations and traveling overseas with her father for a September visit to Beijing. Despite these appearances, her precise status within North Korea's political dynamics continues to be a subject of close observation and analysis.
