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the explainer
Kim Ju Ae: North Korea’s next leader?
Kim Jong Un’s young daughter is being seen as his ‘recognised heir’ following a high-profile public appearance at China summit
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Kim Ju Ae and her father on a visit to the Kangdong Greenhouse Farm in Pyongyang in March last year
(Image credit: Korean Central News Agency / Korea News Service / AP)
Abby Wilson
18 September 2025
South Korea’s spy agency has confirmed that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s daughter, Kim Ju Ae, is likely to be his “recognised heir”.
The report comes two weeks after Ju Ae, who is thought to be 12 or 13 years old, made her first public international appearance, accompanying her father to Beijing, where he met Chinese and Russian leaders.
Analysts say her presence at the event is “the clearest sign yet” that the North Korean leader is preparing her to be his successor, said The Washington Post. Ju Ae may be too young for experts to “jump to conclusions just yet” but her “increasingly high-profile appearances” indicate a future pathway to power.
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What do we know about Ju Ae?
After visiting Pyongyang in 2013 and holding the then infant Ju Ae, US basketball star Dennis Rodman was the first to reveal her name, which has still never been mentioned in North Korean state media. But she was not seen in public until Kim “introduced his daughter to the world” in 2022, “holding her hand in front of an intercontinental ballistic missile”, said The New York Times.
Since then, she has appeared alongside her father at many events within North Korea, with some analysts saying she has effectively “replaced her mother” in the position of first lady. Though there has yet to be any formal recognition of her as a potential heir, she is a likely candidate to be the country’s next leader – especially following her international debut in China.
Are there any other candidates?
“Successive male members of the Kim family” have led North Korea since 1948, but it appears this pattern may be broken when the succession question next arises, said Sky News.
South Korea’s spy agency has previously said Ju Ae has one older brother and a younger sibling. North Korean officials have not confirmed the existence of other children and “analysts have questioned the credibility of the reports”.
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It is possible that Ju Ae’s older brother is “the actual successor” and is “being protected from public scrutiny”, said the Center for Strategic and International Studies. But there is still no solid evidence that the brother exists.
Kim Jong Un’s sister, Yo Jong, is another potential successor. She has held positions of power in the country, serving in government and publicly criticising South Korea. Either choice would raise the question of whether North Korea, “a heavily chauvinistic society”, would accept a female leader, said The Washington Post. North Korea has a female foreign minister, in addition to the visibility of Yo Jong and Ju Ae, but “it is difficult to imagine a woman in charge”.
How does succession work in North Korea?
The North Korean constitution does not set out a defined succession process, but the last two transitions of power have operated along similar lines, from parent to child, although not always through the rule of primogeniture.
Kim Jong Un was the youngest of three sons of Kim Jong Il, yet took power after his father’s death in 2011. Kim’s oldest brother was passed over for the role due to “an embarrassing incident” involving a trip to Disneyland and a fake passport, and there were concerns over the middle brother’s “health and character”, said Joon Seok Hong, on Stanford University’s Spice Digest.
In the lead up to his accession, Kim was called “Brilliant Comrade” in state media and had songs written about him. Ju Ae’s similar nicknames – “the beloved child” and “great person of guidance” – are another clue that she may be on the same path.
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