Possible succession hint as Kim Jong Un brings daughter on trip to China

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has brought his young daughter on the diplomatic trip to China – fuelling speculation that she is being groomed as his likely successor.

The girl is believed to be named Kim Ju Ae and is 12 or 13 years old. Not much else is known about her.

Since 2022, Kim Jong Un has showcased her at a growing number of major public events tied to his nuclear-armed military, leading to suggestions that she is being primed as the country’s next leader.

While North Korean state media have described Mr Kim’s daughter as “beloved” and “respected”, they have never called her by name.

The assumption that the girl’s name is Ju Ae is based on an account by former NBA champion Dennis Rodman where he recalled holding Kim Jong Un’s baby daughter during a trip to Pyongyang in 2013.

Ju Ae’s exact age is unconfirmed but South Korean intelligence officials believe she was born in 2013.

In a closed-door briefing to legislators in 2023, South Korea’s main spy agency said it believes Kim Jong Un and his wife Ri Sol Ju also have an older son and a younger third child whose gender is unknown.

Kim Jong Un beamed as he stepped out of his family’s green, armoured train to shake hands with senior Chinese officials upon arrival in Beijing on Tuesday. He was closely followed by Ju Ae.

Dressed in a navy pantsuit with her hair styled in a half-updo, a look reminiscent of her mother’s public appearances, Ju Ae stood in front of senior North Korean officials, including Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui.

However, she did not make a public appearance the next day as her father shared centre stage with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin in a massive military parade at Tiananmen Square.

The parade demonstrated a deepening alignment between Washington’s adversaries.

Ju Ae’s increasing number of public appearances and presence in state media has led to speculation that she is being primed as her father’s successor.

South Korea’s national intelligence service issued a careful assessment last year that it views Ju Ae as her father’s likely successor, citing a comprehensive analysis of her public activities and the state protocols provided to her.

However, the spy agency said there are still various possibilities regarding North Korea’s power succession process because Kim Jong Un, 41, is still young, has no major health issues and has other children.

Some South Korean officials and experts initially expressed doubts over Ju Ae as the future heir, citing North Korea’s male-nominated power structure.

Since its foundation in 1948, North Korea has been successively ruled by male members of the Kim family. Kim Jong Un inherited power upon his father Kim Jong Il’s death in late 2011.

Kim Jong Il took over power after his father and state founder Kim Il Sung died in 1994.

North Korea’s state media have yet to make any direct comments on a power succession plan beyond Kim Jong Un. It has also not commented on whether Ju Ae has any siblings.