Kim Jong Un's arrival in China for his first multilateral meeting was always going to make headlines. But it was the smartly-dressed girl standing just behind him as he exited his armored train that caught observers' attention: Kim Ju Ae, the North Korean leader's daughter.
According to South Korea's spy agency, Miss Kim is her father's most likely successor. But details, including her exact age, are scarce.
Miss Kim has long been believed to be the second of Kim Jong Un's and his wife, Ri Sol-Ju's three children, though the exact number and order is uncertain due to the family's secrecy. She is the only child whose existence has been officially confirmed.
News of her existence first emerged from an unlikely source: basketball player Dennis Rodman, who revealed in 2013 that he “held their baby Ju Ae” during a trip to North Korea. Little was known about her until she appeared alongside Kim at the launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile in November 2022.
By February the next year, she was being featured on postage stamps and attending banquets for top officials, being described as Kim Jong Un's respected daughter. The title respected is typically reserved for North Korea's revered figures and suggests a special status.
South Korea's National Intelligence Service (NIS) suggests Kim Ju Ae enjoys horse riding, skiing, and swimming, indicating she may be around 10 years old. With every public appearance by her father, Kim Ju Ae has been present, increasingly receiving salutes from senior military commanders.
Her attendance during Kim's first trip outside of North Korea adds a new layer to speculation surrounding her political role, as the Kim family has ruled since 1948, claiming a 'sacred bloodline' that justifies their authority. Observers note that introducing his daughter could also be a strategy to mitigate patriarchal prejudices surrounding the prospect of a female leader in a country that has never been ruled by a woman.
