Kim Ju-ae
Kim Ju-ae | |
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 Kim Ju-ae and her father, North Korea's leader | |
| Born | circa 2014 |
| Parent(s) |
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Kim Ju-ae is a prominent North Korean youth.[1] She is the daughter of North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un.[2] Her exact age is unknown. As of August 2024[update], commentators suggested she was just ten years old.
Kim Jong-un has had Kim Ju-ae at his side for ceremonial occassions, triggering speculators to suggest she is his chosen successor.[1] Her aunt, Kim Yo-jong, has also been suggested to be Kim Jong-un's choice of successor, as she is his most truested advisor, and is a member of the Kim family. But, Kim Yo-Jong escorted Kim Ju-ae to the podium, and bowed to her, when she symbolically opened a new military site, on August 9, 2024. Speculators claimed this symbolic act of deference confirmed Kim Ju-ae was Kim Jong-un's final choice of successor.
Commentators muse over Kim Jong-un's apparent choice of Kim Ju-ae, as his successor, for various reasons, including:
- North Korean culture is unusually resistant to recognizing female leadership.
- She is believed to have at least one brother, and commentators wonder whether there is something wrong with her brother(s).
- There is an isolated mountain, in the far north of Korea, with a symbolic meaning for Koreans. Kim, and the previous leaders, his father and grandfather, Kim Jong-il and Kim Il-sung, are all supposed to have been born within sight of this mountain -- but Kim Ju-ae was not.
On February 12, 2026, BBC News, reported that South Korean analysts have concluded that, while, in recent years, analysts had merely asserted it looked lik Kim Ju-ae was being groomed for leadership, they expected Kim Jong-un would soon officially announce she was his choice of successor.[3] They cited that Kim Ju-ae had recently stated political positions, on her own.
References
[edit | edit source]- ↑ 1.0 1.1
Kwak Yeon-soo (2024-08-09). "Footage of Kim Yo-jong bowing signals NK leader's daughter as heir". Korea Times. Archived from the original on 2025-07-22. Retrieved 2025-12-28.
Recent footage of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's young daughter being escorted to the podium by her aunt, Kim Yo-jong, at a ceremony in Pyongyang has sparked speculation that the child may be considered her father's potential successor.
CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ↑
"The Last Heir? Kim Ju-ae And North Korea's Succession". HRNK. 2025-09-25. Archived from the original on 2026-02-13. Retrieved 2026-01-10.
Even if a woman takes power in a country like North Korea, experts predict little will change. Female leaders would likely adopt similar traits. Kim Yo-jong, Kim Jong-un’s sister, has publicly demonstrated this: her statements are often harsher than her brother’s. While Kim Ju-ae may face limits modeling herself after previous leaders Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il, if she becomes leader, she is expected to rule as a dictator modeled on Kim Jong-un. The main difference would be the elevated status of women in North Korea.
- ↑
Jake Kwon (2026-02-12). "Kim Ju Ae: North Korea leader Kim Jong Un chooses daughter as heir, Seoul says". BBC Home. Archived from the original on 2026-02-13. Retrieved 2026-02-12.
'As Kim Ju Ae has shown her presence at various events, including the founding anniversary of the Korean People's Army and her visit to the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, and signs have been detected of her voicing her opinion on certain state policies, the NIS believes she has now entered the stage of being designated as successor,' Lee said.