2026-02-14 06:00
publication
2026-02-14 06:00
The South Korean intelligence agency told lawmakers that it believes Kim Jong Un is taking steps to ensure the continuation of his family's rule in the fourth generation. In this context, the agency believes that his teenage daughter is getting closer to being designated as the future leader of the state – writes “The Guardian”.
This assessment of the situation comes in the run-up to North Korea's largest political conference, which will be held at the end of the month. Kim will present his main political goals for the next five years and take steps to strengthen his authoritarian control.
Monitored by the country's national intelligence service NIS, Kim's daughter is believed to be named Ju Ae and is approximately 13 years old. Kim Ju Ae made her public debut in November 2022 during a long-range missile test. Since then, he has been accompanying his father more and more often on official occasions – he appears at weapons tests, military parades and the inaugurations of industrial plants. Last September, she went with him to Beijing for the first meeting between Kim Jong Un and Xi Jinping in six years, which took place during the anniversary of the end of World War II.
To the glory of the ancestors into a new future?
Last month, speculation about her political future intensified when she accompanied her parents on a New Year's visit to Pyongyang's Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, the sacred family mausoleum where the embalmed bodies of her late grandfather and great-grandfather, the country's first- and second-generation leaders, rest. Many experts saw the visit as the clearest signal yet that she may succeed her 42-year-old father to the throne.
North Korea's dominant culture of conservatism and its tradition of male dominance in leadership left questions about Kim's daughter's succession. However, her increasingly frequent and more visible state appearances prompted a re-evaluation of this issue – we read further in “The Guardian”.
The only sibling we know nothing about
Ju Ae probably has two brothers. However, we don't have any more information about it. It is only speculated that the older brother has health problems, and the younger one was born in 2017, four years after the sister.
The world heard about Ju Ae's birth thanks to the famous American basketball player Denis Rodman. After his visit to North Korea in 2013, he told The Guardian that he held Ju Ae, Kim Jong Un's child.
Kim's devoted beloved daughter
Since 1948, it has been ruled exclusively by men from the Kim family, starting with its founder, Kim Il-sung, and then his son, Kim Jong-il.
Kim Jong Un was only 26 years old when he was officially announced as heir to the throne during a party conference in 2010 – two years after Kim Jong Il suffered a serious stroke. After his father's death in December 2011, Kim Jong Un was suddenly placed in charge of the state, despite his limited preparation for the leadership role.
Some experts believe that Kim's decision to introduce his daughter to public life at such an early stage may be a reflection of his own experiences with the need to quickly take power.
Even though her presence in propaganda continues to grow, North Korean state media has never revealed her name, referring to her only as his “respected” or “most beloved” child of Kim Jong Un – writes “The Guardian”.
prepared by WM
