Kim Jong Un’s potential heir makes public visit to N Korean founder’s tomb

According to state media images, Ju Ae, the daughter of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, is frequently portrayed as his potential successor. She also made her first public appearance at the Kumsusan Mausoleum in Pyongyang along with her parents.

Kim Jong Il and Kim Il Sung, the two founders of the North Korean state, were photographed by the family and presented with respects on Friday by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). According to analysts, propaganda surrounding the Kim family’s “Paektu bloodline” has benefited its members from gaining control of the small, remote nation for decades.

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Ju Ae has been appearing in state media more frequently over the past three years, which has sparked rumors from analysts and South Korea’s intelligence services that she might be the next-generation leader.

Kim Jong Un with his daughter Kim Ju Ae. They are in a shelter with a number of military officials behind them. Jue Ae is looking through binoculars. Kim is smiling as he stands alongside his daughter. — Kim Jong Un, the leader of North Korea, and his daughter Ju Ae inspect a Korean People’s Army training in a secret location in North Korea.

Ju Ae is seen standing between her parents in the main hall of the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun along with her father, mother Ri Sol Ju, and senior officials during the visit on January 1.

Ju Ae was the first to be publicly recognized in 2022 when she accompanied her father to the launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile. She participated in this year’s New Year’s celebrations, was believed to be from the beginning of 2010, and traveled to Beijing with her father for her first official overseas trip in September.

The visit to the mausoleum also coincided with significant occasions and anniversaries, strengthening the nuclear-armed state’s dynastic narrative. She is referred to in North Korean media as “the beloved child” and “a great person of guidance” (also known as “hyangdo” in Korean), a term that is customarily reserved for powerful people and their designated successors.

Former NBA player Dennis Rodman, who traveled to the North in 2013, had the only indirect confirmation of Ju Ae’s existence prior to 2022.

Instead of formally announcing their successors in writing, North Korean leaders have made gradual transitions through more formal duties and appearances.