SEOUL: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has travelled to Beijing with his daughter and possible heir Kim Ju Ae to attend a major military parade.
This marks the first known international appearance for the teenager who has previously attended multiple North Korean weapons tests with her father.
Analysts view this development as a clear signal of her growing importance within the Kim dynasty’s succession planning.
Ju Ae was first publicly introduced to the world in 2022 when she accompanied her father to an intercontinental ballistic missile launch.
Former NBA star Dennis Rodman first revealed Kim had a daughter during his 2013 visit to Pyongyang when the leader introduced him to his wife and baby girl.
North Korean state media have never identified her by name but South Korean intelligence confirms she is Ju Ae, daughter of Kim and his wife who reportedly married in 2009.
State media references describe her as “the beloved child” or “the esteemed child” with adults shown bowing deeply before her in official coverage.
Recent public appearances show her walking ahead of both her aunt Kim Yo Jong and mother while linking arms with her father and whispering to him.
Kim has been observed letting his daughter enter vehicles before him during these public events.
Ju Ae has drawn attention for her luxury fashion choices including Gucci sunglasses and Cartier watches while sometimes mirroring her father’s distinctive style with matching leather jackets.
Her Beijing trip represents her official first international journey with Kim according to analysts.
Yang Moo-jin, former president of the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul, noted her sequential appearances at military and diplomatic events including Russian Embassy functions.
He stated that by accompanying Kim to a “brother nation’s” Victory Day celebration she is effectively making her formal debut on foreign soil.
Yang added that this transition from domestic to international appearances may represent the “final gateway toward succession”.
Experts interpret this as a calculated move by the Kim family to provide crucial international exposure for Ju Ae.
Lim Eul-chul, professor at the Institute for Far Eastern Studies at South Korea’s Kyungnam University, characterised this as not merely a family trip but effectively a “debut as successor”.
He noted historical patterns where heirs consolidated status through China visits or international events to gain legitimacy from socialist powers.
Lim referenced how Kim Jong Il met Xi Zhongxun, father of China’s current leader Xi Jinping, in Beijing in 1983 during his own succession process.
South Korea’s National Intelligence Service acknowledged in 2024 that Ju Ae is likely the next successor based on comprehensive analysis of her public appearances and protocol levels.
Then-head of Seoul’s spy agency Cho Tae-yong stated she currently appears the most likely successor based on overall assessment.
This confirmation surprised some observers given South Korea’s previous position that North Korea’s male-dominated society made it “premature” to regard her as successor.
Cheong Seong-chang at Seoul’s Sejong Institute pointed to telling details like Ju Ae’s white horse appearing second after Kim Jong Un’s at a military parade.
He also noted North Korea issuing stamps featuring the pair and high officials kneeling before her as additional evidence supporting her successor status. – AFP
