Kim Jong Un’s potential heir publicly visits North Korean founder’s grave | Kim Jong Un News

Kim Ju Ae’s first public visit to the Kumsusan mausoleum added to speculation that she could become next in line.

Daughter of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, You arewho is widely seen as his potential successor, made his first public visit to the Kumsusan Mausoleum in Pyongyang alongside his parents, according to state media footage.

Photographs released Friday by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) show the family paying respects to Ju Ae’s grandfather and great-grandfather, Kim Jong Il, and Kim Il Sung, the founder of the North Korean state. Analysts say propaganda around the Kim family’s “Paektu lineage” allowed its members to dominate daily life in the isolated country and maintain power for decades.

Over the past three years, Ju Ae has appeared more frequently in state media, sparking speculation from South Korean analysts and intelligence services that she could be positioned as the country’s fourth-generation leader.

Photographs show Ju Ae accompanying her father, mother Ri Sol Ju and senior officials during the Jan. 1 visit, standing between her parents in the main hall of the Kumsusan Sun Palace.

Ju Ae was first publicly introduced in 2022 when she accompanied her father to the launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile. She is believed to have been born in the early 2010s, but she also took part in this year’s New Year’s celebrations and in September made her first public visit abroad. travel to Beijing with his father.

The mausoleum visit coincided with key dates and anniversaries, reinforcing the dynastic narrative of the nuclear-armed state. North Korean media have called her a “beloved child” and a “great person of guidance” – or “hyangdo” in Korean – a term traditionally reserved for top leaders and their designated successors.

Before 2022, Ju Ae’s existence had only been indirectly confirmed by former NBA player Dennis Rodman, who visited the North in 2013.

North Korean leaders have never formally announced their successors, instead signaling gradual transitions through public appearances and the expansion of official responsibilities.

Meanwhile, Kim Jong Un pledged to additional increase production of missiles and artillery shells, describing them as a “war deterrent” amid increased military preparedness by the United States and South Korea.