Physical Address
304 North Cardinal St.
Dorchester Center, MA 02124
Listen to this article
About 3 minutes
The audio version of this article is generated by AI-based technology. Pronunciation errors may occur. We work with our partners to continually review and improve results.
The teenage daughter of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has made her first known visit to a sacred family mausoleum, a step that experts say cemented her status as a potential heir to her father.
The visit, which took place on New Year’s Day on Thursday, even sparked speculation that the girl – believed to be Kim Ju Ae and believed to be around 13 years old – could be named a senior official at the ruling Workers’ Party’s upcoming congress.
Footage released by North Korean state media on Friday showed Kim Ju Ae standing in the front row with his parents and bowing deeply in front of the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun in Pyongyang, where the embalmed bodies of his late grandfather and great-grandfather are on display.
The palace is “a place that symbolizes the legitimacy of the North Korean regime” and his visit there before the Workers’ Party congress is a politically orchestrated move, said Cheong Seong-Chang, deputy director of the private Sejong Institute in South Korea.
Kim Jong Un, 41, is the third generation of his family to rule North Korea since the country’s founding in 1948. He often marks key state anniversaries by visiting Kumsusan Palace and paying respects to his father, Kim Jong Il, and grandfather, Kim Il Sung.
Cheong predicted that Kim Jong Un might give his daughter the top post of Workers’ Party secretary, the party’s second-largest post, at the congress. Other experts believe she is too young to accept such a prestigious position and could be offered lower-level jobs.
The congress – the first of its kind in five years – aims to establish new priorities in state policies and reshuffle civil servants. North Korea has not said when it will hold it, but the National Intelligence Service, South Korea’s intelligence agency, said it would likely take place in January or February.
Since her first appearance on state media in November 2022, Kim Ju Ae has accompanied her father to numerous events, including military parades and missile launches. In September, Kim Jong Un took her on his trip to Beijing. This week, during New Year’s celebrations, she kissed her father on the cheek, showing their closeness.
In January 2024, the NIS stated that it considered Kim Ju Ae to be his father’s likely heir. Some outside experts disagree with this assessment, citing Kim Jong Un’s relatively young age and the extremely male-dominated nature of North Korea’s power hierarchy. The NIS told lawmakers in November that Kim did not appear to have any major health problems.
The revelation of young Kim Ju Ae came as a surprise to foreign experts, as neither Kim Jong Un nor Kim Jong Il were mentioned in North Korean state media until they became adults. Some observers say Kim Jong Un likely aimed to build public support for his plan to extend the family’s rule by repeatedly denouncing Kim Ju Ae at public events.
