Kim Ju Ae, the second born of Kim Jong Un, has resurfaced in public media, fueling talks of being named the next heir to the Kim dynasty.
AFP Photo/KCNA via KNS
Kim Jong Un is believed to have 3 children, including one confirmed daughter, Kim Ju Ae.
Kim Ju Ae has recently made several appearances in North Korean media since November.
Her seat in the global spotlight has stirred speculation about North Korea's next successor.
The daughter of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has been showing up in headlines and rare public appearances in recent weeks — once again fueling speculation that the child is being groomed to be Kim's heir apparent.
In a February 12 closed-door briefing with the National Intelligence Service, South Korea's spy agency, lawmakers were told the daughter has been described to be in the "successor-designate stage," Lee Seong Kweun, a South Korean lawmaker, said, according to a report from The Associated Press.
"In the past, (NIS) described Kim Ju Ae as being in the midst of 'successor training.' What was notable today is that they used the term 'successor-designate stage,' a shift that's quite significant," Lee said, according to the report.
Kim's daughter, who is believed to be around 13 years old, has made several high-profile appearances in recent years, which is a rare move for the secretive family. The daughter was first seen in images shared by state media in November 2022.
That unexpected public display has raised questions around whether the North Korean leader is signaling the next heir to the Kim dynasty, though experts have previously said that it's too early to speculate — especially as the seat is typically reserved for a male heir.
Still, little is known or has been confirmed about the daughter herself. Kim's private life, including the names of his children, are generally regarded state secrets.
Here's what we know so far about Kim Jong Un's daughter.
What is Kim Jong Un's daughter's name?
This undated photo provided on Nov. 27, 2022, by the North Korean government shows North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, left, and his daughter, right, walk to a photo session with those involved in the recent launch of what it says a Hwasong-17 intercontinental ballistic missile, at an unidentified location in North Korea.
Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via Associated Press
Her real name was never revealed by state officials or outlets.
The first person to acknowledge the existence of Kim Jong Un's daughter was NBA player Dennis Rodman, who developed a relationship with the North Korean leader during his 2013 visit to Pyongyang.
In an interview with The Guardian, he revealed that Kim Jong Un and his wife Ri Sol Ju had a baby.
"I held their baby, Ju-ae, and spoke with Ms. Ri as well. He's a good dad and has a beautiful family. Kim told me, 'I'll see you in December,'" Rodman told the outlet.
According to a recent report from Radio Free Asia, local governments in the cities of Jeongju and Yongsong have ordered women named Ju Ae to change the names on their birth certificates — another indication that may confirm the daughter's identity.
How old is she?
Kim Jong Un and his daughter Ju Ae inspect the Milyong Hotel in the Samjiyon tourist district of Ryanggang Province.
KCNA VIA KNS/AFP via Getty Images
The South Korean National Intelligence Service believes Ju Ae was born around January 2013, according to The Chosunilbo, aging her at around 13 years old.
Ju Ae is believed to be the second child, according to the National Intelligence Service.
Kim Jong Un and Ri Sol Ju may have had their first child in the summer of 2010 and a third child around the beginning of 2017. Both of their sexes remain unconfirmed.
South Korean lawmakers have said they've received tips that the first child may be a boy, CNN reported.
What have North Korean officials and state media said about the daughter?
Kim Jong Un, center, and his daughter, center left, at a sports games.
Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP
When the North Korean state media outlet KCNA released pictures of Ju Ae at the missile testing site, the agency reported that Kim Jong Un was there "with his beloved daughter and wife."
During a banquet celebrating the 75th anniversary of the founding of the Korean People's Army in February, Rodong Sinmun reported that Kim Jong Un arrived at the lodging quarters with his "respected daughter" — a title also conferred on the North Korean leader in the report.
According to former CIA officer Andrew Kim, who was involved in diplomatic efforts between the US and North Korea, Kim Jong Un may have made a rare comment about his personal life to the then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo back in April 2018.
"'I'm a father and a husband. And I have children," the former CIA officer recalled Kim Jong Un telling Pompeo. "'And I don't want my children to carry the nuclear weapon on their back their whole life.' That was his answer."
When did the public first see Kim's daughter?
Kim Jong Un and his second-born, Kim Ju Ae, stands in front of a intercontinental ballistic missile.
KCNA/Pool/Latin America News Agency via Reuters Connect
Kim Ju Ae was first unveiled to the public in images released by the state media in November 2022.
The public display of Kim's daughter is a notable break from tradition as Kim's private life is generally treated as state secrets.
A verified photo of Kim Jong Un wasn't revealed until he was around 26 years old in 2010, a year before the death of his father, Kim Jong Il.
Could Kim Ju Ae succeed her father?
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and daughter Kim Ju Ae attend a military parade to mark the 75th founding anniversary of North Korea's army, at Kim Il Sung Square in Pyongyang, North Korea February 8, 2023
North Korea's Korean Central News Agency
Experts have speculated whether Kim Jong Un was signaling his next successor with the repeated public showings of Ju Ae.
Cheong Seong Chang, a senior analyst at the Sejong Institute in South Korea, previously told CNN that the daughter's appearance at the testing site and the state outlet's description of the "beloved" daughter could be the latest sign that Kim Jong Un has chosen his next heir.
"Considering these, there is no longer any doubt that Kim Ju Ae has been appointed as the successor to Kim Jong Un, and it is necessary to pay attention to how this will affect North Korea's domestic and foreign policies in the mid- to long-term, and how North Koreans will accept the succession of the fourth generation," Cheong said.
But Duyon Kim, a senior analyst at the Center for a New American Security in Washington, DC, warned that it's too early to draw conclusions.
"We can only speculate at this point," Kim told The Associated Press,"(Kim Jong Un is) obviously showing her off intentionally and, at a minimum, he seems to be trying to reiterate the importance, status, and legitimacy of a direct Kim bloodline offspring. It's too soon to assume that she will be his heir because the son has always succeeded the throne in North Korea."
Who else could succeed Kim Jong Un?
Kim Yo Jong, sister of North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un attends wreath laying ceremony at Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum in Hanoi, Vietnam on March 2, 2019.
REUTERS/Jorge Silva/Pool
There has been speculation about Kim Jong Un's younger sister, Kim Yo Jong, being a potential contender.
Currently, Kim Yo Jong serves as the only woman on the State Affairs Commission, North Korea's policy-making body.
The South Korean National Intelligence Service previously said in 2020 that the sister could be the country's "de facto second in command," CNN reported, citing Kim Byung-kee, a South Korean parliament member who attended a briefing with the agency at the time.
David Straub, a former senior diplomat at the US embassy in Seoul, told The Daily Beast that Kim Jong Un's recent flaunting of his daughter may be a troubling sign for the leader's sister if he truly is considering putting Ju Ae at the top of the hierarchy.
"Kim had both his uncle and his half-brother murdered," Straub told the outlet, referring to Kim Jong Nam, who was assassinated in Malaysia in 2017 with a chemical nerve agent. Kim Jong Nam was widely considered to be the next leader of North Korea after Kim Jong Il.
"I'll bet everyone in the Kim clan remembered, perhaps especially Yo Jong," Straub said.