Succession in sight? Kim's daughter Ju-ae in spotlight as North's leader visits China.

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Succession in sight? Kim's daughter Ju-ae in spotlight as North's leader visits China.

Published: 03 Sep. 2025, 10:33 Updated: 03 Sep. 2025, 18:17

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un arrived in Beijing at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). Photos released by the agency showed that his daughter Ju-ae, shown circled in red, accompanied him. [YONHAP]

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un brought his daughter Ju-ae with him on a visit to China on Tuesday, in what appears to be a move to officially introduce her at home and abroad as part of the Kim family’s dynastic line — often referred to as the Mount Paektu bloodline.

The North’s state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported that Kim arrived at Beijing Station at around 4 p.m. on Tuesday. Unlike the usual protocol of delaying coverage of Kim’s movements by a day or two, North Korean state media swiftly reported on his departure from Pyongyang and border crossing, and then confirmed his arrival about five hours later, at 9:10 p.m.

While KCNA did not explicitly mention Ju-ae, it released several photographs showing her standing closely behind Kim as he disembarked from his personal train, the Taeyangho. Two hours earlier, China’s state-run Xinhua News Agency published photos showing part of a woman’s face, believed to be Ju-ae’s, appearing over Kim’s shoulder as he stepped off the train.

The North’s quick release of the images effectively served as official confirmation of Ju-ae’s presence on the trip.

“It appears that Kim Jong-un is accompanied by his daughter Ju-ae on this trip to China. We are closely monitoring her activities,” South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS) said.

Photos released by KCNA show that, apart from translators, Ju-ae stood closest to Kim among the welcoming Chinese officials. Neither Kim’s wife, Ri Sol-ju, nor his sister, Kim Yo-jong, vice department director of the Workers’ Party, were seen.

Kim had previously brought Ri along on three of his four visits to China between 2018 and 2019. During the one visit she did not join — the May 2018 summit in Dalian — Kim Yo-jong was seen chatting with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

This time, Ju-ae appears to be filling the role of de facto first lady and may take on a visible diplomatic role. State media have already shown her taking precedence over Ri and Kim Yo-jong during domestic events alongside Kim Jong-un.

Ju-ae made her first public appearance in November 2022 at the test launch of the Hwasong-17 intercontinental ballistic missile. She began her diplomatic debut in May this year by attending a Victory Day event at the Russian Embassy in Pyongyang. Now, just four months later, she is stepping onto the multilateral diplomatic stage — a stage even her father has not fully experienced.

“Bringing Ju-ae along is not a simple family visit — it is in effect an ‘introduction of the successor,’” said Lim Eul-chul, a professor at Kyungnam University’s Institute for Far Eastern Studies.

Attention is now focused on whether Ju-ae will appear alongside Kim at the Victory Day ceremony on Wednesday. If she stands on the rostrum at Tiananmen Square with Xi, Russian President Vladimir Putin and other world leaders, it could be interpreted as de facto international recognition of her as a future successor.

A similar precedent occurred 10 years ago, during China’s September 2015 military parade marking the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko attended the event with his then-11-year-old son Nikolai, widely viewed as his successor.

This year, last Sunday, Nikolai took a VIP seat at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit’s welcome dinner — a public affirmation of his growing status.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY CHUNG YEONG-GYO, LEE YU-JUNG [[email protected]]