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Absence of North Korean leader's daughter at Beijing events tempers speculation

Published: 05 Sep. 2025, 13:06

Kim Ju-ae, daughter of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, over the years [SCREEN CAPTURES]

Kim Ju-ae, the daughter of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, who was seen accompanying her father upon arrival in Beijing on Tuesday, did not appear at any official events during the remainder of their stay in China throughout the week.

According to the North’s state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on Friday, Kim Jong-un concluded his three-day stay in Beijing with a summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People on Thursday afternoon. He departed for Pyongyang that evening aboard his private train from Beijing Railway Station.

KCNA released several photos of Kim at the station waving to a crowd of well-wishers, but Ju-ae was not seen in any of them. Only Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui and Workers’ Party Secretary Jo Yong-won were visible behind the North Korean leader.

Aside from her appearance upon arriving at Beijing Railway Station on Tuesday, Ju-ae did not participate in any of the official events, including the 80th Victory Day parade and summits with Chinese and Russian leaders. She remained out of public view throughout Kim’s 54-hour stay in the Chinese capital.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un arrived in Beijing at 4 p.m. on Sept. 2, 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]

Speculation about Ju-ae being groomed as a successor gained momentum after she joined her father on the trip. However, her absence from key events has prompted a more cautious interpretation.

“If Kim Ju-ae’s presence in Beijing were intended to carry political significance, she would have had to appear at additional events — but she did not,” said Hong Min, a senior research fellow at the Korea Institute for National Unification.

“Even if Kim Ju-ae is the designated successor, it is unlikely Kim Jong-un would bring her to a multilateral summit and present her in an official capacity, as that would clash with his pride,” said Kim In-tae, a senior analyst at the Institute for National Security Strategy and a North Korean defector.

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 JEONG HYE-JEONG [[email protected]]