Home > National > North Korea

Kim Ju-ae not North Korea's next leader, DP lawmaker asserts

Published: 08 Sep. 2025, 16:28

Kim Ju-ae, daughter of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, is seen accompanying her father in Beijing on Sept. 2 in this photo provided by the Korean Central News Agency. [YONHAP]

Park Jie-won, a Democratic Party lawmaker, said Monday that Kim Ju-ae, the daughter of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, is not being groomed as his successor. He added that Kim Jong-un's son, believed to be studying in the West, is the likely heir.

Park, who attended China’s military parade celebrating the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II in Beijing, told YTN Radio that “many in the West and in our country say Ju-ae will become the successor and that she is undergoing training, but I don’t see it that way.”

"In socialist states that operate like feudal societies, no daughter has ever succeeded her father as the head of state," he said.

Park said the North Korean leader’s son, thought by South Korean intelligence to be his eldest with wife Ri Sol-ju, may be studying abroad.

“I think his son is studying somewhere in the West,” he said. “To conceal this, they are putting Ju-ae forward.”

He compared the secrecy to that surrounding the youth of Kim Jong-un and his sister Kim Yo-jong.

“When Kim Jong-un and Kim Yo-jong were Ju-ae’s age, they were studying in Switzerland, and none of us knew. Later, we confirmed it. We had one photo [of Kim Jong-un], but even now, we have never found a photo of Kim Yo-jong from that time.”

Woo Won-shik, speaker of the National Assembly, is seen behind North Korean leader Kim Jong-un at a reception in Beijing on Sept. 3, held to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. [YONHAP NEWS TV]

Regarding why Ju-ae did not appear at official events in Beijing, Park said, “It’s true she came to China, but she did not show up at the parade or banquet," explaining, "That is because she holds no public office and no official title, so she would not be invited to official events."

When asked whether she might still be named successor, Park replied firmly, “It’s not a matter of waiting to see. She is not."

Park also described an encounter with Kim Jong-un at the anniversary ceremony. He said he twice called out to the North Korean leader but was ignored.

“I [called out], ‘Chairman Kim Jong-un! I am Park Jie-won!’ from a few steps away, but he didn’t turn around. Security blocked me, so […] I stopped.”

Park said he also greeted North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui, but she did not reply.

Lawmakers including the Democratic Party's Park Jie-won, far left in the front, and National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik, center, leave from Incheon International Airport on Sept. 2 to attend China's events marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II in Beijing. [YONHAP]

Still, he described the experience as positive. He pointed to National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik, who exchanged greetings and a handshake with Kim Jong-un during the same event.

“When Woo said, ‘It’s nice to meet you,’ Kim responded, ‘It’s nice to meet you,’ and shook hands. I think these moments, along with my calling out and Choe Son-hui making eye contact [with me], are good signals.”

“Kim Jong-un must have read that President Lee Jae Myung truly wants inter-Korean dialogue. So I don’t see it as a negative. I call it a successful encounter," Park said.

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 CHO MUN-GYU [[email protected]]