Kim Jong-un’s Daughter Kim Ju-ae Makes International Debut in China, Fuelling Succession Talk
Kim Jong-un’s Daughter Kim Ju-ae Makes International Debut in China, Fuelling Succession Talk
Kim Jong-un’s daughter, Kim Ju-ae, has made her highly anticipated international debut in China, arriving in Beijing ahead of President Xi Jinping’s “victory day” parade. This high-profile appearance has significantly intensified speculation that she is being groomed to become North Korea’s first female leader.
Photos released by North Korean state media show Kim Ju-ae, believed to be in her early teens, stepping off her father’s heavily armoured train in the Chinese capital, where she was greeted by Chinese officials. This marks her first overseas trip alongside her father, adding a new dimension to her increasingly prominent public role.
While Ju-ae has previously accompanied Kim Jong-un on numerous domestic official duties, including ballistic missile test launches and the opening of the Wonsan Kalma resort, her presence on the international stage is seen as a critical step in a potential succession campaign. Analysts, including Michael Madden of the Stimson Center, suggest she is gaining “practical protocol experience” vital for a future leadership role or as a core elite member.
Her attendance at an event interpreted as solidifying a new anti-Western alliance further bolsters theories of her as Kim Jong-un’s heir apparent, despite the unprecedented nature of a female supreme leader in North Korea’s patriarchal system. South Korea’s intelligence agency has previously indicated its belief that Ju-ae is being prepared for leadership, a process now visibly unfolding on the global stage.
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