What do we know about Kim Ju Ae and how likely is she to become North Korea’s next leader?
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s daughter is his “most likely” successor, according to South Korea’s spy agency, the National Intelligence Service (NIS).
But what do we know about Kim Ju Ae and how likely is it that she will one day replace her father?
Kim Jong Un is extremely secretive about his family and, as a result, very little is known about them.
He also kept his wife, Ri Sol Ju, a secret for a time after the wedding: she only made her first public appearance in 2012, despite South Korean press claims that they married in 2009 and had their first child in 2010 considered the mother of Kim Ju Ae, born a few years later.
The first time Kim Ju Ae’s existence was mentioned publicly was in 2013, after retired American basketball star Dennis Rodman made a controversial trip to North Korea.
Rodman said he spent time with Kim’s family, relaxing by the sea and “holding the baby,” who he named Ju Ae.
Even the North Korean press only recognizes her “as Kim Jong Un’s daughter, without mentioning her name or age,” says Fyodor Tertitskiy, a researcher on North Korean politics at Kookmin University in Seoul. “Nothing else is known, at least publicly,” he adds. But he estimates she is between the ages of 10 and early teens.
In a private meeting last year, the NIS told South Korean politicians that Kim Ju Ae had never been enrolled in an official educational institution and was studying at home in Pyongyang.
The agency also said some of his hobbies were horse riding, swimming and skiing. One of the people who attended the briefing later revealed to reporters that Kim Jong Un was particularly pleased with his horse riding skills.
The NIS also said he had an older brother and a younger brother whose gender was not confirmed by the agency. They have never been seen in public.
Public debut
Kim Ju Ae made her public debut in November 2022 when she participated in a missile test with her father. Since then, she has been seen alongside her several times, at both military and non-military events.
Recently, during the New Year celebration at Pyongyang’s May 1st Stadium, she and her father were photographed kissing each other on the cheek.
In December they witnessed the launch of the Hwasong-18 solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile, the most advanced long-range missile in the country’s arsenal.
She was also with him at the launch of the Malligyong-1 spy satellite in November. At the time, Pyongyang claimed that the equipment would allow Kim Jong Un to see the White House.
In February 2023, Radio Free Asia reported that the North Korean government required anyone else named Kim Jun Ae to change their name, which is standard practice when it comes to the ruling dynasty.
North Korean researchers also note that Kim Ju Ae is now described in the mainstream press as a “respected” daughter rather than a “loved” daughter. The adjective “respected” is reserved for North Korea’s most revered.
In the case of Kim Jong Un, for example, he was called a “respected comrade” only after his status as a future leader was solidified.
Possible successor?
North Korea is deeply isolated, and it is unclear to the rest of the world why Kim Ju Ae’s appearances alongside her father have become so frequent.
North Korean citizens are told that the Kims come from a sacred lineage, meaning only they can lead the country. Some analysts say introducing her to audiences at such a young age may be the North Korean leader’s way of ensuring his daughter settles in long before he takes power.
There is no indication that a succession could happen anytime soon, and earlier reports that Kim Jong Un was in poor health have been dismissed.
Others say it could also be a way for Kim Jong Un to signal that he is a caring family man in a deeply patriarchal society.
“With former leaders Kim Jong Il and Kim Il Sung, there was a lot of propaganda focused on the role of these North Korean leaders as mother and father figures,” says Edward Howell, a professor at Oxford University and an expert on the subject. “So I think the symbolism continued in the portrayal of her with her father in public.”
Since the founding of North Korea in 1948, the country has been ruled by male members of the Kim family. If Kim Ju Ae one day replaces her father, she will be the first woman to lead the country.
But “having a member of the Kim bloodline is so crucial to the North Korean leadership that, if it’s a woman, it’s better than having someone who isn’t a member of the Kim family,” Howell says.
He believes there is also another potential candidate to succeed Kim Jon Un: the leader’s sister, Kim Yo Jong, who received her first official mention in state media in March 2014. She holds an important position in the ruling People’s Party, Korean workers.
“She is much older than Kim Ju Ae and obviously has much more experience in North Korean politics,” he says. “So whether it’s the daughter or the sister, they can both be women, but having a Kim is the most important thing.”
South Korea’s NIS also said it is still considering “all possibilities” as there are “many variables.”
Fyodor Tertitskiy believes Kim Jong Un has “tested public and elite opinion on a potential succession” by showing Kim Ju Ae in public – something he says is typically not done until the succession is confirmed.
But he agrees that it is still too early to talk about Kim Jong Un’s successor.
“If, for example, he died at the same age as his father, at 70, that would happen in 2054. Even assuming the North Korean state survived until then in its current form, society would likely not be the same as it is today.” now,” he says.
“Also, it should be noted that there is a difference between accepting gender equality in general and accepting a female ruler,” she adds.
Source: Terra
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