The Young Princess of the Hermit Kingdom on the Path to Power

Photo Credit: KCNA VIA KNS/AFP

Until recently, Kim Ju Ae was a rumor – a shadow in one of the world’s most secretive regimes. Now she is increasingly impossible to miss.

Despite being only 12 or 13 years old, the daughter of North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un has begun appearing regularly at military ceremonies, factory openings, cultural performances, and state celebrations, always at her father’s side. Her sudden visibility has transformed her into a central figure in the regime’s carefully managed stagecraft and fueled growing speculation that Kim is grooming her to one day inherit power.

The timing of Ju Ae’s rise to prominence is significant. This month, North Korea will open its ninth Workers’ Party Congress, a rare political gathering that often signals major shifts in leadership priorities and long-term strategy.

In a country where succession is treated as a state secret and illness is rarely acknowledged, Ju Ae’s rise has also revived quiet questions about Kim Jong Un’s health and the future of his rule. According to the official regime record, Ju Ae is the only daughter of Kim Jong Un and his wife, Ri Sol Ju.

Experts consulted for this column estimate her age at 12 or 13 – no one knows for sure. True to the Hermit Kingdom’s nature, her beginnings remain shrouded in secrecy, her existence revealed only when she first emerged into the glare of public attention.

One of her most striking recent appearances came during New Year’s celebrations in Pyongyang. She joined her parents at a crimson table lit by a 2026 candle, observing Taekwondo artists, traditional dancers, and celebrities energize the May 1st stadium, the second-largest stadium in the world by capacity. Cameras focused on her black leather jacket, echoing her father’s style. Her carefully choreographed warm greetings to children reflected the regime’s obsession with public image.

As this meticulously staged event continued, Kim shifted from gracious host to authoritarian leader. Yet despite the formal setting, Ju Ae seemed to unlock a rare, genuine surge of soulful reaction from him as cameras captured Kim gently holding his daughter’s hand. His fingers swiped his eyes as if overcome by emotion. Another shot focused solely on his hand gripping hers with quiet intensity.

Professor of psychology and religious sciences Tancrède Beaugendre remarked in an interview with this author, “In that fleeting moment, the world glimpsed not just a brutal ruler, but a father.” Professor Beaugendre is a former diplomat now residing in Kazakhstan. He has observed North Korea’s leaders since the early 1980s, and believes Kim is the greatest enigma of them all.

“It could be very painful for him,” he remarked on the possibility that Kim could be thrusting his daughter into the public eye so young as a result of his own declining health. Kim did not first appear at his father’s side until he was 19.

A day later, Ju Ae was spotted with her father again at a New Year’s Day celebration at the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun – a blend of Presidential Library and propaganda showcase. Nestled in the northeast corner of Pyongyang, the palace’s chambers recount the lives of two founding dictators – Kim’s father, Kim Jong Il, and grandfather, Kim Il Sung – through paintings, photographs, films, and relics, from their trains to yachts and cars.

According to an analysis of more than 14,000 hours of KCTV propaganda performed by Japanese analysts, Ju Ae’s sudden prominence is hardly coincidental or random. Ju Ae has been on screen for more than 600 hours and framed as a figure of great importance.

“She is treated as someone of a different rank,” said Professor Atsuhito Isozaki of Keio University, an expert on North Korean politics. “The goal appears to be to continually expose her presence to the public,” he said.

Footage reveals that since her debut three years ago, Ju Ae has stepped into the spotlight at 41 public events. Twenty-five of these are tied directly to the military. Yet her presence extends beyond military affairs. She also stands beside her father at a wide range of ceremonies, from inaugurating new factories and inspecting farms to celebrating the completion of hotels and homes, and even visiting schools and universities.

Analysts suggest the ruling couple hides a son, deemed unfit to inherit power – a secret that, in the Hermit Kingdom, could be unparalleled. Against a backdrop of swirling rumors about Kim’s health and the murky future of succession, “this hidden truth might intensify his drive to carve out a new path, one that breaks from the nation’s fixation on male heirs,” Isozaki said.

The regime’s elevation of Ju Ae stands in sharp contrast to its treatment of Kim’s sister, Kim Yo Jong. Propaganda has anointed Ju Ae as a “beloved child” and “respected child,” titles withheld from Yo Jong. In 2024, the regime’s newspaper designated both Ju Ae and her father as “guides” for the first time. Formerly, this term was exclusive to North Korea’s supreme leader.

Yang Moo Jin, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul, told me that the world should watch for two signs that Ju Ae is to become Kim Jong Un’s successor: her name in Rodong Sinmun, the official newspaper of record for the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea, and idolization by party propagandists.

The emphasis on idolization makes Yang’s assessment especially relevant. “The last three years were an effort to turn her into an idol,” said Professor Beaugendre.

Ju Ae’s growing prominence and the regime’s maneuvers have sparked rumors that she will be promoted at next month’s party session, fast-tracking her ascent to succeed her father – or perhaps even to share power with him sooner than anyone expected. Moving forward, every gesture, photograph, and seating arrangement will be scrutinized for clues. In a political system built on symbolism and secrecy, even a child’s presence can signal the future.

Whether Kim Ju Ae ultimately becomes heir, co-ruler, or merely another carefully managed symbol, her transformation from invisible child to centerpiece of state propaganda marks a profound shift in how the regime is preparing for what comes next.

Ben Solis is the pen name of an international affairs journalist, historian, and researcher.