Who Is Kim Ju Ae, Kim Jong Un's Daughter And North Korea's Likely Next Leader

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's daughter Kim Ju Ae made her first public visit to the Kumsusan mausoleum to pay respects to North Korea's former leaders, according to state media photographs released recently.

The appearance has drawn widespread attention as Kim Ju Ae continues to feature more prominently in official coverage. This has reportedly fuelled speculation about her potential role in the country's future leadership.

Analysts and South Korea's intelligence agency believe the repeated public appearances suggest she may be preparing to assume a larger political role, possibly as a fourth-generation leader of the Kim dynasty, reported Reuters.

What We Know About Kim Ju Ae

Kim Ju Ae is believed to have been born in the early 2010s, though North Korea has never officially confirmed her age. The country remains highly secretive, and details about the ruling family are rarely disclosed, even to its own citizens.

According to a BBC report from September 2025, Kim Jong Un is thought to have three children, but Kim Ju Ae is the only one who has appeared publicly. In 2023, South Korea's National Intelligence Service (NIS) told lawmakers that it believed she was around 10 years old at the time, placing her current age at 12 or 13.

Education And Hobbies

The NIS told South Korean lawmakers that Kim Ju Ae had never attended a formal educational institution and was instead being homeschooled in Pyongyang, according to a report in the Associated Press. 

Her reported hobbies include horseback riding, skiing and swimming, with the agency stating that she was “very good at horseback riding.” In January 2024, the NIS said it viewed Kim Ju Ae as her father's likely heir.

Public Appearances

Kim Ju Ae was first publicly introduced in 2022, when she accompanied her father to an intercontinental ballistic missile launch, reported AFP. Since then, she has appeared alongside him at multiple official events, marking a steady rise in her public profile.

In September 2025, she travelled to Beijing with Kim Jong Un on her first known overseas trip. More recently, during New Year's Day celebrations earlier this week, she was seen kissing her father on the cheek, a moment that showed their closeness, reported AP.

According to AFP, North Korean state media have referred to her as “the beloved child” and as a “great person of guidance,” or “hyangdo” in Korean. This phrase is traditionally reserved for senior leaders and their successors.

Before 2022, confirmation of her existence came only from former NBA player Dennis Rodman, who mentioned her following a visit to North Korea in 2013.