Lead: In early September 2025, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un traveled to Beijing with his daughter Kim Ju-ae ahead of China’s Victory Day military parade. State media photos showing Ju-ae stepping off the leader’s train in the Chinese capital have intensified speculation that she is being positioned as a potential successor.
Key takeaways
- Kim Ju-ae appeared publicly in Beijing in early September 2025, ahead of China’s Victory Day parade.
- North Korean state media released photos of Ju-ae arriving by train with Kim Jong-un.
- Analysts see her growing public role—across military, political and economic events—as possible succession preparation.
- Her age and personal details remain unconfirmed; she is widely believed to be in her early teens.
- South Korean intelligence has long reported Kim Jong-un has three children born in 2010, 2013 and 2017; the 2013 daughter is thought to be Ju-ae.
- How party and military elites would respond to a female successor is unclear.
Verified facts
North Korean state media (KCNA) published photographs showing Kim Ju-ae disembarking a heavily armoured train in Beijing alongside Kim Jong-un; those images were released in connection with the leader’s attendance at China’s September 2025 Victory Day military parade.
Observers and analysts have tracked Ju-ae’s increasing visibility since she first appeared in state coverage at an intercontinental ballistic missile test in 2022. She has subsequently been shown visiting military sites, attending the opening of the Wonsan Kalma resort, and appearing at political events, including a war anniversary reception at the Russian embassy in Pyongyang in May 2025.
Public records cited by South Korea’s intelligence services indicate Kim Jong-un and Ri Sol-ju are believed to have three children: a son born in 2010, a daughter born in 2013 (thought to be Kim Ju-ae), and a younger child born in 2017 whose gender has not been publicly confirmed.
Experts at the Stimson Center, including Michael Madden and Rachel Minyoung Lee, have commented that Ju-ae’s growing role—particularly in protocol, foreign-facing events and elite interactions—aligns with patterns seen in succession preparations in Pyongyang.
Context & impact
Succession in North Korea has historically followed a dynastic pattern: power has passed within the Kim family since the state’s founding in 1948. If Ju-ae were to be formally elevated, she would be the first woman to lead the country and the fourth family member to hold supreme power.
The public staging of Ju-ae in Beijing carries diplomatic symbolism as well as domestic messaging. Traveling with Kim Jong-un to a high-profile event in Beijing signals both trust and an attempt to normalize her presence among international and regional elites.
How the ruling party and military command would accept a female successor remains an open question. North Korea’s succession process typically involves gradual placement into senior posts to build a power base; there is no public record that Ju-ae has been assigned formal positions within state or party institutions.
For regional actors, a visible heir in Beijing may be read as a gesture toward tighter ties with China and a consolidation of an anti-Western alignment, though the long-term strategic impact depends on whether her role becomes institutionalized.
Official statements
State coverage has described Ju-ae using deferential language and headlined her presence alongside the leader.
KCNA / North Korean state media
Unconfirmed
- Exact age and full legal name of Kim Ju-ae remain unconfirmed by North Korean authorities.
- No public record confirms formal succession planning or appointments for Ju-ae within party or military structures.
- The identity and role of the child reportedly born in 2017 have not been verified.
- The internal reaction of high-ranking party and military officials to a potential female ruler is speculative.
Bottom line
Kim Ju-ae’s appearance in Beijing marks a clear rise in her international visibility and strengthens the appearance of succession planning inside the Kim family. However, key facts about her age, formal role and the mechanism by which she might succeed remain unverified. Analysts will watch whether Pyongyang follows public exposure with institutional steps that embed an heir in the regime’s power structure.