In a significant political gesture, Kim Ju Ae, the approximately 13-year-old daughter of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, has made her inaugural visit to the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun—the sacred mausoleum housing the embalmed remains of her grandfather and great-grandfather. The New Year’s Day event, documented extensively by state media, showed the teenager standing alongside her parents in the front row and performing deep bows at the revered site.
Analysts interpret this carefully orchestrated appearance as a strategic move to bolster her legitimacy within the ruling dynasty. Cheong Seong-Chang of South Korea’s Sejong Institute noted that the palace ‘symbolizes the legitimacy of the North Korean regime,’ making her presence there ahead of the upcoming Workers’ Party congress particularly meaningful.
The timing fuels ongoing speculation about her political future. Some experts suggest Kim Jong Un might appoint his daughter to the powerful position of first secretary—the party’s second-highest office—during the forthcoming congress. Others contend her youth makes such a high-profile appointment improbable, suggesting instead a more gradual introduction through lower-level positions.
Kim Ju Ae has steadily grown her public profile since her November 2022 media debut, accompanying her father to military parades, missile tests, and even a diplomatic visit to Beijing. Recent displays of familial affection, including a New Year’s cheek kiss, further emphasize her privileged position within the leadership structure.
While South Korea’s intelligence agency has identified her as the probable successor, debate persists among outside experts who cite Kim Jong Un’s relatively young age and North Korea’s profoundly patriarchal power structures as complicating factors. The upcoming party congress, the first in five years, is expected to address policy priorities and leadership reshuffling, potentially providing clearer signals about the country’s succession plans.