Kim Ju Ae

The North Korean government has not publicly disclosed Kim Ju Ae's birth date. Ri Sol Ju's lengthy absence from the public eye in 2012 was later attributed to her pregnancy with Kim Ju Ae. South Korea's National Intelligence Service (NIS) estimated in 2023 that she was 10 or 11 years old. South Korean lawmaker Kim Byung-kee, citing "non-NIS sources", claims that she was born in 2013. His colleague Yi Wan-yong, citing both the NIS and non-NIS sources, claims that Kim Ju Ae has an older brother born in 2010 and a younger sibling of unknown sex born in 2017. The North Korean government has also not publicly disclosed her name, and the NIS has not verified any claims on the matter from North Korean defectors. North Korean media initially called her Kim Jong Un's "beloved" () or "precious" () daughter but soon began using the adjective "respected" (), which is typically reserved for the most honoured members of North Korean society. For example, Kim Jong Un received the title of "respected comrade" shortly after becoming the country's supreme leader. The name "Ju Ae" was first mentioned by American basketball player Dennis Rodman in his account of a 2013 visit he made to the North Korean capital of Pyongyang. When discussing Kim Jong Un and Ri Sol Ju, Rodman described "[holding] their baby Ju Ae" and complimented Kim Jong Un as a "good dad" and an "awesome guy". However, Choe Su-yong, a former NIS intelligence officer, claims that Rodman misunderstood the Korean words (), which mean "that girl", and that the child's actual name is Un Ju (). Choe cited his North Korean informants as his source. Meanwhile, North Korean diplomat , who defected to South Korea in 2023, claims that her name is Ju Ye () and that North Korean citizens named Ju Ye were ordered to change their names. == Public appearances ==

Kim Ju Ae appeared in public for the first time at the test launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile on 18 November 2022. The state-run Korean Central News Agency released photos of Kim Ju Ae and her father inspecting a Hwasong-17 missile together before its launch. Rachel Minyoung Lee, a senior analyst at the Open Nuclear Network in Vienna, Austria, suggests that the photos may have been intended to "bolster [Kim Jong Un's] image as the father of the people and the nation", and "highlight the necessity of nuclear weapons programmes for the security of future generations", with Ju Ae representing future generations. On 14 February 2023, the state-run Korea Stamp Corporation unveiled postage stamps featuring Kim Ju Ae and Kim Jong Un at the 18 November missile launch. Kim Ju Ae joined her father at a number of official ceremonies and processions in 2023. She participated in official festivities with her father during that year's celebration of the Day of the Shining Star, the birth anniversary of her grandfather Kim Jong Il, on 16 February. She appeared with her father once again on 9 September, at a parade marking the 75th anniversary of the foundation of North Korea. At the end of the year, she attended New Year's Eve celebrations with her father at the May Day Stadium in Pyongyang. Kim Ju Ae accompanied her father at a number of public events in 2024 and 2025 as well. She attended the celebration of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea's 79th anniversary on 10 October 2024. The following year, she attended the launch ceremony of the Choe Hyon destroyer on 25 April and the 80th celebration of Victory Day at the Russian embassy in Pyongyang on 9 May. On 2 September 2025, she accompanied her father to Beijing to attend a military parade celebrating the 80th anniversary of China's victory over Japan in World War II. It was her first public appearance abroad. == Succession ==

Kim Ju Ae's public prominence has led to speculation by North Korea analysts about her future position in the country. Richard Lloyd Parry of The Times suggests that it may be a response to rivalries within the North Korean government and an attempt to reassert the political supremacy of the Kim family. Go Myong-hyun, a senior fellow at the Asan Institute for Policy Studies in Seoul, likewise argues that Kim Ju Ae's public presentation is that of a princess and is an attempt by state media to normalise the Kim family's rule "by adopting the trappings of [a] European-style monarchy". This hypothesis was echoed by the NIS at the start of 2024, after the agency made its annual assessment of North Korea. Park Jie-won, who served as the NIS' director from 2020 to 2022, dismissed the report's findings, noting that possible successors had previously been kept hidden from the public eye. He further argued that the North Korean government has historically been patriarchal, making Kim Ju Ae's ascension unlikely. Park's comments were echoed by a number of North Korea analysts who further posited that Kim Ju Ae, being a child, was politically unproven, and so the decision to make her Kim Jong Un's successor would have been premature. The NIS reported to the National Assembly in February 2026 that Kim Ju Ae had completed her successor training and had been designated the successor to her father. They cited her attendance at military events, her increased involvement in policy decisions, and a visit by her to the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, a significant symbol of the Kim family. == Notes ==