A teenager’s visit to the family mausoleum accompanied by her parents was reported by the North Korean state press and considered as yet another sign that young Kim Ju-ae is the chosen heir to the Asian dictatorship.
The teenage daughter of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un accompanied her parents on their first public visit to the family mausoleum on January 1, a move seen as yet another sign that she is being groomed to be her father’s successor.
Photos from state news agency KCNA showed Kim Jong-un accompanied by his wife, Ri Sol-ju, and senior officials, with Kim Ju-ae between his parents in the main hall of Kumsusan’s Sun Palace.
In the mausoleum rest the embalmed bodies of the founder of the North Korean state, Kim Il-sung, and his successor, Kim Jong-il, Kim Jong-un’s grandfather and father. The place is considered sacred by the North Korean dictatorship and receives visits from the leader on important dates and anniversaries.
Unlike her father and grandfather, who were not mentioned in state media until they became adults, Kim Ju-ae has been making appearances for the past three years, fueling speculation about being chosen as the fourth generation of the country’s dictatorship.
The palace is “a place that symbolizes the legitimacy of the North Korean regime” and his visit there before the Workers’ Party congress is an orchestrated political maneuver, Cheong Seong-Chang, deputy director of the Sejong Institute, a private institution in South Korea, told the Associated Press news agency.
Unmatched charge?
Cheong speculates that Kim Jong-un may give his daughter the position of first secretary of the Workers’ Party, the party’s second most important post, at the next congress. Other experts believe that she is too young to occupy such an important position and that she could receive a lower-level position. The extremely sexist nature of the country’s power hierarchy also weighs heavily on this choice.
The congress, the first of its kind in five years, aims to establish new priorities in state policies and reorganize employees. North Korea has not said when it will be held, but the National Intelligence Agency, South Korea’s spy agency, has said it will likely be in January or February.
Name and age without official confirmation
Kim Ju-ae first appeared in North Korean state media photographs in 2022 and has since accompanied his father to a series of high-profile events, including missile tests and a state visit to China. His last appearance had taken place days ago, during a visit with his father to a luxury hotel complex.
However, official details about the teenager remain scarce. State media never confirmed his name or age.
Former American basketball player Dennis Rodman, who met Kim Jong-un during a visit to North Korea in 2013, is one of the sources who claim that the girl’s name is Ju-ae. She is estimated to be around 13 years old. Some analysts believe that Kim Jong-un may have other children besides her.
Kim Jong Un is third in the line of succession of what is considered the world’s only communist monarchy, after his father, Kim Jong-il, and his grandfather, Kim Il-sung – the latter two dubbed “eternal leaders” in state propaganda.
The cult of the members of the so-called “Paektu bloodline” dominates daily life in the country, the most politically isolated in the world.
Originally published by DW on 02/01/2026
Source: https://www.ocafezinho.com/2026/01/02/ato-com-filha-de-kim-gera-rumor-sobre-sucessao-norte-coreana/
