Featuring Kim Ju Ae: Kim Jong Un’s 존경하는 따님 and North Korea’s Potential Successor

Kim Ju Ae is the daughter of North Korea’s supreme leader Kim Jong Un and his wife Ri Sol-ju. Assessed to be about 13 years old, her age, name, or biography have never been officially confirmed.

Her name first became publicly known in 2013, when Dennis Rodman, former NBA star, said he had met her during a visit with Kim Jong Un and his family.

State media in North Korea does not identify her as “Kim Ju Ae.” Instead, official coverage refers to her only with honorific descriptions such as the leader’s “beloved” (사랑하는) or “respected” child (존경하는 따님) — language carrying elite symbolic status.

Her first confirmed appearance came when she accompanied Kim Jong Un to observe a long-range missile launch. The event marked a historic departure from past succession traditions, where heirs were kept hidden until adulthood.

She has also appeared at weapons tests, military ceremonies, and visits to the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, the mausoleum of past leaders — a central monument of ruling-family legitimacy.

South Korea’s National Intelligence Service has briefed lawmakers that she has moved from training to internal designation as successor, and may already be participating in policy discussions.

Revolutionising Youth Media