North Korean leader Kim Jong Un (right) and his daughter Kim Ju Ae attending the military parade to commemorate the ninth Congress of the Workers' Party of Korea at Kim Il Sung Square in Pyongyang. Photo / AFP
As Kim Jong Un brought North Korea’s ninth Party Congress to a close, he did so with his 13-year-old daughter at his side.
Ju Ae and her father were pictured in matching black leather trench coats as they climbed out of a car and ascended a red-carpeted staircase before presiding over throngs of cheering citizens, saluting soldiers and a vast military procession that rolled through the streets of Pyongyang.
Ju Ae’s appearance during the finale of the country’s most important political event, held every five years, will stoke further speculation that she is being groomed as heir.
Analysts said the choice of jackets – a staple of leader Kim’s wardrobe, especially during key public appearances – was more than a fashion statement.
“In North Korea’s political symbolism, that look carries weight – it’s tied to the image of the leader as the ultimate guarantor of national security and future prosperity,” said Lim Eul Chul, an analyst with the Institute for Far Eastern Studies.
“So when that same symbolic attire is put on his young daughter, it’s hard to see it as accidental.”
It was the latest in a long line of public appearances by Ju Ae, who has steadily attended more events alongside her father, while also appearing in state newspapers and on television.
Analysts have likened her public rise to that of a debutante princess, considering everything from her interactions with Kim, attendance at high-profile events and her increasingly diplomatic dress sense.
Dr Edward Howell, a North Korea specialist and professor of international relations, told the Telegraph that Ju Ae’s appearance at the Party Congress showed that Kim wanted to “make clear that his daughter is not going away any time soon, and that she is an important member of the Kim dynasty”.
South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS) told Parliament this month that Ju Ae, thought to be 12 or 13, had effectively entered the stage of being designated successor, pointing to a “range of circumstances”, including her prominent public role.
Rachel Minyoung Lee, a senior fellow for the Stimson Centre’s Korea programme, said the shift in language from the intelligence agency was significant.
“South Korea’s intelligence agency’s assessment of the daughter’s status changed from ‘appears to be in training for succession’ to Kim Jong Un ‘appears to have picked her as successor’. This is significant.”
She cautioned that confirmation would ultimately have to come from Pyongyang itself.
Lee told the Telegraph during the event, which lasted several days: “The ongoing ninth Party Congress could be key: whether the daughter shows up, and if she does, how do state media refer to her, where does she sit, and does she get any Workers’ Party of Korea titles?”
North Korea’s tightly controlled state media answered some of these questions in pictures it released on Thursday.
Ju Ae was shown walking alongside her father after the pair arrived together in a large black car. In other photos, she was seen talking to him and later sitting behind him.
Professor Leif-Eric Easley, a Korean affairs expert, told AFP that Ju Ae’s latest appearance demonstrated her elevated status.
“But she still appears in her capacity as the leader’s daughter. She is probably not yet old enough to participate in the congress with an official party title,” Easley said.
Since first appearing on state television in November 2022, when she held her father’s hand at the test launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), Ju Ae has become a constant presence in the regime’s carefully choreographed imagery.
Between her debut and the end of 2025, she took part in 41 public events, 25 of them linked to the military.
She has travelled with her father to Beijing, appeared at the Russian embassy in Pyongyang and stood beside him during weapons inspections.
State television has featured her on more than 600 days across a three-year period, second only to Kim himself.
Lee said the evolution of her appearances had been gradual but deliberate. She said: “For a while, her public appearances were mostly confined to weapons and military-related events but the scope of her appearances began to broaden to economic, social, cultural and diplomatic matters.
“Last year, there were some milestones. She accompanied her father to the Russian embassy in Pyongyang in May, marking her first diplomatic appearance. In September 2025, she accompanied her father to Beijing, though she did not participate in any official gatherings.”
Another milestone came on New Year’s Day, when she appeared at the mausoleum where Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il, the late leaders, are entombed. “She was pictured as being front and centre, a spot reserved for Kim Jong Un,” Lee said.
Her growing visibility has been matched by a deliberate effort to shape her public perception. Rodong Sinmun, the Workers’ Party newspaper, has increasingly featured her on its front page, referring to her as the “loved child” and, more recently, the “respected child”. The latter honorific has never been applied to Kim Yo Jong, Kim’s sister, long considered another potential successor.
Dr Edward Howell, a North Korea specialist and professor of international relations, said the use of the honorific “is only really used for potential successors”.
Her appearances also seem meticulously staged, with footage showing Kim guiding his daughter with a hand on her waist, holding her hand or positioning her at his right side – traditionally the place of honour – while his sister was seen respectfully leading the teenager to her seat on stage.
“The narrative can be formed and shaped,” Howell said. “Kim Jong Un’s visibility with his daughter, increasingly on North Korean television, but also in media reports, shows that Kim Jong Un wants to portray himself as a family man.
“The idea of the North Korean leaders having paternal and even maternal characteristics is a long-running theme throughout North Korean history. But he also wants to tell the North Korean people that his regime is here to stay.”
Lee suggested that if it is a succession campaign, starting early may be a conscious effort by Kim to ensure his daughter has a smoother transition.
“It is possible that Kim Jong Un wanted to start the process early in order to prime the public early for the next leader, and one that is a woman,” she said. “Kim Jong Un himself made his public debut last-minute, after Kim Jong Il suffered a major stroke, and it is possible that he wants a longer succession planning period for the next leader.”
Alongside her appearances, Ju Ae’s clothing has evolved. “In the first one or two years, she dressed up as a little girl and was portrayed as a young daughter. Over time, she started to dress up in suits and behave more professionally,” Lee said.
In propaganda footage, she is often shown smiling as she accepts flowers from children or observing military hardware. At a New Year celebration, state television aired images of Kim embracing her and pressing his cheek against hers, filmed from front-facing angles that suggest careful staging.
Lee added that Ju Ae also serves a broader propaganda purpose. “Initially, when the daughter was seen primarily at military-related events and sites, the intended message appeared to be that North Korea’s weapons programmes will be passed down for generations, with Kim’s young daughter representing future generations.
“When she first appeared next to an ICBM, state media in fact repeatedly emphasised the importance of ensuring future generations’ safety by continuously developing weapons.”
The Kim family has ruled North Korea with an iron grip for decades, and a cult of personality surrounding their “Paektu bloodline” dominates daily life in the isolated country. The North Korean leader has faced persistent speculation about his health, with South Korean intelligence citing obesity-related conditions. Grooming a successor may be designed to reassure elites that a fourth generation of Kim rule is already in waiting.
Whether Ju Ae will ultimately inherit power remains uncertain. North Korea has never had a female leader and the country’s patriarchal traditions have led analysts to assume that a male heir would be preferred. There have also been conflicting reports about whether Kim has other children, including speculation about a son kept out of public view.
Yet some experts argue that bloodline matters more than gender. Howell said: “If Kim Jong Un were to drop dead tomorrow, the power would most likely be transferred to his sister. I think it’s important to note that a lot of people say, well, North Korea is a very patriarchal society.
“More important than the sex of the leader is whether they are a Kim. This is the sacrosanct bloodline where for the dynastic Kim regime, even if it’s not a man, if they’re a Kim, it’s the most important thing.”
A former intelligence officer previously told the Telegraph that any decision to name his daughter as a successor would probably trigger a power struggle within the family.
Rah Jong Yil, the former South Korean Ambassador to the UK and deputy director of Seoul’s intelligence service, said that Ju Ae could face opposition from Kim Yo Jong, her ambitious and ruthless aunt.
Despite her appearance at the Party Congress, Ju Ae lacks a formal title or position. During military ceremonies, when Kim and senior officers salute, she stands still. Her aunt remains far more experienced within the party apparatus and was promoted to lead the propaganda department during the Party Congress.
Given the family’s track record, any such infighting probably would not be bloodless.
Two years after Kim took over from his father in December 2011, he had Jang Song Thaek, his uncle and mentor, arrested on charges of committing “anti-party, counter-revolutionary, factional acts”.
“The Kim family clearly think Ju Ae is someone of importance,” Howell said. “That said, if you compare her to Kim Jong Un’s sister, Kim Yo Jong, well there’s no comparison. Kim Yo Jong is much more experienced. She has risen up the ranks of the North Korean elite.”
While the party congress offers further clues, Howell urged caution in assuming that Ju Ae would definitely take over from her father.
He said: “We must view reports that she has become increasingly involved in decision-making with caution: Ju-ae is barely a teenager. The fact that Kim Yo Jong, Ju Ae’s aunt, was promoted to ministerial level is significant, since it highlights how Yo Jong is becoming increasingly part of her brother’s inner circle.
“We will only know as to Kim Jong Un’s succession plans once it has been announced by the regime: prudence could not be more important.”
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