Kim Ju Ae: From 'baby' to 'front runner' in North Korea succession

Kim Ju Ae, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's
teenage daughter, has made her international debut, accompanying her father to
Beijing this week, marking her out, according to an analyst, as "the front
runner" to become the country's next leader.
The following is a timeline of her life -
September 2013 - The existence of a child between Kim Jong Un and
his wife, Ri Sol Ju, becomes public for the first time when the former
American basketball player Dennis Rodman inadvertently reveals the leader has a
"baby" daughter named Ju Ae, whom he said he held during
his visit to Pyongyang. Her exact age at the time is unknown.
November 19, 2022
- A daughter is mentioned for the first time in North Korea's
state media which said leader Kim was joined by his
"beloved" daughter while overseeing the launch of an intercontinental
ballistic missile on the previous day. The reports never give her name or age,
but South Korean intelligence identifies her as Ju Ae.
Holding her father's hand, Ju Ae is seen in media photos with
chubby cheeks in a white padded children's jacket.
February 9, 2023 - Ju Ae attends
a parade marking a founding anniversary of the Korean People's Army. State
media begin using the reference "respected" daughter of the leader.
The event
marks the start of frequent public appearances throughout the year.
March 17, 2023 - State media reports Ju Ae was with her father
at another missile test launch.
September 9, 2023 - Ju Ae sits
next to her father on the VIP platform at a military parade marking the
foundation of the country as a republic. A top military officer
and Kim Jong Un's deputy on the ruling Workers' Party of Korea
Central Military Commission, Pak Jong Chon, is seen kneeling besides her
deferentially and speaking into her ear.
November 23, 2023 - At a
reception celebrating the success of the launch of a reconnaissance
satellite, Ju Ae is seen at the head table with her father,
still appearing child-like and wearing a shirt with an insignia of the
country's space programme.
January 1, 2024 - At a New
Year's concert, Ju Ae in a leather coat of the style favoured by
the leader is seen affectionately kissing her father and briefly touching him
on the chin, a nearly unprecedented public physical display with the supreme leader.
January 8, 2024 - Ju Ae accompanies Kim Jong
Un on field guidance at a chicken farm, highlighting the start of her public
appearance in a wider range of events with her father.
October 10, 2024 - Ju Ae meets
Russian Ambassador to North Korea Alexandr Matsegora at an event marking the
foundation of the ruling Workers' Party, shaking hands as she speaks in his
ear.
The
meeting is the first occasion she is seen in a diplomatic setting. It comes at
a time Kim Jong Un is dramatically upgrading the country's ties with
Russia having met President Vladimir Putin for the second time in June and
signed a major military treaty.
April 26, 2025 - Ju Ae accompanies
her father at the launch of a navy destroyer. Ju Ae, in a pant suit,
appears more mature and as tall as her father.
May 10, 2025 - Ju Ae accompanies Kim Jong
Un visiting the Russian embassy on Russia's 80th anniversary of World War Two
victory. Ambassador Matsegora is pictured giving Ju Ae a kiss on
the cheek.
June 15, 2025 - Ju Ae accompanies
her father inspecting a weapons factory, in a white suit and appearing even
more mature. In state media pictures, which are carefully selected for
publication, she is seen standing prominently in the foreground.
June 25, 2025 - Ju Ae is
at the official opening of the Wonsan holiday resort on the east coast, another
ambitious project by Kim Jong Un. State media
showed Ju Ae having grown taller than her mother, in a dress
suit and featured equally prominently as Kim Jong Un.
June 30, 2025 - Ju Ae attends
a concert with Kim Jong Un and visiting Russian culture minister Olga
Lyubimova where photos of North Korean troops in Russia are featured in the
backdrop of the stage.
September 2, 2025 - Ju Ae is
second to disembark the train behind Kim Jong Un as he arrives in
Beijing on a visit to attend a major World War Two anniversary. State media do
not immediately mention her travel with her father.
While she
does not appear with Kim Jong Un at the military parade, analysts say
her first foreign trip confirms her as a likely "front runner" to
become North Korea's next supreme leader.
















