Kim Ju Ae: From ‘baby’ to ‘front runner’ in North Korea succession
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North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and his daughter Kim Ju Ae celebrating the completion of the Wonsan Kalma coastal tourist area in Kangwon province, North Korea, in June 2025.
PHOTO: AFP
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SEOUL - Ms Kim Ju Ae, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s teenage daughter, has made her international debut, accompanying her father to Beijing this week,
The following is a timeline of her life.
September, 2013 - The existence of a child between Mr Kim and his wife Ri Sol Ju becomes public for the first time when American baseball 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.
Nov 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.
Feb 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.
Sept 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. Top military officer and Mr Kim’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.
Nov 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.
Jan 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.
Jan 8, 2024 - Ju Ae accompanies Mr Kim on field guidance at a chicken farm, highlighting the start of her public appearance in a wider range of events with her father.
Oct 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 Mr Kim 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 Mr Kim 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 Mr Kim. State media showed Ju Ae having grown taller than her mother, in a dress suit and featured equally prominently as Mr Kim.
June 30, 2025 - Ju Ae attends a concert with Mr Kim and visiting Russian culture minister Olga Lyubimova where photos of North Korean troops in Russia are featured in the backdrop of the stage.
Sept 2, 2025 - Ju Ae is second to disembark the train behind Mr Kim as he arrives in Beijing on a visit to attend a major World War II anniversary. State media do not immediately mention her travel with her father.
Kim Ju Ae was seen standing next to her father, Mr Kim Jong Un, as he was welcomed in front of his flagship armoured train by Mr Cai Qi, President Xi Jinping’s chief of staff, along with Foreign Minister Wang Yi.
PHOTO: AFP
While she does not appear with Mr Kim 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. REUTERS
