Kim Presents His Potential Successor

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s daughter, Kim Ju Ae, has made her first known visit to the mausoleum that holds the preserved bodies of her grandfather and great-grandfather, according to images released by state media on Friday.

The appearance is widely seen as another sign strengthening her status as a potential future leader.

North Korea has been ruled by the Kim family for generations, with a tightly controlled system built around the glorification of what state propaganda calls the “Paektu bloodline.” The current leader, Kim Jong Un, is the third member of the family to hold power, following his father Kim Jong Il and grandfather Kim Il Sung.

Both former leaders are enshrined at the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, a massive mausoleum located in central Pyongyang, where they are revered as the country’s “eternal leaders.”

The official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported that Kim Jong Un visited the palace alongside senior party and state officials. Photographs released with the report showed Kim Ju Ae accompanying him during the visit.

South Korea’s intelligence agency said last year that Kim Ju Ae is believed to be next in the line of succession, noting her increasing public appearances with her father, including a highly publicized visit to Beijing.

Kim Ju Ae was first revealed to the public in 2022 when she appeared alongside Kim Jong Un at a launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile. Since then, North Korean media have increasingly highlighted her presence, referring to her with honorific titles such as “the beloved child” and “hyangdo,” a term traditionally reserved for top leaders or designated heirs.

Prior to her public debut, the only known reference to Kim Ju Ae came from former NBA star Dennis Rodman, who mentioned her existence following a visit to North Korea in 2013.