Historic first: See Kim Jong Un’s daughter’s first public appearance at mausoleum
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s daughter, Ju Ae — widely viewed by analysts as a potential successor — has made her first public visit to the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, a highly symbolic site that houses the embalmed bodies of the country’s founding leaders.
State media images released by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on Friday showed Ju Ae accompanying her parents, Kim Jong Un and Ri Sol Ju, as they paid respects to her grandfather Kim Jong Il and great-grandfather Kim Il Sung, the founder of North Korea. The visit took place on January 1, a date steeped in political and dynastic significance in the secretive state.
Photographs showed Ju Ae standing prominently between her parents in the main hall of the mausoleum, alongside senior officials — a placement analysts say is deliberate and loaded with meaning. Experts note that North Korea’s ruling family has long used symbolism tied to the so-called “Paektu bloodline” to reinforce its grip on power and legitimise leadership transitions.
Ju Ae has appeared with increasing frequency in state media over the past three years, fuelling speculation from analysts and South Korea’s intelligence agencies that she is being groomed as a fourth-generation leader. North Korean media have referred to her using exalted honorifics such as “the beloved child” and “hyangdo,” or “great person of guidance,” a term historically reserved for supreme leaders and their designated heirs.
She was first publicly introduced in 2022 during the launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile, marking a rare moment when a member of the Kim family’s next generation was unveiled on the global stage. Since then, Ju Ae has attended key military events, New Year celebrations, and in September made her first overseas appearance during a visit to Beijing with her father.
North Korea has never formally announced succession plans, instead signalling leadership transitions gradually through visibility, symbolism, and expanding public roles. Ju Ae’s appearance at the mausoleum — a sacred site in the regime’s political mythology — is widely seen as one of the strongest signals yet.
The visit comes as Kim Jong Un has vowed to accelerate the production of missiles and artillery shells, framing them as a vital “war deterrent” amid rising tensions with the United States and South Korea.