The daughter of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has taken a significant symbolic step, further cementing her perceived role as the future head of the isolated, nuclear-armed state. Kim Ju Ae accompanied her father on a visit to the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun in Pyongyang, the mausoleum housing the embalmed bodies of her grandfather and great-grandfather, according to state media imagery released on January 1, 2026.
A Symbolic Pilgrimage to the "Eternal Leaders"
This marked the first public visit by Kim Ju Ae to the sacred site dedicated to Kim Jong Il and Kim Il Sung, the former leaders who are officially designated as the "eternal leaders" of North Korea. The Kim family, with its so-called "Paektu bloodline," has maintained an iron grip on power for decades, with a pervasive personality cult dominating life in the country.
Analysts immediately noted the profound significance of her presence. Cheong Seong-chang, a noted expert on North Korean leadership at Seoul's Sejong Institute, pointed out that her placement in the center of the front row—a spot typically reserved for her father—was highly notable. He suggested the visit could be "interpreted as reporting to the 'eternal leaders' Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il that she is being presented as his successor."
The Rapid Rise of a "Beloved Child"
Kim Ju Ae was first introduced to the world in 2022 when she attended an intercontinental ballistic missile launch with her father. Since that debut, her public profile has escalated rapidly. South Korea's National Intelligence Service indicated last year that she is now understood to be the heir apparent, a assessment reinforced by a high-profile visit to Beijing.
North Korean state media has progressively used elevated language to describe her, referring to her as "the beloved child" and a "great person of guidance" ("hyangdo")—an honorific term traditionally reserved for top leaders and their successors. Her recent appearances, including at New Year's celebrations in Pyongyang where she was shown kissing her father on the cheek in a rare public display of affection, have consistently drawn intense scrutiny and headlines.
Formal Confirmation on the Horizon?
Experts believe these moves are building toward an official anointment. Cheong Seong-chang, author of a book on Kim family leadership, expects her to be "formally confirmed as the next successor both domestically and internationally" in the near future. Some analysts speculate she could be elected to a high-ranking party position, such as First Secretary of the Central Committee, at a major party congress expected in the coming weeks.
Before her 2022 unveiling, the only outside confirmation of her existence came from former NBA star Dennis Rodman following his visit to North Korea in 2013. Her transformation from a shadowy figure to the central focus of succession planning underscores the dynastic nature of the world's only communist monarchy, now potentially preparing for its fourth-generation leader.
