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PoliticsNorth Korea

North Korea: Kim's daughter being trained to succeed him

July 29, 2024

Kim Ju Ae is reportedly receiving an education to become the next leader of the country. Her father, Kim Jong Un, is the grandson of the country's founder Kim Il Sung.

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North Korea's Kim Ju Ae and Kim Jong Un
Kim Ju Ae is believed to have been born in 2012 or 2013Image: Yonhap/picture alliance

South Korean media reported on Monday that the leader of North Korea was having his oldest daughter officially trained to take over for him one day. 

What do know so far? 

Yonhap news agency, citing the National Intelligence Service, said Kim Ju Ae was receiving training after having been seen with her father on several public outings in the last few years.

The family of North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un is notoriously secretive, and little is known about his wife Ri Sol Ju and their three children, of which Kim Ju Ae is reportedly the middle.

Indeed, the name of the heir apparent is only known in the West from reports by American basketball player Dennis Rodman, who was allowed to visit Kim in 2013. Kim Ju Ae is believed to be 11 or 12 years old.

When has Kim Ju Ae been seen in public? 

Kim Jue Ae began accompanying her father to various public engagements in 2022, such as a tour of a missile factory and greeting troops.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and his daughter Ju Ae (left in photo) visit the Gangdong Comprehensive Greenhouse in Pyongyang
Kim Ju Ae would be North Korea's first leader if she succeeds her fatherImage: KCNA/AFP

Analysts believe her heightened public profile was either meant to silence rivalries inside Pyongyang or to present the Kim family in the style of a monarchy. Kim Jong Un has himself inherited his position as leader from his father Kim Jong Il, the son of North Korean founder Kim Il Sung.

es/rc (Reuters, Yonhap)

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