Kim Jong Un appears with daughter at mausoleum, fueling succession speculation

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un appeared publicly with his daughter, Ju Ae, during a New Year’s Day visit to the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, a symbolic site honoring the country’s founding leaders.

Images from the state news agency KCNA show Ju Ae standing between her parents in the main hall of the mausoleum, a moment that analysts say has fueled speculation about her future role in the regime.

Ju Ae has been featured more often in state media over the past three years, fueling speculation by analysts and South Korea’s intelligence agency that she may be positioned as a potential successor to Kim Jong Un.

The appearance comes amid a longstanding tradition in North Korea, where Kim visits the mausoleum on key dates and anniversaries to reinforce the legitimacy of the nuclear-armed country’s dynastic heritage.

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North Korea has never confirmed Ju Ae’s age, and her exact age remains unknown, but she is believed to be around 12 or 13.

After being publicly introduced in North Korea in 2022, Ju Ae made her first public appearance outside of her home country while accompanying her father on a trip to Beijing in September, his first visit to China in years, a move analysts said may signal her role as North Korea’s heir-in-waiting.

Ju Ae’s existence was inadvertently revealed by retired NBA star Dennis Rodman over a decade ago in an interview with The Guardian.

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Rodman told reporters during a 2013 trip to Pyongyang he had “held the baby Ju Ae,” while calling Kim Jong Un a “good dad.”

Parenting expert Kirsty Ketley told Fox News Digital in September that placing Ju Ae in the global spotlight at a young age could have lasting consequences.

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“She’s being shaped into a role rather than being supported to figure out who she is as an individual, and that pressure could have a huge impact on her mental health,” she said. 

Fox News Digital’s Emma Bussey and Reuters contributed to this report.