As North Korean leader Kim Jong Un stepped off his armored green train in Beijing on Tuesday, greeted by Chinese officials shaking his hand and leading him down a red carpet, many observers noticed a young girl walking behind him, smiling politely, dressed in black with her hair tied in a bow.
This is believed to be Kim Ju Ae, the leader’s mysterious daughter. She’s has made various public appearances over the years, mostly at military-related events, prompting speculation about why she’s in Beijing and whether Kim could be preparing his future successor.
The young girl’s first public trip abroad is one of massive significance, at a parade where Chinese leader Xi Jinping will flaunt his military forces, and where her father will stand shoulder to shoulder with fellow autocrats including Xi and Russian President Vladimir Putin – partnerships she may very well need to navigate one day.
The child was nowhere to be seen on Wednesday as her father strode down the red carpet at Tiananmen Square ahead of Xi’s military parade.
Little is known about Kim’s daughter, whose first public appearance in 2022 confirmed her existence, after years of speculation.
American basketball star Dennis Rodman revealed Kim had a baby called Ju Ae when he visited Pyongyang in 2013, telling The Guardian afterward, “I held their baby Ju Ae and spoke with (Kim’s wife) as well.”
Kim’s daughter was introduced to the world in true Kim style in 2022, accompanying her father as he oversaw the launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). Several more public appearances came in 2023 – mostly at military events, such as a military parade where she gazed out at rows of ICBMs in the capital Pyongyang.
