Overview

• State photos show Kim Jong Un traveling to Beijing with his daughter Kim Ju Ae for the Sept. 2 commemorations, marking her first known trip abroad.
• Analysts interpret her high-profile presence and prominent framing in official imagery as deliberate grooming for a future role.
• Democratic Party lawmaker Park Jie-won asserted that Ju Ae is not being prepared to lead and claimed Kim’s son, reportedly studying in the West, is the likely successor.
• Park said Ju Ae did not appear at the parade or banquet because she holds no official title, offering that as his explanation for her absence from formal events.
• Commentary notes North Korea’s past hereditary transfers in 1994 and 2011 proceeded without public unrest, while highlighting the regime’s male-dominated politics and the influential role of Kim Yo Jong.