Overview

• North Korean state images show the girl widely identified as Kim Ju Ae stepping off an armored train behind her father in Beijing, her first public trip abroad.
• Kim attended China’s Victory Day military parade marking 80 years since Japan’s WWII surrender, an event that also featured Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin; his daughter was not shown at the parade itself.
• South Korea’s National Intelligence Service assesses her as the most likely successor so far, even as Pyongyang has neither named her nor disclosed her age, which is estimated at about 12–13.
• Her public role has expanded since a 2022 ICBM launch debut, with state media honorifics like “beloved” and “respected” and appearances on propaganda materials including postage stamps.
• Analysts say the Beijing trip offers protocol training and signals grooming for leadership, though uncertainties persist given North Korea’s male-dominated system and reports that Kim has other children.