Overview

• Kim Jong Un brought his daughter, Kim Ju Ae, to Beijing for China’s World War II anniversary events, marking her first known public trip outside North Korea.
• State images showing her arrival and reception by top Chinese officials intensified readings that Pyongyang is raising her profile for a future role.
• Democratic Party lawmaker Park Jie-won said she is not the successor and claimed a rarely seen son studying in the West is the likely heir.
• Park added that Ju Ae did not appear at the parade or banquet, arguing she lacks an official post that would warrant invitations to formal events.
• Analysts cite North Korea’s dynastic precedent but stress the succession remains opaque, with Kim Yo Jong viewed as a plausible alternative if a transition becomes contested.