Overview

• Kim Ju-ae accompanied her father to China for a high-profile military parade and was prominently positioned during a station reception in Beijing.
• Her placement directly behind Kim Jong-un was interpreted by Sejong Institute’s Cheong Seong-chang as treatment consistent with North Korea’s customary “number two” protocol.
• South Korea’s National Intelligence Service estimates she was born in 2013 and assesses her as the most likely successor, while stressing that confirmation is absent.
• State media in Pyongyang avoid using her name but routinely call her the “dear” or “respected” daughter, and the widely used name derives partly from a Dennis Rodman anecdote.
• Observers count roughly 41 public appearances since late 2022, spanning missile launches and major state events, as Kim Yo-jong’s public profile has notably receded.