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Kim Ju Ae Makes Overseas Debut Beside Kim Jong Un at Beijing Military Parade

Chinese protocol treated the 12- or 13-year-old as a VIP, reinforcing assessments that Pyongyang is grooming her as a likely successor.

Overview

  • Her Beijing appearance marked her first reported trip abroad and the clearest international showcase of her emerging public role.
  • Senior Chinese figures, including Politburo leader Cai Qi and Foreign Minister Wang Yi, greeted her as she arrived with her father by armored train.
  • Introduced publicly in 2022 at an intercontinental missile event, she has since appeared at key ceremonies such as a warship inauguration and the Wonsan Kalma resort opening.
  • North Korean outlets have increasingly used elevated honorifics for her, referring to her as the leader’s “respected daughter” and, in recent messaging, a “great guiding personality,” according to reporting.
  • She has no formal post and her exact age and family details are undisclosed, yet South Korean intelligence and experts assess she is being prepared for eventual leadership.