Kim Ju Ae's fashion and public role signal grooming as North Korea's next leader

Key facts

• Kim Ju Ae made her public debut in November 2022 at age nine, alongside her father at a ballistic missile launch.
• South Korea's National Intelligence Service (NIS) assesses Kim Ju Ae is the most likely successor to Kim Jong Un.
• State media has applied the honorific 'hyangdo' (guidance) to Kim Ju Ae, a term historically reserved for a supreme leader or designated successor.
• Kim Ju Ae has been photographed firing a sniper rifle and operating a battle tank in early 2026.
• Kim Jong Un reportedly has three children, including an eldest son, but no older son has been officially acknowledged or shown in state media.
• The regime is using 'image replication'—dressing Ju Ae in styles similar to her mother and father—to project maturity and authority.

A debut tied to nuclear might

In November 2022, North Korean state media released a photograph of leader Kim Jong Un walking with a young girl in front of a towering intercontinental ballistic missile. The girl, dressed in black trousers and a white padded jacket with her hair tied back, was his daughter Kim Ju Ae—then believed to be nine years old. Her debut was deliberately staged to link her symbolically to the nation's nuclear deterrent, embedding her in the state's defense apparatus from the outset.

Fashion as a tool of succession

Since her first appearance, Kim Ju Ae's hairstyles have become more elaborate and her attire increasingly elegant and sophisticated. At times she wears formal suits and skirts resembling her mother Ri Sol Ju; at other times she dons leather jackets, twinning with her father, who favors black leather and trench coats. Analysts say these outfits are likely dictated by the government's Propaganda and Agitation Department. 'As Ju Ae is still very young, her age could be seen as a potential weakness for a future leader. It appears the regime is dressing her in formal outfits similar to those worn by her mother as a way to mask her youth and project a more mature image,' said Cheong Seong-chang, deputy director of the Sejong Institute.

Accelerated grooming and gender challenges

Kim Ju Ae's public grooming began far earlier than that of her father or grandfather. Kim Jong Il was in his 30s and Kim Jong Un in his mid-20s when their succession preparation started. The accelerated timeline is likely driven by health concerns. Moreover, her gender demands a longer run-up to overcome biases in a male-dominated military hierarchy. By starting early, the regime grants itself years to normalize her image and consolidate authority before any power transfer.

Honorifics and military credentials

State media has carefully escalated the honorifics used for Kim Ju Ae. During her 2022 debut, she was called 'saranghaneun jajebun' (beloved child), which soon became 'jongyeonghaneun jajebun' (respected child)—mirroring Kim Jong Un's elevation from 'young general' to 'respected comrade.' In early 2024, the term 'hyangdo' (guidance)—historically reserved for a supreme leader or designated successor—was applied to her. In early 2026, state media showed her firing a sniper rifle among senior party and military officials, and on March 19 she was photographed operating a new battle tank during a tactical drill.

Why not Kim Yo Jong or a son?

Kim Jong Un has a younger sister, Kim Yo Jong, who is a high-ranking official in the Workers' Party. Yet the regime is grooming an untested teenage daughter rather than an experienced sister. The primary reason lies in the Paektu bloodline mythology: Mount Paektu is considered the birthplace of the Kim dynasty, and power must pass vertically from parent to child to maintain the purity of the main branch. Lateral transfer to a sibling would create competing family branches. As for a possible older son, the NIS believes it would be practically impossible to conceal such a child abroad, and no older son has ever been officially acknowledged or shown in state media.

Historical precedents and future outlook

Bypassing a firstborn male is not unprecedented in Korean history. During the Joseon dynasty, royal succession often prioritized political viability over birth order, and Kim Jong Il himself bypassed his eldest son, Kim Jong Nam, for Kim Jong Un. The regime's campaign for Kim Ju Ae includes 'image replication'—a tactic used by previous leaders to retain power. Kim Jong Un, in his early years, dressed like his grandfather Kim Il Sung to secure legitimacy. The question now is not whether the regime intends to install a female supreme leader, but how it plans to legitimize this transition within a patriarchal society.

The bottom line

• Kim Ju Ae's public appearances and evolving fashion are part of a deliberate campaign to groom her as North Korea's next leader.
• South Korea's NIS assesses that Kim Ju Ae is the most likely successor, despite her young age and gender.
• The regime is using honorifics, military imagery, and maternal statecraft to build her legitimacy.
• Kim Ju Ae's early grooming suggests an accelerated succession timeline, possibly due to Kim Jong Un's health.
• The Paektu bloodline mythology dictates vertical inheritance, sidelining Kim Yo Jong and any potential older son.
• Historical precedents in Korea and the Kim family show that bypassing firstborn males is an accepted tactic for political viability.