Kim Jong Un's arrival in China for his first ever multilateral meeting was always going to make headlines. But it was the smartly-dressed girl standing just behind him as he exited his armoured train which caught Korea watchers' attention: Kim Ju Ae, the North Korean leader's daughter.
According to South Korea's spy agency, Miss Kim is her father's most likely successor. But details - including her exact age - are thin on the ground. So what exactly do we know?
Miss Kim has, for a number of years, been believed to be the second of Kim Jong Un's and his wife, Ri Sol-Ju's, three children. The exact number, and their order, is by no means certain, however Kim is very secretive about his family, only introducing his wife to the public after they had been married for some time.
Kim Ju Ae is their only child whose existence has been confirmed by the country's leadership. No other child has been seen in public. News of her existence first emerged through an unlikely source: the basketball player Dennis Rodman, who revealed to The Guardian newspaper back in 2013 that he held their baby Ju Ae during a trip to the secretive state.
Little was then heard about her until November 2022, when she appeared alongside her father at the launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). By February the next year, she was appearing on postage stamps and attending banquets for top officials - described as Kim Jong Un's respected daughter.
South Korea's National Intelligence Service (NIS) provided lawmakers with a few extra details on the little girl in early 2024, suggesting she was around 10 years old, enjoyed horse riding, skiing and swimming, and was home-schooled in Pyongyang. By January 2024, the NIS concluded she was the most likely successor to Kim Jong Un, although they noted there were many variables still in play.
Since then, she has appeared by her father's side on numerous occasions, standing next to him at ICBM launches and military parades, taking centre stage and receiving military salutes from senior military commanders.
This week marked the first time she has been seen outside North Korea, further fueling speculation about her potential succession as the country’s future leader. The Kim family, who have ruled North Korea since 1948, assert a sacred bloodline that justifies their leadership. The presentation of Kim Ju Ae in public may reflect a strategic move by Kim Jong Un towards a more inclusive leadership dynamic in the traditionally patriarchal state.
