Is North Korea preparing for first female leader?

Kim Ju-ae, daughter of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, fires a sniper rifle in this image released Feb. 27 by the state-run Korean Central News Agency. Korean Central News Agency

Kim Ju-ae, the daughter of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, has been appearing with increasing frequency in state media.

As of March, she had already appeared in 13 North Korean state media photos, surpassing her total number of public appearances in 2024. Wearing a leather jacket strikingly similar to her father’s, Ju-ae was recently seen firing a sniper rifle and sitting atop a tank.

According to Hankook Ilbo’s analysis of Korean Central News Agency reports, the number of public appearances so far this year already approaches 80 percent of her average annual exposure over the past four years.

She appeared twice in 2022, the year of her public debut. That number rose to 18 in 2023, before falling to 13 in 2024 and rising again to 17 in 2025. Given those relatively even numbers, this year already stands out.

Although the National Intelligence Service noted in its recent report to the National Assembly that Ju-ae is undergoing preparation to become a successor, the exact succession scenario remains unclear. Experts still remain divided over how to read state media images of her, with some seeing them as evidence that her successor status is being solidified and others viewing them as part of a broader effort to promote the regime.

Still, few dispute that the symbolic weight of the leader’s daughter is growing.

In the left photo, Kim Ju-ae attends the 75th anniversary military parade marking the Korean People’s Army Foundation Day in 2023, while in the right photo, she is seated alongside her father, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, at a New Year's celebration in January 2025. Korean Central News Agency

Signs of a fourth-generation succession

Jang Cheol-young, a former Blue House photographer, said the way Ju-ae is framed in state media photographs suggests the regime is preparing for a succession.

Images showing Ju-ae walking ahead of Kim Jong-un, or depicting the two at similar size within the frame, are cited as signs. Another basis for such speculation is that Ju-ae is frequently photographed from a “low angle,” a technique often used to convey authority.

Cheong Seong-chang, vice president of the Sejong Institute, added that the level of protocol surrounding Ju-ae in the photos indicates that she is “effectively being treated as a successor.”

Kim Ju-ae, right, daughter of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, arrives alongside her father for a visit to the Russian Embassy in Pyongyang in May 2025. Korean Central News Agency

Jang also noted Ju-ae’s placement when the family is photographed together. From the Korean People’s Army Foundation Day celebrations in February 2023 to the father-daughter event on March 8, Ju-ae, rather than Kim Jong-un, stood at the center of the frame.

The contrast is clear when set against photos of Japan’s imperial family, which usually place the emperor in the middle and his wife and daughter to either side.

“The picture was deliberately prepared with succession in mind,” Jang said.

In the left photo, a photo taken in January shows Ju-ae, daughter of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, placed at the center of the frame during a visit to the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun. In the right photo, the website of Japan’s Imperial Household Agency displays a photo taken with Emperor Naruhito at the center. Korean Central News Agency, capture from website of Japan’s Imperial Household Agency

Merely an attachment?

Others see Ju-ae less as an heir apparent than as a royal accessory to the North Korean leader. In some photos, she is shown looking elsewhere while officials around her busily take notes on Kim Jong-un’s instructions, or casually chatting with her father.

Kim Ju-ae, daughter of the North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, is seen standing to the side while the crowd next to her father listens attentively to him speak during thier visit to a key munitions factory in June 2025. Korean Central News Agency

“Kim appears to give her considerable freedom,” said Yang Moo-jin, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies. “If she were truly being groomed as a successor, the photos would likely show her standing before Kim in a much more formal and rigid manner.”

Hong Min, a senior research fellow at the Korea Institute for National Unification, shares that view. “She is more of a symbolic figure — a device used to evoke a sense of family and future when people look at Kim,” he said.

Kim Ju-ae, daughter of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, rides in the driver's seat of a tank carrying her father and military officials during a combined assault tactical drill at the 60th Training Base in Pyongyang, March 19, in a photo released the next day by the state-run Korean Central News Agency. Yonhap

There is little disagreement, however, that Ju-ae’s presence is growing. Experts said the recently released image of her in the driver’s seat of a tank is particularly significant, as it suggests the revolutionary legacy is being passed down across generations.

“In the past, Kim Jong-il and Kim Jong-un also portrayed themselves driving a tank,” Hong said. “It is one of the things to watch when observing succession in North Korea.”

“It is a delicate process of idolization,” said Lim Eul-chul, a professor at Kyungnam University’s Institute for Far Eastern Studies, referring to photos of Ju-ae wearing a leather jacket and riding a tank.

From left, Kim Ju-ae, daughter of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, is seen in appearances from her public debut in November 2022, February 2023, June 2025, March 14 and March 19. Her clothing has taken on an increasingly mature tone over the years. Korean Central News Agency

Her clothing, too, signals a change. Apart from her visit to the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun and a father-daughter event, she has appeared in suits at public events. More recently, she has been seen wearing the black leather jacket long associated with Kim Jong-un.

“By handing over the tank and leather jacket, Kim is trying to build the image of a ‘commander’ for his daughter,” Lim said.

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.