Pyongyang is due to hold a landmark party congress at the end of February – its biggest political event – where it is expected to lay out its foreign policy, war planning and nuclear ambitions for the next five years.
The National Intelligence Service said it would closely monitor Ju Ae’s attendance, as well as the level of protocol accorded to her.
Analysts have suggested that she could be elected First Secretary of the Central Committee, the second most powerful position in North Korea’s ruling Workers’ Party.
Ju Ae was publicly introduced to the world in 2022 when she accompanied her father to an intercontinental ballistic missile launch.
“BELOVED CHILD”
North Korean state media have since referred to her as “the beloved child” and a “great person of guidance” – “hyangdo” in Korean – a term typically reserved for top leaders and their successors.
Before 2022, the only confirmation of her existence had come from former NBA star Dennis Rodman, who visited the North in 2013.
South Korea’s National Intelligence Service first acknowledged Ju Ae as Kim’s likely successor in 2024.
The call took many by surprise, given that Seoul has long painted North Korea as a male-dominated society unlikely to embrace a female leader.
Pyongyang has never confirmed Ju Ae’s exact age, but analysts believe she is in her early teens.
Most estimates put Ju Ae’s birthday somewhere between 2012 and 2013.
Ju Ae has drawn attention for her taste in luxury fashion, appearing in Gucci sunglasses and wearing Cartier watches.
At other times, she has mirrored her father’s distinctive style, wearing matching leather jackets and dark glasses.
Footage released this year showed Ju Ae accompanying her parents at New Year celebrations in Pyongyang.
While first lady Ri Sol Ju kept a low profile, state TV showed Ju Ae placing one hand on the North Korean leader’s face and kissing him on the cheek – a rare public display of affection.
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