Will Kim Ju-ae be anointed as the successor this year?
Kim Ju-ae stands center stage between her mother and father at the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun on January 1. Image : KCNA
When Kim Jong-un visited the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun on New Year’s Day with his wife and daughter to pay his respects to his predecessors, the scene was more than a family gesture. It was a deliberate political performance.
The Kumsusan mausoleum in the northeast district of Pyongyang is home to the embalmed bodies of Kim’s father, Kim Jong-il, and grandfather, Kim Il-sung. It is therefore a highly symbolic site for the regime and underscores the legitimacy of the Kim lineage.
Daughter Ju-ae’s appearance alongside Kim and his wife, Ri Sol-ju, subtly conveyed the succession of this “Paektu bloodline,” signaling the regime’s intention to emphasize stability and continuity.
The ceremony was attended by senior officials from the Party and government, the Standing Committee of the Supreme People’s Assembly, the Cabinet, heads of ministries, and commanders of the Ministry of Defense. Kim led them in paying tribute before the statues of the previous two leaders.
He then went to the Hall of Eternal Life, where the bodies lie permanently in state, and offered New Year’s greetings. Kim emphasized that participants pledge loyalty to his ideology and leadership for national development and the people’s welfare.
Experts have offered varied interpretations. Some argue that Kim Ju-ae is already being trained to succeed her father.
“Kim Jong-un’s visit to the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun with Kim Ju-ae is a signal that at the Ninth Party Congress, she will be elected as ‘First Secretary of the Party Central Committee,’” Jeong Seong-jang, deputy director of the Sejong Institute, predicted.
Although no date has been set, analysts note it is five years since the previous congress and expect the event to be held in the first half of this year
This means that Ju-ae could be formally anointed in 2026 as the Party’s second-in-command and Kim’s successor.
Others view her not yet as an official heir but as a potential successor whose image is being strengthened as she undergoes education.
Either way, Ju-ae’s presence functions as more than symbolism. It also serves to imprint the image of a next-generation leader in the minds of the Party, government, and military elite.
North Korea has historically revealed succession plans in slow motion while preparing for power transfer. The transitions from Kim Il-sung to Kim Jong-il, and from Kim Jong-il to Kim Jong-un, for example, did not begin with any formal title of “successor.” Instead, the heir was gradually positioned at the center of power. Ju-ae’s appearance can be seen as following this pattern.
If she is eventually formalized as the successor, it would make North Korea unprecedented as a dictatorship, with the ruling family continuing into the fourth generation. While the signals may provide North Koreans themselves with a measure of stability, it simultaneously reinforces the perception in the outside world of a totally closed state.
Although it may take time before Kim Ju-ae is officially confirmed as successor, this event will be recorded as an important moment showing that North Korea is already preparing its succession structure.
Kim Yumi, a North Korean defector, was born and raised in Haeju, South Hwanghae Province, a coastal military area. Growing up near a naval base, she was able to secretly watch South Korean news programs and TV shows, thereby uncovering the vibrant, democratic society of South Korea. Yumi and her husband made the brave decision to escape North Korea and seek a better future. Now in Seoul, she is actively involved in raising awareness about the realities of life in North Korea, especially on her YouTube channel, “@KimYumiTV.”
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