Pyongyang: North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's teenage daughter, Ju-ae, has made her first public appearance at the family mausoleum, the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, accompanied by her father. This event, captured in images by the North's state media and revealed on Friday, marks a significant moment as it fuels speculation about her role in the potential succession of North Korea's communist dynasty.
According to Yonhap News Agency, Ju-ae's attendance at the mausoleum, where her grandfather Kim Il-sung and father Kim Jong-il lie in state, was part of a New Year's Day visit. The visit included Kim Jong-un, his wife, and key party and government officials. State media photos featured Ju-ae prominently, standing in the center with her parents on either side, marking her debut at the family mausoleum. Her first appearance in North Korean state media was recorded in 2022.
The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) emphasized the visitors' commitment to the "sacred cause for the eternal prosperity and development of the great DPRK," using the acronym for North Korea's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. The mausoleum is a revered site, enshrining the embalmed bodies of Kim Il-sung, the nation's founder, and Kim Jong-il, Kim Jong-un's father.
Kim Jong-un's last visit to the mausoleum took place on New Year's Day in 2023, a tradition he has upheld since assuming power in 2012, with exceptions in 2018, 2024, and 2025. Seoul's unification ministry highlighted the significance of Ju-ae's public debut at the mausoleum, noting it as Kim's first such visit with his daughter. Deputy spokesperson Chang Yoon-jeong stated, "We are closely watching as it is the first such visit," during a press briefing on Friday, and affirmed continued monitoring of Ju-ae's activities.
A day prior, Kim Jong-un, alongside his wife and daughter, attended a large-scale celebratory performance in Pyongyang to mark the new year. State-run Korean Central Television broadcasted footage of Ju-ae seated next to her father, dressed in a leather coat similar to his. The video showed her holding his hand, whispering to him during the event, and affectionately kissing him on the cheek after the New Year's countdown.