Kim Jong Un's daughter pays a visit to China - Breaking down the implications
In a report issued last January, the National Intelligence Service (NIS) of South Korea stated that Kim Ju Ae, the daughter of current leader Kim Jong Un, has emerged as the "most likely" successor to her father. This announcement has sparked a wave of speculation about the future of North Korea and the potential for a female supreme leader.
Kim Ju Ae's critical diplomatic mission could be her anointment on the world stage as heir to the world's only communist dynasty. In March, a report in North Korean state media referred to Kim Ju Ae as "a great person of guidance," an honorific usually reserved for the regime's most senior leaders. This title, coupled with her recent overseas trip to Beijing, China, where she accompanied her father to a large military parade, has fueled the belief that she is being groomed for a leadership role.
However, the path to power is not without challenges. Toshimitsu Shigemura, a professor at Tokyo's Waseda University, points out that if Kim Ju Ae were to attempt to become the leader after her father's death, she would likely lose much of her support and face potential rivalries and resistance from top political and military leaders. Older men who have risen through the ranks of the North Korean military may resist the idea of taking orders from a female, he suggests.
Despite these challenges, some analysts remain optimistic about Kim Ju Ae's potential leadership. Ahn Yinhay, a professor of international relations at Korea University in Seoul, believes that if Kim Ju Ae is successful in inheriting her father's legacy, she is likely to follow in his footsteps. However, there is also the possibility that she could be a more benevolent leader, he adds.
Kim Jong Un has been known to keep his daughter close to him, and some believe that he does so due to a belief that the US would not be willing to kill her as well, and to show off his family to ordinary North Koreans. In November 2022, Kim Jong Un permitted the first publication of an image of his daughter, Kim Ju Ae, in North Korean media.
It is important to note that North Korea is a very Confucianist society with social and political structures based on strict hierarchies, including male over female. Some still believe that a female supreme leader would be a leap too far for North Korean society.
Kim Il Sung established North Korea in 1948, marking the beginning of the Kim clan's rule over the nation with an iron fist. If Kim Ju Ae were to become the leader, she would be upending the tradition of male succession within the Kim dynasty.
Kim Ju Ae is believed to be 12 or 13 years old. Despite her young age, she has already been referred to as the "respected daughter" of Kim Jong Un and had been pictured alongside her father in various settings. The South Korea's National Intelligence Service (NIS) suggests that Kim Ju Ae enjoys activities such as horse riding, skiing, and swimming.
As the world watches and waits, the future of North Korea remains uncertain. Only time will tell if Kim Ju Ae will indeed become the next supreme leader of North Korea and if she will be able to lead the nation in a different direction than her father.
