Kim Ju Ae And North Korea's Next Leader: Is Kim Jong Un Preparing A Fourth-Generation Dynasty?

Kim Ju Ae's growing presence at military and state events has fuelled speculation that she could inherit North Korea's leadership. But questions remain over her political status, the country's patriarchal power structure and whether the Kim family is preparing the public for another hereditary transfer of power.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has increasingly brought his teenage daughter, Kim Ju Ae, to military inspections, state ceremonies and other high-profile events. Her growing presence has raised questions about whether the ruling family is preparing the public for another hereditary transfer of power, this time to a woman.

Ju Ae, whose name and age have not been officially confirmed by North Korea, is believed to be around 13. She has not been given any formal political or administrative position. In April 2026, South Korea's National Intelligence Service (NIS) assessed that she had been positioned as her father's successor. North Korean defectors and analysts remain divided over whether she will eventually take power, particularly given the country's deeply entrenched patriarchal hierarchy. The question is not simply whether Kim intends to pass power to his daughter, but whether the regime can establish her authority within a system built around the male members of one family.

Why Kim Ju Ae is at the centre of succession speculation

Ju Ae first appeared in North Korean state media in November 2022, when she accompanied her father to an intercontinental ballistic missile launch. Since then, she has appeared at military inspections, weapons demonstrations and major state events. Images released by state media have shown her handling firearms and, more recently, driving a battle tank alongside Kim, fuelling comparisons with his own public appearances before he succeeded his father, Kim Jong Il.

The speculation gained further weight in April 2026, when the NIS told lawmakers it believed Ju Ae had been positioned as her father's successor. Reuters reported that the agency based its assessment on what it described as "credible intelligence".

According to lawmakers briefed by the NIS, the agency believed the tank imagery was intended to demonstrate Ju Ae's military aptitude and address doubts about a female successor. However, analysts have cautioned against treating individual public appearances as proof of a confirmed succession. Her lack of a formal position within the ruling Workers' Party or the military remains an important distinction.

What North Korean defectors think about her becoming the next leader

North Korean defectors are divided over whether Ju Ae would be accepted as the country's next leader, although expressing opposition to the ruling family inside North Korea carries serious risks.

Tae Yongho, a former North Korean diplomat who defected in 2016 and later served in South Korea's parliament, criticised Kim's attempt to extend his family's rule.

"It's a wretched reality that unchecked power in an absolute monarchy is being passed down to a fourth generation in the 21st century," Tae told the Associated Press. He warned that another hereditary succession could leave North Korea further behind the outside world.

Kim Yumi, who fled North Korea in May 2023, said some North Koreans resent Ju Ae's long hair, high heels and clothing, which ordinary teenagers are not allowed to wear. However, fear of punishment prevents them from openly expressing their dissatisfaction. "People would now think Ju Ae would become their monarch," she told AP.

Lee Si-young, another defector who heads the Seoul-based Free North Korea Radio station, suggested that state propaganda could shape how ordinary North Koreans viewed Ju Ae's privileged lifestyle. "They wouldn't know whether her clothes are designer brands but they think she can wear them because she's the daughter" of their supreme leader, she told AP.

Choi Song-juk, who fled North Korea in 2015, described Ju Ae kissing her father on the cheek as "an extremely uncommon" display of affection in the country. Choi said some North Koreans might feel proud of such images, viewing Kim as "the father of all people" and "not a tyrant who killed even his uncle".

Jo Sung-rae, who runs an online news site, said his contacts in North Korea were unsure whether Ju Ae was Kim's heir, although he believes she is. He suggested that concerns about Kim's health could be accelerating succession preparations. However, South Korea's intelligence agency said in September that Kim, despite being severely obese and at high risk of cardiovascular disease, showed no other significant signs of poor health.

Can a woman lead North Korea's patriarchal political system?

Ju Ae's possible succession raises questions about whether a woman can lead North Korea's deeply patriarchal political system, where the highest positions of power have traditionally been held by men.

Her aunt, Kim Yo Jong, offers an important comparison. Unlike Ju Ae, she already holds formal positions within the political system and has emerged as an influential figure in the ruling Workers' Party. She has also been involved in the regime's public messaging and relations with other countries. Her political standing shows that women from the ruling family can exercise influence, but it does not establish that the country is ready for a female head of state.

In an April 2026 analysis for 38 North, researcher Haruka Chunhyang Satake highlighted the difference between Ju Ae's symbolic prominence and institutional authority. Her growing visibility does not establish that North Korea is preparing to accept a woman as its next leader, particularly given the country's entrenched patriarchal norms.

Ju Ae is below the minimum age of 18 required for Workers' Party membership and holds no formal party, military or administrative title. This does not constitute a constitutional bar to succession, but it distinguishes her position from Kim Yo Jong's established institutional authority.

The AP report also highlights the disagreement among defectors over whether North Koreans would accept a woman as their leader. Defector and lawyer Lee Young-hyeon believes North Korea's male-centred hierarchy would make a female leader difficult to accept. "I can't buy the idea of a woman becoming leader in North Korea, which is virtually a dynasty," he told AP.

Oh Gyeong-seob, an analyst at the Korea Institute for National Unification, disagreed, arguing that gender might matter less if Kim formally designated Ju Ae as his successor and the ruling elite rallied behind her. "Whether the successor is a male or female doesn't really matter," he said.

How the Kim family has maintained its dynastic rule

North Korea has been ruled by three generations of the Kim family since its establishment in 1948. Founder Kim Il Sung led the country until his death in 1994, when his son Kim Jong Il succeeded him. After Kim Jong Il died in 2011, his son Kim Jong Un took power.

The two previous transfers established a precedent for hereditary succession, although North Korea has no clearly defined constitutional process for transferring leadership. Both transitions involved political preparation and the consolidation of support within the ruling establishment. Kim Jong Un, for instance, was publicly introduced as his father's successor before taking power. Any future transition would similarly depend on the backing of influential party and military figures.

The Kim family's rule is reinforced by a personality cult that presents its members as central to North Korea's national identity and revolutionary history. State-controlled media promote loyalty to the leadership, while restrictions on political freedoms and dissent make organised opposition difficult.

A fourth-generation succession would extend this arrangement, although the absence of public opposition cannot be treated as evidence of popular support in a country where dissent is severely restricted.

Researcher Ahn Kyung-su, who has interviewed hundreds of North Korean defectors, told AP that Kim would need to improve economic conditions and living standards to secure a more positive response to his succession plans. He also pointed to changes among younger North Koreans, who have increasingly encountered South Korean television and other foreign cultural content despite restrictions.

"North Korean people won't rise up against Kim. But what matters is whether he can have his people accept his plan happily or begrudgingly," Ahn said.

For now, Ju Ae's appearances suggest that Kim is giving his daughter an increasingly prominent place in the state's public narrative. Whether this visibility translates into formal authority will depend on her father's intentions and the backing of the political and military establishment.