You may have noticed that recent snaps of North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un have occasionally featured a young girl, walking a few paces behind him.
The North Korean regime is one of the most mysterious forces in the world of politics, with little to nothing known about the country's infrastucture, riches, or society.
All the rest of us know is that it's a highly secretive state led by Kim Jong Un under his dynastic totalitarian dictatorship, and that they have nuclear weapons ready to be used at a moment's notice.
It is estimated that 26.5 million people live in North Korea, all of whom have been under the tutelage of the Kim family for nearly 80 years.
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There still isn't much known about the family who have ruled the nation under Juche for three generations, but it's believed that the next leader is being lined up.
She might just be 13-years-old but Kim Ju Ae, Kim Jong Un's daughter, may be the dictator's heir apparent.
The teenager has been spotted during numerous international public events involving her father, as South Korea's spy agency have claimed in a briefing that she is her dad's 'successor-designate' instead of simply being groomed for leadership, say The Independent.
Ju Ae has started to appear at more major events, while it's believed that she is consulted by her dad on policy decisions.
Her first appearance came in 2022, as she held the hand of Kim Jong Un while watching the launching of a ballistic missile, like most 10-year-olds do.
She has started to become a regular fixture in North Korea's state media over the years, as they avoid using her name and instead address her as 'beloved', 'respected', or 'great person of guidance'.
Ju Ae is the only child of the North Korean leader who is regularly shown in public, taking the place which was once her mother's.
Ex-NBA player Dennis Rodman, who struck up a friendship with Kim Jong Un, publicly revealed that he met Kim Ju Ae following a visit in 2013, telling the Guardian at the time: “I held their baby Ju Ae and spoke with (Kim’s wife) as well.”
Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul, told CNN in 2023: "By ostentatiously including his wife and daughter, Kim wants observers at home and abroad to see his family dynasty and the North Korean military as irrevocably linked."
Kim Jong Un even carried out a rare public display of affection, kissing his daughter at a New Year's Eve celebration at Pyongyang stadium in 2024.
High ranking members of the military have kneeled beside her to speak to the teen with respect, with Ju Ae bring introduced at state ceremonies by mid-2024 by Kim Jong Un's sister Kim Yo Jong.
She even formally greeted the Russian ambassador by the end of the year.
Mason Richey, a professor at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies in Seoul, told Reuters in 2025: "For all we know this is just him doting on a favourite child, but the more that she shows up, the more it seems that she’s either being fully groomed for leadership or at least floated as a possibility."
The nation has even started producing postage stamps featuring both Kim Jong Un and his daughter together.
If Ju Ae really is her father's successor, she would succeed him, Kim Jong Il and Kim Il Sung, while also becoming the first woman to lead the nation and be in possession of the red button to the nation's nuclear weapons.
Topics: Kim Jong-un, Politics, World News
Joshua Nair