Kim Ju-ae: North Korea’s Princess Daughter

The North Korean leader’s 10-year-old daughter, Kim Ju-ae, first appeared in public for the first time during a missile launch in November 2022. Although her name was previously revealed by former NBA star, Dennis Rodman, after his visit to Pyongyang in 2013, Kim Ju-ae remained to be the only one of Kim Jong-un’s children to have appeared in public, sparking widespread speculation that she might one day rule over the hermit kingdom. Since then, Princess Kim has made a number of public appearances as Kim Jong-un’s most “beloved” and later “respected” daughter by February 2023, which is an adjective reserved for the highest-ranked members in North Korean society. While state propaganda has attempted to promote female status and use Kim Ju-ae’s public profile to modernize the Kim family’s image in the male-dominated, monarchical society, frequent TV appearances exposing the princess’ lavish lifestyle have led to growing resentment among starving North Koreans.

WHY KIM JONG-UN WANTS YOU TO MEET HIS DAUGHTER

According to Soo Kim, a contributor for Australian-based think tank Lowy Institute, Kim Ju-ae’s public debut was “an impeccably timed distraction to keep the international community from focusing on seeking an enduring solution to Pyongyang’s rapidly advancing weapons system.” Indeed, the world has temporarily shifted its attention from North Korea’s ballistic missile testing to explore meanings behind the image of a strangely relatable scene showing a loving father walking hand-in-hand with his young, innocent-looking daughter.

However, bringing Kim Ju-ae’s out in public spotlight has generated extensive resentment toward the well-dressed princess, who was seen wearing expensive designer outfits while “the recent food crisis in North Korea is serious enough that some people are starving to death,” described Lee Seo Hyun, a North Korean defector. For example, the Christian Dior coat she wore during a missile launch at Pyongyang International Airport this year costs $1,900 USD according to the company’s website.

Another source also criticized the privileged daughter for looking “so different from the children of common people who are punished for following ‘capitalist culture’ when they dress up in fashionable clothes” and whose “cheekbones stick out from their faces.” Others expressed anger seeing Kim Ju-ae who “must be eating so well, her face is so white and plump like the moon” appearing “on TV in her fancy clothes so often.” As a result, it appears that North Korean websites began censoring "Kim Ju Ae" and deleting all related posts that referenced someone with the same name, perhaps as a way to protect her declining reputation.

HOW JU-AE FITS INTO THE ROYAL KIM BLOODLINE

Even though North Korea enacted the “Men and Women Equal Rights Act” in 1946, which advocated for gender equality, it remains a deeply patriarchal country. To this day, it is difficult for the average North Korean to accept women as leaders. In addition, the Mount Paektu bloodline, which consists of a three-generation lineage of leadership descending from the nation’s founding leader Kim Il-sung, is a fundamental ideology rooted in the country’s ruling Workers’ Party. North Korean state media often praised its former leader, Kim Jong-il, for establishing the “blood theory” that guarantees the preservation of the Kim’s sacred bloodline and strengthens the Juche ideology to prepare for the country’s next leader. 

A brutal selection process is deployed to protect the Kim family’s bloodline. For instance, Kim Jong-un’s uncle and the only adult male in the family, Jang Sung-taek, was mercilessly killed in 2013 after being found to have proposed a plot to overthrow Kim Jong-un and replace him with Kim Jong-nam. Kim Jong-nam, Kim Jong-un’s older half brother, was later assassinated in Malaysia in 2017. 

Playing out Kim Ju-ae’s potential succession to her father’s throne does, however, risk putting an end to the Kim dynasty as the leadership may be subsequently handed over to a descendant who is not a “Kim.” Kim Jong-un is believed to have three children: an elder son (born in 2010), Kim Ju-ae, and possibly a third daughter (born in 2017), and there is no compelling reason to defy North Korea’s long standing succession traditions and crown a daughter as his successor. Nevertheless, by increasing Kim Ju-ae’s public appearances during important state events and addressing her as Kim Jong-un’s “respected daughter” and “beloved daughter,” Pyongyang highlights the unspoken rule that only direct descendants of the leader are eligible for succession regardless of age or even gender.

Another potential heir to the throne, Kim Yo-jong, the younger sister of Kim Jong-un, enjoyed her time in the limelight during the 2018 Winter Olympics held in Pyeongchang, South Korea and several months thereafter. While her public appearances generated quite a buzz of her potential line to future reign, aside from speculations of takeover during Kim Jong-un’s health scare in 2020, there has been very little mention of her name since. The world will continue to watch members of the Kim clan closely, including the latest publicly profiled darling daughter Kim Ju-ae.