The confident, bubbly-looking girl has frequently appeared at her father’s side in recent years, prompting North Korea watchers to speculate that she could be an unconventional choice as the country’s next ruler — breaking with a succession system that has passed power from father to son for three generations.
South Korean intelligence authorities estimate her age at 12 to 13, while foreign analysts put it at around 13 to 14.
Now, even her name has become a matter of debate.
The girl has so far been widely known as Ju Ae, but some close observers believe her real name may be Ju Hae.
They have been closely following the ninth party congress under way in Pyongyang since Feb. 19 for signs of her growing political presence.
Kim Ju Ae — or Ju Hae — has increasingly accompanied her father to key weapons tests, fueling speculation about an emerging hereditary succession plan.
One intelligence source said she is believed to be receiving briefings and issuing directions to some officials, in place of Jang Chang-ha commanding the missile bureau.
Earlier this month, South Korea’s National Intelligence Service briefed lawmakers that Kim’s daughter had entered what it called the “succession designation stage.” The agency said she has begun expressing views on certain state policies, a possible sign of her rising influence.
She first drew international attention in 2013, when former NBA star Dennis Rodman told The Guardian that he had “held baby Ju Ae” during a visit to North Korea.
Defector testimonies, including that of former diplomat Ryu Hyun-woo, have also cited “Ju Ae” as Kim’s chosen name for his second child, allegedly meaning “one who is loved by all.”
However, alternative versions such as “Ju Ye” and “Ju Hye” have circulated for years, and analysts now believe her name may have been altered after she was designated as a successor. Kim Jong Un himself is known to have changed the Chinese character of his given name in 2009, when his own succession path began.
For years, Kim Ju Ae was believed to be the second of Kim Jong Un and his wife Ri Sol Ju’s three children, though neither the total number nor their birth order has ever been publicly confirmed. She remains the only child acknowledged through state media appearances.
Since her first official appearance alongside her father at an intercontinental ballistic missile launch in November 2022, she has featured prominently at military parades and official banquets. By early 2023, state outlets began referring to her as the “respected daughter,” an honorific previously used for Kim himself before his leadership was announced.
By January 2024, the NIS identified her as the “most likely successor,” while cautioning that “many variables” remain, given Kim’s relatively young age and North Korea’s patriarchal political culture.
Her expanding public role — and recent intelligence suggesting her name may be Kim Ju Hae — indicates that Pyongyang may be quietly preparing for a fourth-generation transfer of power under the Kim dynasty.
Whether that process will include formally recognizing her new name remains one of the regime’s closely guarded secrets.
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