Overview
- State media photos released Friday show Kim Ju Ae standing in the front row between her parents during a Jan. 1 visit to the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, though the written KCNA report did not name her.
- South Korea’s Unification Ministry confirmed it was her first publicly known appearance at the mausoleum and said it is closely monitoring her activities.
- The mausoleum houses the embalmed bodies of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il, a sacralized venue used to reinforce the ruling family’s dynastic legitimacy.
- Experts highlight her central placement and increasingly exalted descriptors — including “great person of guidance” and “respected daughter” — as deliberate succession messaging before the Workers’ Party congress expected in January or February.
- Pyongyang has not disclosed her age or status, but her public profile has grown steadily since 2022, including a Beijing trip in September and prominent roles at New Year events.