Kim Ju-ae

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Photo by Korean Central News Agency
Kim pictured at an event with her father in February 2023

Kim Ju-ae (Korean: 김주애; born c. 2012–2013) is the daughter of North Korean supreme leader Kim Jong Un and his wife Ri Sol-ju.^[1]

Biography

Kim Ju-ae is generally believed to have been born in 2012–2013.^[2] Ri Sol-ju was absent from North Korean media during 2012, which has been later attributed to her pregnancy.^[3] Ju-ae's name became known outside North Korea when American basketball player Dennis Rodman, who has a close personal relationship with Kim Jong Un, identified her in an account of a visit he made to the country the previous year. Rodman described "[holding] their baby Ju-ae" and complimented Kim as a "good dad".^[4] Kim Ju-ae is believed to have an older brother born in 2010 and a younger sibling of unknown sex born in 2017.^[3][5]

Kim Ju-ae appeared in public for the first time at a missile launch in November 2022.^[1][2] She made five public appearances by early February 2023. State media initially called her Kim Jong Un's "beloved" daughter but soon began using the adjective "respected", which is reserved only for the most honored members of North Korean society, such as Kim Ju-ae's parents.^[6][7] Some analysts believe that her new public profile is an attempt to present the Kim family in the fashion of an absolute monarchy^[8] or a response to rivalries within the North Korean government.^[9] It has also led to speculation that she has been chosen as her father's successor, which could make her the first woman to serve as supreme leader.^{[6][10][11][12]} To commemorate the 18 November missile launch, the state-run Korea Stamp Corporation unveiled new postage stamps featuring Kim Ju-ae on 15 February 2023.^[13] On 18 February, she was seen with her father participating at a festivity marking the birth anniversary of Kim Jong Il, or the Day of the Shining Star.^[14] She appeared once again on 9 September 2023 at a parade marking the 75th anniversary of the Day of the Foundation of the Republic.^[15] She was present next to her father at the Grand Performance for New Year 2024 at the May Day Stadium.^[16]

References

v t e Select[α] family tree of North Korea's ruling Kim family[β][γ][δ]
Kim Song-ryeong 1810–1899 Kim Ung-u 1848–1878 Kim Bo-hyon 1871–1955 Kim Hyong-jik 1894–1926 Kang Pan-sok 1892–1932 Kim Jong-suk 1917–1949 Kim Il Sung 1912–1994 Kim Song-ae 1924–2014 Kim Yong-ju 1920–2021 Kim Young-sook 1947– Song Hye-rim 1937–2002 Kim Jong Il 1941?[ε]–2011 Ko Yong-hui 1952–2004 Kim Ok 1964– Kim Kyong-hui 1946– Jang Song-thaek 1946–2013 Kim Pyong Il 1954– Kim Sol-song 1974– Kim Jong-nam 1971–2017 Kim Jong-chul 1981– Kim Jong Un 1983?[ζ]– Ri Sol-ju c. 1986– Kim Yo-jong 1987– Kim Han-sol 1995– Kim Ju-ae c. 2012[η]–
Notes: ^ To keep the tree of manageable size, it omits five out of the eight known children of Kim Il Sung. Other children not shown in the tree are: Kim Man-il, Kim Kyong-jin, Kim Yong-il, Kim Hyŏn-nam, and Kim Yŏng-il ^ Korean names often have a variety of transliterations into English, which can be confusing. For example, "Kim Jong-chul" may also be written "Gim Jeong-cheol" or "Kim Jŏng-ch'ŏl" among many other variations. See Korean romanization for more information. ^ Huss, Kan; Frost, Clay. "North Korea's First Family: Mapping the personal and political drama of the Kim clan". msnbc.com. Retrieved 20 January 2013. (Confirms many, but not all, of the birth and death years. See individual articles for more references.) ^ Yan, Holly (16 February 2017). "The world's most mysterious family tree: Kim Jong Un's secretive dynasty is full of drama, death". Design by Alberto Mier. CNN. Retrieved 16 February 2017. ^ Official North Korean biographies of Kim Jong Il list his birth year as 1942. The Korean calendar is based upon the Chinese zodiac which is believed to characterize one's personality. The year 1942 (Year of the Horse), in addition to being 30 years since Kim Il Sung's birth may be viewed as a better year than others, thus creating a motive to lie about a birth year. ^ Official North Korean biographies of Kim Jong Un list his birth year as 1982. The Korean calendar is based upon the Chinese zodiac which is believed to characterize one's personality. The year 1982 (Year of the Dog), in addition to being 70 years since Kim Il Sung's birth, may be viewed as a better year than others, thus creating a motive to lie about a birth year. ^ Birth year for Kim Ju-ae is not publicly known. She may have been born in either late 2012 or early 2013.