Kim Jong Un’s daughter takes center stage at dynastic ceremony

Published January 2, 2026 5:03pm ET



North Korean supreme leader Kim Jong Un is aggressively signaling his daughter’s role as his likely successor, despite the unprecedented nature of a female in command of the hermit state.

Kim Ju Ae — the daughter of the supreme leader — stood beside her parents during a New Year’s ceremony at the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun in Pyongyang, where her great-grandfather Kim Jong Il and grandfather Kim Il Sung are entombed.

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