Stop obsessing over Kim Jong Un’s daughter — he doesn’t need an heir

Published September 9, 2026 8:00am ET



Whenever Kim Jong Un’s daughter appears beside her father at a major military or political event, the same question follows: Is she North Korea’s next leader? 

It is a reasonable question. Kim Ju Ae has increasingly appeared in state media and at important public events, while South Korea’s National Intelligence Service has assessed that North Korea appears to be positioning her as a possible successor. 

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