https://www.scmp.com/rss/523291/feed Kim Ju-ae, the daughter of North Korea's Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Rob York Rob York A recent report by South Korea’s National Intelligence Service suggests Kim Jong-un has selected his daughter, Ju-ae (or possibly Ju-hae), to succeed him as North Korea’s supreme leader. This is not the first time analysts have had to consider if North Korea, supposedly the most traditionalist of communist states, could have a female leader, but it is the most definitive. In 2020, Kim spent three weeks out of the spotlight, including missing the April 15 birth celebration of his grandfather, Kim... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3344613/kim-jong-uns-daughter-may-well-become-north-koreas-first-female-leader?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3344613/kim-jong-uns-daughter-may-well-become-north-koreas-first-female-leader?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 03 Mar 2026 01:30:08 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press North Korean leader Kim Jong-un gifted new sniper rifles to top government and military officials following a weeklong ruling party congress celebrating his leadership, with state media highlighting an image of his teenage daughter taking aim at a shooting range as her increasingly prominent appearances fuel speculation Kim is grooming her as a future leader. Kim presented the rifles to senior party and military officials on Friday, calling them a sign of his “absolute trust” and gratitude for... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3344959/north-korea-unveils-image-kims-teenage-daughter-firing-rifle-shooting-range?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3344959/north-korea-unveils-image-kims-teenage-daughter-firing-rifle-shooting-range?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 28 Feb 2026 12:00:09 +0000 Wee Kek Koon Wee Kek Koon South Korea’s intelligence agency has signalled what could be a historic turn in North Korea’s dynastic politics. Lawmakers were recently told that supreme leader Kim Jong-un’s teenage daughter, whose name is widely believed to be Kim Ju-ae, is being positioned as his likely successor. If confirmed, the move would extend the Kim family’s rule into a fourth generation and, more strikingly, elevate a girl within a rigidly patriarchal society and political system. Her public profile has risen... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/chinese-culture/article/3344084/kim-jong-un-grooms-daughter-rule-chinese-princess-whose-ambition-backfired?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/chinese-culture/article/3344084/kim-jong-un-grooms-daughter-rule-chinese-princess-whose-ambition-backfired?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 21 Feb 2026 00:15:08 +0000 Park Chan-kyong Park Chan-kyong North Korea’s ruling party congress, convened only once every five years, opened in Pyongyang this weekend with supreme leader Kim Jong-un poised to formalise a military doctrine with far-reaching implications for security on the Korean peninsula and beyond. State media described the opening of the ninth congress of the Workers’ Party of Korea as unfolding “with splendour” in “the capital city of the revolution”, with 5,000 delegates and 2,000 observers in attendance. The carefully choreographed... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3344165/where-kim-ju-ae-succession-question-hangs-over-north-koreas-ruling-congress?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3344165/where-kim-ju-ae-succession-question-hangs-over-north-koreas-ruling-congress?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 21 Feb 2026 00:00:18 +0000 Park Chan-kyong Park Chan-kyong North Korea appears to be recasting the human cost of its involvement in Russia’s war in Ukraine as a carefully staged display of loyalty and leadership, with analysts pointing in particular to the unveiling of a new housing district in Pyongyang for families of fallen soldiers as a central part of that effort. Several observers argue that leader Kim Jong-un is seeking not only to recast battlefield losses as patriotic sacrifice but also to head off potential unease before a key party congress... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3343750/why-north-koreas-kim-lauding-ukraine-war-sacrifices-key-party-congress-looms?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3343750/why-north-koreas-kim-lauding-ukraine-war-sacrifices-key-party-congress-looms?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 17 Feb 2026 00:00:08 +0000 Reuters Reuters North Korean leader Kim Jong-un appears to be taking steps to ‌consolidate his daughter’s position as successor, and there are signs she is providing input on policy matters, South Korean lawmakers said on Thursday, citing a spy agency briefing. South Korea’s National Intelligence Agency (NIS) will be closely watching whether the daughter, believed to be named Kim Ju-ae, attends a coming meeting of the ruling Workers’ Party and how she is presented, including ⁠whether she takes on any official... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3343278/kim-jong-uns-daughter-shaping-north-korean-policy-succession-signals-deepen?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3343278/kim-jong-uns-daughter-shaping-north-korean-policy-succession-signals-deepen?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 12 Feb 2026 05:33:56 +0000 Park Chan-kyong Park Chan-kyong An appearance by the teenage daughter of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un at a sacred palace has renewed scrutiny on whether she is being groomed for succession in the secretive regime. Kim Ju-ae, believed to be around 13 years old, made her first recorded visit on Thursday to the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, the holiest site in the country dedicated to its hereditary rule, sparking speculation she could receive an official title at a coming party congress. While some observers see her prominent... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3338470/north-korean-palace-visit-kims-daughter-renews-succession-debate?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3338470/north-korean-palace-visit-kims-daughter-renews-succession-debate?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 02 Jan 2026 04:45:33 +0000 Park Chan-kyong Park Chan-kyong North Korea’s move to publicly reveal the full hull and displacement of its first nuclear-powered submarine under construction appears to be a strategic counter to bids by the US and South Korea to expand their undersea capabilities. North Korea’s state media on Thursday released images of leader Kim Jong-un inspecting a “nuclear-powered strategic guided missile submarine” being built at an undisclosed location. Kim was accompanied by his wife Ri Sol-ju and daughter Kim Ju-ae, believed to be... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3337712/north-koreas-new-nuclear-sub-reveal-bid-counter-us-south-korean-naval-power?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3337712/north-koreas-new-nuclear-sub-reveal-bid-counter-us-south-korean-naval-power?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 26 Dec 2025 00:00:13 +0000 SCMP’s Asia desk SCMP’s Asia desk A webtoon in South Korea has come under fire for a protagonist some say resembles the only publicly known child of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, with critics arguing the series normalises a clandestine regime notorious for alleged human rights abuses. Princess Goes to School, a fictional romantic comedy released last week on platform giant Naver, centres on Kim Seol – a seemingly ordinary high school student in South Korea who is unaware she is the scion of Pyongyang’s rulers – and her... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3337627/south-korean-webtoon-slammed-heroine-resembling-kim-jong-uns-daughter-ju-ae?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3337627/south-korean-webtoon-slammed-heroine-resembling-kim-jong-uns-daughter-ju-ae?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 24 Dec 2025 08:47:58 +0000 Laura Zhou Laura Zhou Chinese President Xi Jinping reaffirmed a pledge to strengthen strategic coordination with North Korea in a congratulatory message to leader Kim Jong-un on Tuesday. The greetings marked the 77th anniversary of the founding of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), the official name of the country. The message was delivered only days after a historic trip by Kim to Beijing, when the North Korean leader – for the first time – stood together with Xi and Russian President Vladimir Putin... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3324876/chinas-xi-jinping-reaffirms-pledge-closer-north-korea-ties-after-historic-kim-visit?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3324876/chinas-xi-jinping-reaffirms-pledge-closer-north-korea-ties-after-historic-kim-visit?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 09 Sep 2025 11:00:09 +0000 David D. Lee David D. Lee When North Korean leader Kim Jong-un rose from his chair after a two-hour meeting with Vladimir Putin in Beijing last week, aides swooped in almost instantly, polishing the table and scrubbing the seat he had just occupied. The bizarre spectacle was not just political theatre or a quirk of the supreme leader’s personality, analysts say; it was an act of counter-intelligence. Kim travelled to Beijing for China’s Victory Day parade, the first occasion the North Korean leader has been seen in... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3324774/why-kim-jong-un-travels-his-own-toilet-battle-biometric-espionage?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3324774/why-kim-jong-un-travels-his-own-toilet-battle-biometric-espionage?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 09 Sep 2025 00:00:18 +0000 Park Chan-kyong Park Chan-kyong The daughter of North Korean ruler Kim Jong-un could present a softer image for Pyongyang, away from her father’s sabre-rattling reputation as he continues to hint at his choice of successor by placing her under the glare of the world’s media. As Kim Ju-ae flanked her father at China’s Victory Day events on Wednesday, observers have drawn parallels to the precedent set by her paternal grandfather Kim Jong-il, who accompanied his own father – North Korea’s founding leader Kim Il-sung – on... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3324230/why-daughter-north-koreas-kim-jong-un-has-inched-closer-becoming-next-ruler?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3324230/why-daughter-north-koreas-kim-jong-un-has-inched-closer-becoming-next-ruler?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 04 Sep 2025 01:30:24 +0000 Josephine Ma Josephine Ma China crowned a busy week of grand diplomacy with a spectacular military parade on Wednesday, sending a message to the world that it has the determination and strength to champion a multipolar global order as geopolitical challenges rise. Flanked by Russian President Vladimir Putin, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and leaders from 26 countries, President Xi Jinping gave a keynote speech on top of the Gate of Heavenly Peace in Beijing to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the war against... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3324233/china-parades-statecraft-and-hardware-world-faces-critical-choices?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3324233/china-parades-statecraft-and-hardware-world-faces-critical-choices?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 03 Sep 2025 14:01:03 +0000 Fan Chen Fan Chen North Korean leader Kim Jong-un arrived in China by train on Tuesday, leading a delegation that included his foreign minister and his daughter. Chinese state news agency Xinhua reported Kim’s arrival in a brief report. An accompanying photo captured a smiling Kim getting off the train, while honour guards stood by the door. He was greeted by Cai Qi, China’s fifth-ranking official, and Foreign Minister Wang Yi, the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported. Accompanying the North Korean... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3324093/who-are-north-korean-officials-joining-kim-jong-uns-visit-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3324093/who-are-north-korean-officials-joining-kim-jong-uns-visit-china?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 02 Sep 2025 13:35:40 +0000 Park Chan-kyong Park Chan-kyong North Korea’s secretive ruling family put on a rare display of domestic harmony this week, as first lady Ri Sol-ju re-emerged in public after a 17-month absence, her return appearing to signal a carefully orchestrated bid to project an image of dynastic stability. Ri, carrying what appeared to be a Gucci handbag, was photographed alongside her husband, Kim Jong-un, and their daughter, Kim Ju-ae, at the opening of the long-delayed Wonsan-Kalma coastal resort – a showcase tourist zone on the... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3315912/north-koreas-first-lady-reappears-after-17-month-absence-gucci-bag-tow?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3315912/north-koreas-first-lady-reappears-after-17-month-absence-gucci-bag-tow?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 26 Jun 2025 08:00:07 +0000