The 12-year-old already political power dressing! North Korea's Kim Jong-un's daughter sports tailored suits, heels and pencil skirts in 'crucial clue' she will succeed her father, says expert

Daily Mail​

14 hours ago

Speculation that North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un 's young daughter is being primed to succeed her father - currently only 41 - has intensified in recent days after experts noted Kim Ju-ae is being brought out onto the global stage much more frequently.
Since the world first laid eyes on Kim nearly three years ago, the 12-year-old has been photographed alongside her father at 39 high-profile events - from military parades and missile launches to national cultural programmes.
Recent analysis by The New York Times revealed Ju Ae has seemingly outpaced her her mother Ri Sol-ju, and even aunt Kim Yo Jong - the Supreme Leader's eldest sister who it was thought would replace Kim for a time - as the family's most prominent female figure.
One of the big signifiers that young Ju Ae - who has no official title in North Korea - is being prepared for a possible future the country's Supreme Leader has been the way that state media refers to her, the newspaper highlighted, including hailing her as the 'most beloved', 'respected', and 'dear' daughter of Kim.
In what was believed to be the clearest hint that Ju could be next in line to rule the Hermit Kingdom, North Korea's state media referred to the girl as a 'great person of guidance' - a term reserved for top leaders and their successors - last March.
Another subtle clue about Ju Ae's gradual rise within the Nuclear-armed country- after being hidden away through her childhood - may lie within her wardrobe, as experts noted Ju Ae's clothes might be a 'visual rehearsal for the role she is expected to inherit'.
Since her first public appearance at a missile launch in November 2022, Ju Ae's style has undergone a striking shift, with luxury fashion stylist and psychologist, Angela Kyte telling The Daily Mail that the younger Kim is already embracing 'power dressing'.
'What we're witnessing with Kim Ju-ae's recent appearances is the careful crafting of a visual identity and, in political contexts, that's never accidental,' Angela explained.
'The transition from a more youthful, relaxed style to tailored silhouettes, structured coats, and subdued yet regal colour palettes is classic "power dressing" 101.'
The first time the world ever saw her, Kim was thought to be around 10 and still dressing in outfits considered appropriate for a child her age.
She was bundled up in a white puffer jacket as Ju-ae walked hand-in-hand with her father at a missile launch during a test-firing at Pyongyang International Airport.
Ju-ae toured the facility in a pair of red ballet flats as she was photographed with Kim on November 19, 2022.
Less than three years later, her wardrobe has seemingly been tweaked to look more grown-up as Ju-ae was dressed in a well-fitting blazer and skirt combination when she attended a cultural event celebrating the diplomatic relationship between North Korea and Russia.
She was steady on her feet as Ju Ae moved gracefully through the crowds in black heels and tights, while opting to wear her hair in a half-up, half-down style favoured by her mother.
Commenting on Ju-Ae's 'striking' transformation, Angela said: [In November 2022], she appeared younger and more naive-like, appropriate for a child accompanying her father, but not particularly symbolic.
'In contrast, her latest outfits feature long, tailored wool coats in navy or charcoal, patent leather shoes, and her hair neatly styled with elements that echo the visual language of state authority.
Ju-Ae joins her father in boarding the destroyer 'Kang Kon' at the Rajin shipyard at the port near Rason - she is wearing a white blazer with cropped sleeves that is held together with a belt and a knee-length white skirt (12 June 2025)
Another remarkable feature of Ju-Ae's wardrobe that has remained consistent since her first public outing, as Angela pointed out a 'deliberate symmetry' with Kim's outfits.
'It's less about following fashion trends and more about borrowing from the wardrobe of leadership,' she continued.
Another remarkable feature of Ju-Ae's wardrobe that has remained consistent since her first public outing, as Angela pointed out a 'deliberate symmetry' with Kim's outfits.
She noted how her coats increasingly resemble the boxy, double-breasted styles favoured by the Supreme Leader, and she is often wearing monochrome or dark tones that echo the uniformity of his own ensembles.
'This visual alignment suggests not just proximity,' the luxury stylist added, 'but continuity.'
It is less about following fashion trends for the younger Kim and more about borrowing from the 'wardrobe of leadership', Angela said.
'This is a long-established strategy in statecraft: dressing the heir not to stand out, but to fit into an existing visual tradition that feels both familiar to the populace and aspirational.'
The fashion expert felt that the decision to closely align Ju-ae's clothes - and image - with her father's helps to reinforce their bond and shared identity while sending a message that 'she is a figure to be taken seriously'.
We may be witnessing what Angela described as a 'visual rehearsal' for the role Ju-Ae will one day inherit, adding: 'Whether intentional or not, each public appearance becomes another chapter in that narrative.'
The daughter of Kim Jon Un and First Lady Ri Sol Ju, Ju Ae was hidden away from foreign media through childhood until American former basketball player Dennis Rodman revealed her existence following a visit to North Korea in 2013.
But little was known about Ju Ae, believed to be the middle child of three, until she made her first public appearance at the time of a missile launch in November 2022.
In 2022, it was still believed the Supreme Leader's eldest sister, Kim Yo Jong, was being lined up to replace him as the fourth-generation of leaders under the Kim Dynasty.
Yo Jong is still Deputy Department Director for the country's quasi-Orwellian 'Publicity and Information Department of the Workers' Party of Korea', and still could take the top job.
But the hawkish propaganda chief has made fewer public-facing appearances since then, reducing her notoriety.
Meanwhile, the North Korean press' glowing references to Ju Ae suggest her father may instead be grooming her for succession.
She has been seen at many of her father's official engagements, including military drills, missile launches, a visit to a weapons factory, and a stop at a new chicken farm.
'Usually the term ''hyangdo'' (great person of guidance) is only used to refer to the highest-ranking official,' Koo Byoung-sam, a spokesman for Seoul's Unification Ministry, said at a briefing Monday.
'We are not ruling out the possibility of Ju Ae's succession', he said, adding that Seoul was 'monitoring the situation and remaining open to possibilities.'
However, he warned that if Ju Ae were to take her father's place as the fourth leader of the reclusive state, 'North Korean people will bear the brunt of the fallout', he said.
Seoul had initially indicated that Kim and his wife Ri had their first child, a boy, in 2010, and that Ju Ae was their second child.
But last year South Korea's unification minister said that the government was 'unable to confirm for sure' the existence of Kim's son.