'Like gods reigning over humans': Many defectors see daughter of North Korea's Kim as heir apparent

The teenage daughter of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has drawn intense international media attention as their frequent public appearances together fuel speculation that he is grooming her to succeed him one day. There are debates about her status, but most experts expect Kim to eventually hand over power to one of his children and extend his family's rule into a fourth generation. According to AP News, the girl is reportedly about 13 and named Kim Ju Ae.

Tae, a former minister at North Korea's Embassy in London who defected to South Korea in 2016 and later served as a member of South Korea's parliament, said it is deeply lamentable to observe what he believes are Kim's moves to prolong his family's rule. Tae stated, "It's a wretched reality that unchecked power in an absolute monarchy is being passed down to a fourth generation in the 21st century." He added that North Korea will likely fall further behind the outside world if it has a fourth-generation power succession.

A defector named Kim, who fled North Korea in May 2023, said many North Koreans are unhappy to see Kim's daughter wearing her hair long down past her shoulders, walking around in high heels and dressing like a grown-up, because such styles aren't allowed for ordinary teenagers in North Korea. She stated that people have no choice but to keep their frustration to themselves out of fears of harsh punishment, noting that "People would now think Ju Ae would become their monarch." In contrast, Lee, who came to South Korea in 2013 and heads the Seoul-based Free North Korea Radio station, said North Koreans wouldn't have complaints about the girl's hairdo and outfit because they have been so thoroughly brainwashed. Lee explained, "They wouldn't know whether her clothes are designer brands but they think she can wear them because she's the daughter" of their supreme leader.

Choi, who fled North Korea in 2015, said that Kim's daughter kissing her father on the cheek is "an extremely uncommon" display of affection between a father and his daughter in the North. Living under a cult of personality centering on the Kim family, Choi said some North Koreans likely feel proud of such a scene, venerating Kim as "the father of all people," and "not a tyrant who killed even his uncle" in a series of brutal executions of his potential rivals. Meanwhile, a defector and lawyer named Lee who runs a website to provide North Koreans with outside information said that given the North's deep-rooted male-centered hierarchy, North Koreans wouldn't readily accept a woman leader. Lee noted that even South Korea is a patriarchal society where women find it difficult to hold leadership roles, stating, "I can't buy the idea of a woman becoming leader in North Korea, which is virtually a dynasty."

Oh, an analyst at Seoul's Korea Institute for National Unification, cautioned against concluding that the girl is Kim's heir. However, Oh said that if she is formally anointed as her father's heir, she could quickly cement her authority because members of the ruling elite with shared interests would rally around her and eliminate potential opponents, adding that "Whether the successor is a male or female doesn't really matter." Ahn, a researcher who has interviewed hundreds of defectors, said Kim would need to deliver economic improvements and raise living standards to make his people accept his succession plan in a more positive way. Ahn noted that despite living under repressive rule, younger North Koreans have changed how they think due to the spread of South Korean TV and other cultural content, posing a burden on Kim, and remarked, "North Korean people won't rise up against Kim. But what matters is whether he can have his people accept his plan happily or begrudgingly."

Jo, who runs an online news site, said contacts in North Korea told him they were not yet sure if the girl is Kim's heir. Jo himself believes she is, and that Kim's concerns about his health have likely prompted him to rush the process of preparing her as his successor. In late September, South Korea's main spy agency told lawmakers that Kim showed no other significant signs of poor health, though he remained severely obese and at high risk of cardiovascular disease. Both his father and grandfather, who ruled North Korea before he inherited power in 2011, died of heart problems.