As North Korean leader Kim Jong-un stepped off his armored train at the Beijing railway station on 2/9, shaking hands with Chinese officials and walking the red carpet, he was followed by a young girl in dark clothes, her hair tied with a bow, wearing a polite smile.

The girl is Kim Ju-ae, Kim's daughter, believed to have been born in 2012. She has appeared in public several times in the past three years, but mainly at military-related events in North Korea.

This trip accompanying Kim to Beijing is Ju-ae's first public appearance at an international event. This is seen as a move containing many important messages from the North Korean leader.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and his daughter arrive at a Chinese train station on 2/9. Photo: AFP

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and his daughter arrive at a Chinese train station on 2/9. Photo: AFP

This can be considered Ju-ae's first "overseas trip." She was recently called "great successor" by North Korean state media, a term usually reserved for top leaders.

While Ju-ae was not present at Tiananmen Square on 3/9 to watch the military parade commemorating the 80th anniversary of the victory over fascism, the trip to China was an opportunity for her to experience an event of special significance, bringing together many world leaders.

Before 2022, all information about Ju-ae was kept secret by North Korea. Her identity was revealed when American basketball star Dennis Rodman visited Pyongyang in 2013 at Kim's invitation. "I held their baby Ju-ae and spoke with Ms. Ri (Sol-ju, Kim's wife)," Rodman told the Guardian after the visit.

Ju-ae first appeared in the media alongside her father observing the test launch of the Hwasong-17 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) in 11/2022. The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) at the time called Ju-ae Kim's "beloved daughter."

Since then, Ju-ae's media presence has increased, mainly at North Korean military events. At the time, experts believed her presence at such events sent a clear message that North Korea would maintain its weapons, including its nuclear program, as well as demonstrating Kim's powerful position.

"By showing his wife and daughter, Kim wants domestic and international audiences to see his family and the North Korean military as inseparable," Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul, commented in 2023.

Experts on North Korea believe that bringing his daughter to an important event abroad seems to be Kim's way of informing the world about his future successor.

"This is the final step for her to be designated as the successor," said Yang Moo-jin, president of the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul, South Korea. "Kim has introduced Ju-ae to both domestic and international public opinion."

"The North Korean leader is sending a strong signal to the international community that Kim Ju-ae will be his successor," said Cheong Seong-chang, vice president of the Sejong Institute in Seoul, adding that the trip was also a rare opportunity for her to hone her diplomatic skills.

Kim himself was chosen as successor by his father, former North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, at the age of 8, but there is no evidence that he ever accompanied his father on trips abroad.

Kim "seems to have decided to put his daughter on the diplomatic stage early" so she can gain valuable experience, unlike him before, Cheong added.

"Ju-ae is clearly the leading candidate to be the next leader," commented Michael Madden, a North Korea expert from the Stimson Center, based in the US. "She is being given practical experience in diplomatic protocol, which will be very helpful to her as a successor leader or a member of the country's elite."

Kim Jong-un and his daughter Kim Ju-ae attend the inauguration of the Wonsan Kalma coastal tourist area in Wonsan, North Korea, in June. Photo: KCNA

Kim Jong-un and his daughter Kim Ju-ae attend the inauguration of the Wonsan Kalma coastal tourist area in Wonsan, North Korea, in June. Photo: KCNA

Other analysts agree that the trip to China will give Ju-ae invaluable experience in international diplomatic protocol. "Bringing his daughter along suggests Kim Jong-un intends to expose Kim Ju-ae to the international environment early on to hone her diplomatic skills," said Lim Eul-chul, a professor of North Korean studies at Kyungnam University, South Korea.

Kim may also want to introduce his daughter to two of his closest allies, Russia and China. By bringing his daughter along, the North Korean leader likely wants to affirm to the Chinese leadership that he fully trusts them and considers them no different from "family."

"Her presence is a strategy to emphasize the family-like intimacy" between Pyongyang and Beijing, Lim said.

Rachel Minyoung Lee, a researcher at the Stimson Center, noted that it is still too early to confirm this. Kim may also have brought his daughter along simply to broaden her horizons and give her the opportunity to experience the outside world, or he may want to portray himself as "a normal leader from a normal country."

When Kim Yo-jong, Kim's sister, began appearing on the North Korean political scene 5 years ago, there was similar speculation that she was being groomed as a successor.

Kim and his daughter inspect an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) test launch in 2022. Photo: KCNA

Kim and his daughter inspect an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) test launch in 2022. Photo: KCNA

"It's difficult to speculate because we've never seen a similar situation before," Lee said. However, this expert still leans towards the possibility that Ju-ae's trip to China is part of a "succession campaign."

"The scope of her public appearances has certainly expanded from military-related venues to political and economic events," Lee said, adding that if Kim really wants to choose Ju-ae as his successor, "this is her debut to the world."

Vu Hoang (According to CNN, Guardian, NBC News)