Kim Jong Un was supposedly dead on Monday. By Tuesday, photographs showed him looking at clothing and shoes at an exhibition in Pyongyang.
The death rumors had spread online without credible evidence. South Korean officials said they had received no information supporting them, and North Korean state media reported that Kim had attended the exhibition on October 19.
But there was someone else in the photographs who deserves our attention.
Standing beside Kim was his daughter, Kim Ju Ae. She is believed to be around 13 years old, and South Korean intelligence officials already consider her the most likely person to inherit power.
So, who will lead North Korea after Kim Jong Un? The answer may be a teenage girl who has never held public office. Or it could be her aunt, one of the country’s most experienced political officials.
Kim Jong Un Is Alive, but the Question About His Successor Remains
On October 20, Yonhap News Agency reported that claims of Kim Jong Un’s death were circulating on overseas social media. Some posts alleged he had suffered a brain hemorrhage or been taken to Beijing for treatment.
None of those claims had been verified.
NK News reported the following day that North Korean media had published photographs of Kim visiting a clothing and footwear exhibition with his daughter.
The photographs do not provide an independent medical assessment. They do, however, offer another look at how North Korea presents its ruling family.
Kim is believed to be 42 years old. He could remain in power for decades. Yet every health rumor brings the same question back because North Korea has no publicly confirmed plan for replacing him.
Kim Ju Ae Is Being Introduced to the Country Her Father Rules
Most teenagers spend their time at school. Kim Ju Ae has appeared beside her father at military parades, missile demonstrations and meetings attended by senior officials.
Her first widely publicized appearance came in November 2022, when she accompanied Kim to an intercontinental ballistic missile launch.
Since then, North Korean media have shown her at several events usually reserved for the country’s political and military leadership.
In September 2025, she even accompanied her father to China. Yonhap documented her Beijing arrival, where she was seen near Kim as Chinese officials welcomed the North Korean delegation.
A foreign trip is especially notable. Kim was not simply introducing his daughter to people at home. He was allowing foreign officials to see her alongside him.
In February 2026, South Korea’s National Intelligence Service told lawmakers it believed Ju Ae had reached the stage of being designated as a successor.
By April, the assessment had become more direct. Intelligence chief Lee Jong-seok told lawmakers that Ju Ae appeared to be the successor, citing intelligence rather than her public appearances alone.
North Korea itself has not officially announced that she will inherit power.
Kim Yo Jong Could Take Control Before Her Niece Is Ready
There is another woman in the Kim family who already has years of political experience.
Kim Yo Jong is Kim Jong Un’s younger sister. She has represented the regime at major events, delivered statements on relations with South Korea and become one of the country’s most recognizable officials.
Unlike Ju Ae, she knows how the government works from the inside.
On October 19, 2026, Kim Yo Jong was still speaking publicly for the regime during a dispute with South Korea over military activity near the border.
She would therefore be an important person to watch if Kim Jong Un suddenly became unable to govern.
But experience does not automatically make her the next leader. The military, senior Workers’ Party officials and other members of the ruling elite would also influence what happened.
One possible outcome is that Kim Yo Jong helps oversee the government until Ju Ae is old enough to rule. Another is that the leadership chooses someone with more experience and keeps the succession within the family.
Neither arrangement has been officially announced.
North Korea Never Had a Woman at the Top
North Korea has been controlled by the same family since 1948.
Kim Il Sung founded the country and ruled until his death in 1994. His son Kim Jong Il succeeded him. Kim Jong Un took power after his father’s death in 2011.
Every leader has been a man.
For Ju Ae to inherit power, the regime would have to accept its first female supreme leader. Her father’s efforts to place her beside generals and senior officials may be intended to make that idea less surprising over time.
There is another unanswered question. Does Kim Jong Un have a son?
In September 2026, South Korean intelligence was still investigating reports of a possible son, according to Associated Press. Even so, the agency continued to identify Ju Ae as the likely successor.
A son who has never appeared publicly could complicate predictions, but there is no verified evidence that one is being prepared to take power.
North Korea Does Not Elect Its Next Leader
People sometimes ask who will become the next president of North Korea. The country does not choose its supreme leader through a competitive presidential election.
Kim Jong Un holds power through the ruling Workers’ Party, the military and the country’s political institutions. His official positions include general secretary of the Workers’ Party and president of the State Affairs Commission.
There is no public election campaign for his successor, and North Korean citizens cannot choose between Ju Ae, Kim Yo Jong or another candidate at the ballot box.
Succession will depend on decisions made inside the ruling elite, where loyalty to the Kim family remains central.
Who Is Most Likely to Rule North Korea Next?
If Kim Jong Un remains healthy and rules for another 20 years, his daughter will be in her early thirties. She would have years to gain experience, establish relationships with senior officials and become a more recognizable political presence.
Under that scenario, Kim Ju Ae is the leading candidate.
A sudden leadership crisis would be much harder to predict. At around 13, Ju Ae would be too young to exercise the same personal authority her father currently holds. Kim Yo Jong’s political experience could make her important during a transition.
The photographs from October 20 cannot settle the succession question. They show Kim Jong Un appearing in public with his daughter, not the transfer of power.
Still, one development is becoming harder to ignore. North Korea’s leader has spent nearly four years putting his daughter in front of cameras at events that define his rule.
Kim Ju Ae may not know when she will inherit power, or even if she will. But the country is already being shown the person who could become its fourth-generation leader.
