＜Inside N. Korea＞ Daughter 'Ju-ae' suddenly looks more grown-up – what do people think?　 "It's ridiculous dressing a kid in adult clothes"

◆Is 'Ju-ae' the successor? "Dressing a kid in adult clothes is just ridiculous"

"When 'Ri' first appeared (the partner calls Kim Jong-un's wife Ri Sol-ju 'Ri'), people said 'Who is this young woman anyway? Her family didn't fight in the anti-Japanese armed struggle, she hasn't done anything great for the country, yet she shows up with Kim Jong-un getting special treatment and being praised—it's absurd.'

It's the same with the daughter. She's still a child but they dress her in adult clothes and have her receiving formal greetings [from cadres]—to us it looks ridiculous. Plus, we can't even imagine a woman becoming supreme leader. How could she possibly take responsibility for running the country?"

Mr. B is a male worker and Workers' Party member living in North Hamgyong Province.
"There were lots of rumors going around that she's a genius, a prodigy, assisting the Marshal, but I don't think many ordinary people see her as a successor. When she visited China in September 2025, stories spread that she was right there assisting Kim Jong-un, but nothing appeared in the official reports. Still, looking at recent coverage, I'm starting to think maybe she will become the successor. Honestly, I'm not really sure."

The Kim Jong-un regime is clearly shifting how it presents the daughter—from 'the leader's beloved daughter' to something closer to a First Lady image. At the same time, our reporting partners' testimony suggests authorities are being extremely careful about controlling information and managing her image inside North Korea.

※ASIAPRESS communicates with its reporting partners through Chinese cell phones smuggled into North Korea.