Why Kim Jong Un’s mysterious daughter has made her first international appearance

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s daughter has made her debut in the spotlight, and there may be a hidden meaning behind it.

You may not have known the dictator had a daughter, but now she’s been revealed, and the reason couple be political. After stepping into Beijing on Tuesday 2 August to meet with Chinese officials, Kim was seen walking down a red carpet.

But he wasn’t alone.

Among his companions and officials, was a young teenage girl beside him. Allegedly, this is Kim Ju Ae, the leader’s hidden daughter.

Kim Jong Un's daughter has been seen internationally for the first time (ANTHONY WALLACE/AFP via Getty Image)

While she previously has been seen at military-related events, the fact that she has travelled out of North Korea has meant that she’s now being introduced to the world. China is now her first international trip.

However, the young girl was nowhere to be seen the next day when her father attended a parade with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, Donald Trump, and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

It was only in 2022 that she was more than a rumoured daughter and showed her face in public for the first time with her dad. It began when American basketball star Dennis Rodman claimed Kim had a baby called Ju Ae after his visit to Pyongyang in 2013.

He said to The Guardian: “I held their baby Ju Ae and spoke with (Kim’s wife) as well.”

However, that’s the only thing we know about her timeline of birth. Even her age hasn’t been revealed.

But why has she suddenly been revealed now, and in such a political setting? Well, people think it’s Kim preparing her to be his future successor.

Experts say she's been groomed for leadership (ANTHONY WALLACE/AFP via Getty Images)

When she was first seen in 2002, experts speculated that this was North Korea linking the ruling family to their military power.

“By ostentatiously including his wife and daughter, Kim wants observers at home and abroad to see his family dynasty and the North Korean military as irrevocably linked,” said Leif-Eric Easley, of Ewha University in Seoul, as per CNN.

However, there was a special emphasis on showcasing its fighting power to the rest of the world.

“Kim Jong Un solemnly declared that if the enemies continue to pose threats to the DPRK, frequently introducing nuclear strike means, our Party and government will resolutely react to nukes with nuclear weapons and to total confrontation with all-out confrontation,” Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said at the time.

Now, her appearance could be showing the transfer of power.

Kim and Ri have three children together, as reported by South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS). But Ju Ae may be the oldest to take on this responsibility.

Her appearance at official functions with her father, suggests her selection as heir apparent, Cho Han-bum, senior research fellow at the state-run Korea Institute for National Unification, revealed to Yonhap News Agency.

"She is essentially playing the role of North Korea's first lady," Cho said. "Considering she has participated in more than 40 official activities over the past two-and-a-half years and her rising status both domestically and internationally, there is no longer any doubt about the progress of Kim Ju Ae's succession process."