Kim Jong Un Makes Rare Appearance with Wife and ‘Respected’ Middle Child, but His Other Rumored Kids Have Never Been Seen

NEED TO KNOW

• King Jong Un made a rare public appearance with his wife, Ri Sol Ju, and their daughter, Kim Ju Ae, this week, to open a new resort on North Korea’s eastern coast

• The dictator and his family waved to crowds of supporters and surveyed the features of the Wonsan Kalma coastal tourist area

• Thought to be around 12 years old, Ju Ae is the only of Kim’s three children to ever appear with him in public, fueling speculation that she is being positioned as his successor

Kim Jong Un made a rare public appearance with members of his family this week, according to a report by North Korean state media that cannot be independently verified.

On June 24, the North Korean dictator, his wife, Ri Sol Ju, and their daughter, Kim Ju Ae, appeared in Wonsan, on the southeastern coast of the country, to celebrate the opening of the Wonsan Kalma coastal tourist area.

The trio was photographed waving to the cheering crowds and surveying the sprawling tourist area, which includes water features like surf pools and water slides.

Ju Ae is believed to be about 12 years old, and is the only one of Kim’s children to ever appear with him in public. The leader and his wife are also thought to be parents to a son who is around 15 and a daughter who is around 8, but neither the oldest nor youngest child has ever been seen.

The father-daughter duo made their first public appearances together in 2022, with the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) referring to Ju Ae as Kim’s “beloved” daughter. Further references to her as his “precious” and, more recently, “respected” child sparked speculation that she is being positioned as her father’s successor.

At the time, Ankit Panda, an expert with the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, echoed those thoughts to CBS News, saying, “State media underscoring her father’s love for her further underscores this.”

Panda added, “Both of her initial public appearances have been in the context of strategic nuclear weapons — the crown jewels of North Korea’s national defense capabilities. That doesn’t strike me as coincidental.”

The Wonsan tourist area is the latest attempt by Kim to boost tourism to his reclusive country. Due to sanctions on North Korea over its weapons program, foreign tourism is one of the only viable sources of revenue currently available to the country. However, North Korean media has reported only that the tourist zone will be opened to domestic guests beginning on July 1.

The country closed its borders at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, however, it has begun to slowly lift restrictions over the last few months.

The Wonsan Kalma resort is said to be large enough to hold 20,000 visitors, and will feature multiple hotels, and opportunities to dine and shop. Outlets such as the BBC, AP and The Guardian have noted, however, that it remains impossible to verify the claimed details of the park, which was initially supposed to open in 2019.

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Nevertheless, Kim said he had “great satisfaction” as he cut a ceremonial ribbon to celebrate what is said to be the first of many large-scale tourist zones.

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