According to state media images released on Friday, Ju Ae, the daughter of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, who is probably being groomed to succeed him, accompanied her parents on her first public visit to the Kumsusan tomb to honor prior presidents.
Over the past three years, Ju Ae has made more frequent appearances in state media, which has led analysts and South Korea's spy service to speculate that she might be the nation's fourth-generation leader.
Ju Ae's first visit to the Kumsusan palace was seen by Cheong Seong-chang, vice president of the Sejong Institute think tank, as her father's deliberate move ahead of the forthcoming governing party Congress, where her succession may be formalized.
On January 1, Kim visited the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun's main hall with his wife, Ri Sol Ju, senior officials, and Ju Ae between her parents, according to photos released by the state news agency KCNA.
According to Hong Min, a North Korea researcher at the state-run Korea Institute for National Unification, North Korea has been depicting Kim's "stable family" by including Kim's wife and daughter at significant occasions.
According to official media on Thursday, Kim Ju Ae, who is thought to have been born in the early 2010s, was present at the New Year's festivities this year. Her first public international trip took her and her father to Beijing in September.
In an act that affirms the nuclear-armed nation's dynastic legacy, Kim travels to Kumsusan on significant dates and anniversaries to honor his father, Kim Jong Il, and grandpa, Kim Il Sung, the state founder.
Ju Ae's age has never been verified by North Korea. A representative for South Korea's Unification Ministry declined to comment on Ju Ae's attendance.
Given her age and lack of formal position, an official told reporters that the government believes it is too early to declare her a successor.
According to Hong, conclusions on Ju Ae's succession should be made cautiously due to the possible roles of Kim's other children.
"It's practically impossible to publicly designate Kim Ju Ae, who is believed to have just turned 13, as the successor when she's not even old enough to join the (Workers') Party," Hong stated. (Reporting by Heejin Kim, Ju-min Park, and Jack Kim; editing by Michael Perry and Chris Reese).
