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If North Korean leader Kim Jong Un meets U.S. President Donald Trump later this year, one of the most consequential decisions may be who accompanies him—especially if, as seems probable, it’s his daughter Kim Ju Ae.

Ju Ae, who is believed to be around 13 years old, has become a familiar presence since her first public appearance in state media at a missile launch in November 2022. She has since appeared at military parades, weapons tests, cultural events, and meetings with foreign visitors. In September 2025, Kim took her to Beijing—her first publicly confirmed trip abroad—where he attended China’s military parade and met Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Though Ju Ae remained at the North Korean Embassy while Kim attended the main diplomatic events, her presence helped solidify her position as Kim’s likely successor.

If North Korean leader Kim Jong Un meets U.S. President Donald Trump later this year, one of the most consequential decisions may be who accompanies him—especially if, as seems probable, it’s his daughter Kim Ju Ae.

Ju Ae, who is believed to be around 13 years old, has become a familiar presence since her first public appearance in state media at a missile launch in November 2022. She has since appeared at military parades, weapons tests, cultural events, and meetings with foreign visitors. In September 2025, Kim took her to Beijing—her first publicly confirmed trip abroad—where he attended China’s military parade and met Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Though Ju Ae remained at the North Korean Embassy while Kim attended the main diplomatic events, her presence helped solidify her position as Kim’s likely successor.

Trump said in August that he expected to meet Kim later this year, while South Korean intelligence assessed that a U.S.-North Korea summit could become possible at any time. With Washington still publicly calling for denuclearization and Pyongyang rejecting the possibility, renewed talks would test whether the two sides can negotiate limits on North Korea’s arsenal without agreeing on its eventual dismantlement.

A meeting with Trump would offer Kim another chance to present his daughter on the global stage, associating his potential heir with the prestige of a direct dealing with a U.S. president. It would also allow him to portray North Korea as a nuclear-armed state whose leader Washington must engage. Even without a breakthrough, the summit could help Kim normalize both his country’s nuclear status and the prospect of a fourth generation of family rule.

Trump and Kim have met three times: in Singapore in 2018, in Hanoi in 2019, and at the inter-Korean border later that year. Most discussions surrounding a possible fourth summit have focused on what Kim might seek at the negotiating table—sanctions........

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