Morning of the 3rd in Beijing, China.

Chinese military aircraft are flying overhead.

A large crowd gathered at Tiananmen Square.

People are waving the national flag.

Today is the day of the 80th anniversary parade commemorating China's Victory Day.

A familiar figure can be seen

in this place attracting everyone's attention.

This is Kim Jong Un, Chairman of the State Affairs Commission of North Korea.

Leaders of North Korea, China, and Russia stood side by side

in Beijing to mark China's Victory Day celebrations.

Kim Jong Un, Chairman of North Korea's State Affairs Commission, visited Beijing to attend the 80th anniversary military parade commemorating China's Victory Day, accompanied by his daughter Ju Ae. Although Ju Ae did not appear at the main parade event, the very fact that she accompanied Kim Jong Un on his overseas schedule is unprecedented and has drawn significant attention. Some interpret this as North Korea's intention to effectively establish her as the de facto fourth-generation successor in the eyes of its long-standing ally, China.

North Korean State Affairs Commission Chairman Kim Jong Un arrived in Beijing, the capital of China, at 4 p.m. local time on the 2nd. According to photos released by the Korean Central News Agency, Kim's daughter Ju Ae (red circle), Party Secretaries Jo Yong Won and Kim Tok Hun, and Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui were among those accompanying him. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

원본보기 아이콘

On the morning of September 3, Kim attended the military parade held at Tiananmen Square in Beijing. Instead of his usual Mao suit, he wore a black suit with a light gold necktie. When he arrived in Beijing the previous afternoon by special train, his daughter Ju Ae appeared right behind him, but at the event that day, Kim Jong Un entered alone without any companions. While several other leaders attended with their spouses, his wife Ri Sol Ju was not seen at the event.

North Korea's Korean Central News Agency reported on the evening of the 2nd, "The Press Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea announced that Comrade Kim Jongun arrived in Beijing, the capital of the People's Republic of China, at 4 p.m. local time on September 2." Photos published by the agency on the same day show that Chairman Kim's daughter Ju Ae also accompanied him. Yonhap News Agency

원본보기 아이콘

This is the first time Kim Jong Un has participated in a multilateral event, and it is highly unusual for Ju Ae to accompany him. The Rodong Sinmun, North Korea's main newspaper, also featured a front-page report on Kim's arrival in Beijing, including a photo of Ju Ae being greeted by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi alongside her father.

Lim Eul Chul, professor at the Institute for Far Eastern Studies at Kyungnam University, stated, "Given the nature of the North Korean regime, the public appearance of the supreme leader's family is not a coincidence but a thoroughly calculated move," adding, "It is being evaluated not as a simple family visit, but as an effective 'successor debut'." He explained, "In North Korea, the succession of power is solidified not only through internal stabilization but also through external recognition from key allies such as China and Russia. Ju Ae's attendance at China's Victory Day can be interpreted as her de facto 'successor debut,' similar to Kim Jong Il's visit to China in 1983."

In fact, there have been precedents where Kim Jong Un's grandfather, the late President Kim Il Sung, brought his son, Kim Jong Il, to major multilateral diplomatic events. In 1957, Kim Jong Il, then 15 years old, accompanied his father to the 40th anniversary of the October Revolution in the Soviet Union. He also attended the 21st Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union in 1959 and the 10th anniversary of the Bandung Conference in Indonesia in 1965. Later, Kim Jong Il visited China in 1983 and met Deng Xiaoping, receiving China's recognition as North Korea's successor. Three years after President Kim Il Sung's death, in 1997, Kim Jong Il officially became North Korea's supreme leader.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping, and North Korean State Affairs Commission Chairman Kim Jongun attended the large-scale military parade commemorating the 80th anniversary of Victory Day held at Tiananmen Square in Beijing, China, on September 3, 2025. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

원본보기 아이콘

Meanwhile, neither Kim Jong Un's wife Ri Sol Ju nor his younger sister Kim Yo Jong, Deputy Department Director of the Workers' Party, were seen at any point during his visit to China. While Kim Jong Un was accompanied by Ri Sol Ju on three previous visits to China, this time, his daughter Ju Ae effectively assumed the role of North Korea's "First Lady." An official from the presidential office stated, "We are closely monitoring developments, including the composition of North Korea's delegation to China."