Never-Before-Seen Children From Kim Jong Un's Family Are Revealed at Pyongyang's New Year's Eve Bash Sparking Successor Rumors
Kids from the North Korean dictator's family have kicked off rumors of a possible successor.
Jan. 9 2025, Published 5:00 p.m. ET
Rarely-seen children from Kim Jong-Un's family have been seen, kicking off rumors of a possible successor.
Kim Jong Un's niece and nephew were spotted walking hand-in-hand with their mother, and the dictator's sister Kim Yo-jong, 37, at Pyongyang’s New Year’s Eve party, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
Never-before-seen children from Kim Jong-Un's family were seen at a party.
While the bash occurred on December 31, the snaps were only noticed on Wednesday on Kim Jong Un's 41st birthday. Before these kids were seen, only Kim's sister was in the public eye leading to rumors she was set to be the next leader of North Korea, despite the country never being led by a female.
However, experts are now noting that Kim Jong Un's nephew, and the only known male of his generation, may actually be the next heir.
"With this event we know, without a shadow of a doubt, that Kim Yo-jong has a son," Michael Madden, founder of North Korea Leadership Watch, said.
Kim Jong Un's sister was seen with her two kids, sparking a successor conversation.
He continued: "This means she has produced a legitimate male heir to the Mount Paektu revolutionary leadership of Kim Il-sung. We don't know if Kim Jong-un actually has a son and there is no credible available intelligence to establish that he does.
"But Kim Yo-jong has a son who, given his family lineage, is certainly a credible candidate for hereditary succession in North Korea."
Madden concluded: "It belies perceptions that Kim Ju-ae is hereditary successor.”
Meanwhile, Kim Jong-un has been rumored to have two other children, including a son, kids that have yet to be revealed to the public.
Despite the rumors, Madden still believes Kim Jong Un's sister is front of the line when it comes to his replacement.
He explained: "I still think Kim Ju-ae is the front runner and there is most certainly space for a female leader of North Korea. But with Kim Yo-jong’s children we have at least two more individuals who will become top elites and are future senior officials in the North Korean regime."
"So the regime is signaling that these are future North Koran elites," he added.
It does not seem like Kim Jong Un has any plans to be replaced yet, as the country recently tested its latest weapons – a new hypersonic intermediate-range missile designed to strike remote targets in the Pacific – and he was there to witness it all.
North Korea has been testing various hypersonic weapons, designed to fly at more than five times the speed of sound, since 2021. However, despite their claims, it has not been confirm these missiles travel as fast as Kim Jong Un and North Korea claim they do.
According to the country's media, the missile traveled 932 miles, reaching a speed amounting to 12 times the speed of sound, before striking a sea target.
"The hypersonic missile system will reliably contain any rivals in the Pacific region that can affect the security of our state,” the Korean Central News Agency quoted Kim Jong Un as saying.
The dictator is said to have two kids, one of them a son.
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Lee Sung Joon, spokesperson of South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, shot down the claims, and said the South Korean military believes North Korea was exaggerating capabilities of the system, and that the missile covered less distance.
