In November 2022, a photo emerged of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un with a smartly-dressed young girl by his side - his daughter Ju Ae.
Strolling alongside her father in front of a towering intercontinental ballistic missile, she wore black trousers and a white padded jacket with her long hair tied back.
Making her debut in state propaganda - she was reportedly just nine years old at the time - Ju Ae was already dressed to impress.
Foreign media analyzed North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s daughter Kim Ju-ae’s fashion, suggesting her outfits could be a propaganda tool hinting at a power succession.
Kim Ju-ae has repeatedly appeared in public wearing leather, fur, and see-through clothing, which are rarely seen in North Korean daily life.
Since her first appearence, Kim Ju-ae has appeared in public wearing outfits uncommon among ordinary North Koreans, such as leather jackets, fur-trimmed coats, and semi-transparent blouses.
The BBC analyzed that her changing style might be a propaganda tool to portray her as a mature and strong leader while highlighting the Kim family’s privileged status distinct from ordinary citizens.
Notably, Kim Ju-ae frequently appears in leather jackets similar to those worn by Kim Jong-un.
The BBC stated, “Image replication, following the fashion of previous generations, is a strategy North Korean leaders have used to maintain power,” adding, “Kim Jong-un also dressed similarly to his grandfather Kim Il-sung in his early years to secure his legitimacy.”
Kim Ju-ae’s outfits are likely determined by the North Korean Workers’ Party Propaganda and Agitation Department. Cheong Seong-chang, Deputy Director of the Sejong Institute, told the BBC, “The Propaganda and Agitation Department played a crucial role in staging a process where respect for Kim Il-sung naturally transferred to Kim Jong-un,” and suggested Kim Ju-ae might have undergone a similar process.
He added, “The young Kim Jong-un’s lack of experience and age were offset simply by his resemblance to Kim Il-sung.”
Deputy Director Jeong analyzed that beyond solidifying Kim Ju-ae’s legitimacy as a successor, there is an intent to show her social status is fundamentally different from ordinary citizens.
He said, “Wearing high-end leather clothing is a way to flaunt her special status,” and explained, “Leather clothing is uncommon among North Koreans. Luxury brands, leather jackets, and fur coats are precious items ordinary North Koreans cannot afford.”
Kim Ju-ae wore fur during a visit to the Milim Hotel in the Samjiyon tourism area of Ryanggang Province in December 2025. At the time, this fur fashion contrasted sharply with the reality of tightened controls over ordinary North Koreans.
Deputy Director Jeong said, “Kim Ju-ae is still very young, so her age could be seen as a weakness as a future leader,” and added, “The North Korean regime seems to be trying to mask her youthful image by dressing her in suits similar to those worn by her mother, Ri Sol-ju, to project a more mature image.”
North Korea enacted the ‘Anti-Reactionary Thought Culture Rejection Law’ in 2020 to block external culture. However, this law appears to be an exception for the Kim family. In 2023, Kim Ju-ae appeared wearing a $1,900 black padded jacket from the French luxury brand Christian Dior.
