North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has reportedly chosen his teenage daughter, Kim Ju Ae, as his successor, according to South Korea’s intelligence agency.
The National Intelligence Service (NIS) told lawmakers on Thursday that Kim Ju Ae’s growing visibility at major state events suggests she has moved into the stage of official “successor designation.”
Little is publicly known about Ju Ae, but she has appeared alongside her father more frequently in recent months, including at high-profile ceremonies and visits to key national sites.
The spy agency said its assessment was based on a “range of circumstances,” including her increasingly prominent role at official functions. It added that it is closely monitoring whether she will attend North Korea’s upcoming party congress later this month, the country’s most important political gathering held once every five years.
The congress is expected to outline Pyongyang’s priorities on foreign policy, military strategy and nuclear ambitions for the next five years.
On Thursday, lawmaker Lee Seong-kwen said Ju Ae, once believed to be undergoing preparation as a potential successor, has now been formally identified as the heir.
“As Kim Ju Ae has shown her presence at various events, including the founding anniversary of the Korean People’s Army and her visit to the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, and signs have been detected of her voicing her opinion on certain state policies, the NIS believes she has now entered the stage of being designated as successor,” Lee said.
Ju Ae is the only publicly known child of Kim Jong Un and his wife, Ri Sol Ju. The NIS believes Kim may also have an older son, though he has never appeared in state media or been officially acknowledged.
Ju Ae’s existence first became known in 2013, when former NBA player Dennis Rodman revealed during an interview that he “held baby Ju Ae” while visiting North Korea.
Believed to be around 13 years old, Ju Ae first appeared on state television in 2022, when she was shown inspecting an intercontinental ballistic missile alongside her father.
Since then, she has become a regular presence in North Korean media, often portrayed beside Kim at military events, parades and state ceremonies. Observers say her appearances may also be aimed at softening Kim’s global image.
She has also drawn attention for her distinctive presentation, including long hair and designer clothing, which stand out sharply in a tightly controlled and impoverished society.
Another lawmaker, Park Sun-won, said Ju Ae’s public positioning suggests she is already being treated as the de facto second-highest figure in the regime.
North Korea’s leadership has remained within the Kim family for three generations, and analysts have long expected Kim Jong Un to eventually pass power to one of his children.
Recent images have shown Ju Ae walking beside her father rather than behind him — a notable symbolic shift in a country where state photography is carefully choreographed and rarely grants equal prominence to anyone outside the supreme leader.
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Despite the NIS assessment, questions remain over the succession choice.
Analysts note that selecting a daughter over a presumed older son would be unusual in North Korea’s deeply patriarchal system. However, Kim’s sister, Kim Yo Jong, has emerged as one of the regime’s most influential figures, offering a precedent for female authority.
Kim Yo Jong holds a senior post within the Workers’ Party and is widely believed to wield significant influence.
It also remains unclear why Kim Jong Un, who is still relatively young, would be designating a child heir at this stage.
What Ju Ae’s possible future leadership could mean for North Korea is also uncertain. Many once hoped Kim Jong Un would usher in reform due to his Western education, but those expectations have largely gone unmet.
If Ju Ae does eventually succeed her father, she could one day hold sweeping power over the direction of one of the world’s most secretive states.
(BBC News)