South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS) said Monday it now regards one of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s daughters as his likely political successor.
NIS Director Lee Jong Seok told lawmakers, according to Yonhap, that the assessment is “not a judgment based on mere circumstantial evidence, but on intelligence information.” The agency says it has increasingly detected signals from Pyongyang pointing toward succession planning.
Earlier in 2024 the NIS made its first official suggestion that one of Kim’s daughters might be being groomed for leadership; by February it reported she appeared close to formal designation. At the same time the agency has downplayed the political power of Kim’s sister, Kim Yo Jong, despite outside speculation about her influence.
State media has described the girl as Kim’s “most beloved” or “respected” child. Widely reported to be Kim Ju Ae, she first appeared in official photographs in 2022 and since then has accompanied her father to public events, including multiple missile tests and his state visit to China. North Korean state media has also shown her in military settings, with images appearing to show her looking through a weapon’s viewfinder and driving a tank at a training base (file photo).
Little about her is officially confirmed; neither her age nor her name has been formally announced. Former NBA player Dennis Rodman, who met Kim in 2013, has estimated her age at about 13 or 14. The NIS says the increased military appearances are intended in part to counter doubts about a female leader.
The agency stresses its assessment is provisional. Some analysts note Kim Jong Un may have other children, possibly including a son who could be presented publicly later. Since North Korea’s founding in 1948, leadership has passed through male members of the Kim family — from Kim Il Sung to Kim Jong Il to Kim Jong Un.
Edited by: Rana Taha