South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS) has assessed that the teenage daughter of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is effectively being positioned as his successor, marking a potential extension of the Kim family dynasty into a fourth generation, lawmakers said on Thursday.
The assessment comes ahead of a major Workers’ Party congress in North Korea later this month, where Kim is expected to outline key policy goals for the next five years and further consolidate his grip on power.
In a closed-door parliamentary briefing, the NIS told lawmakers that Kim’s daughter — widely believed to be named Kim Ju Ae and thought to be around 13 — has reached what the agency described as a “successor-designate stage,” according to lawmaker Lee Seong-kweun.
“In the past, (NIS) described Kim Ju Ae as being in the midst of ‘successor training.’ What was notable today is that they used the term ‘successor-designate stage,’ a shift that's quite significant,” Lee said, as quoted by news agency AP.
Increasingly prominent public role
Kim Ju Ae first appeared publicly in November 2022 at a long-range missile test and has since accompanied her father to a series of high-profile events, including weapons launches, military parades, factory visits and a summit in Beijing with Chinese President Xi Jinping last September.
Her visibility has intensified speculation about her future role. In January, she joined her parents in paying respects at the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, the mausoleum housing the embalmed bodies of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il.
North Korean state media have referred to her as the “beloved child” and a “great person of guidance”, a term traditionally reserved for top leaders and their successors, according to news agency AFP.
Lawmakers were told by the NIS that Kim Ju Ae’s growing presence at key military events, her inclusion in the Kumsusan visit, and signs that Kim Jong Un has begun seeking her input on certain policy matters were factors behind the reassessment.
Party congress may signal formalisation
The Workers’ Party congress, expected in late February, could provide a stage for Kim Jong Un to formalise succession plans. Some analysts have suggested she could be appointed First Secretary of the Central Committee, the party’s No. 2 position, although party rules require members to be at least 18 years old.
The NIS said it would closely monitor whether Kim Ju Ae appears at the congress and the level of protocol accorded to her.
Cheong Seong-Chang of South Korea’s Sejong Institute said her visit to the Kumsusan Palace, a key symbol of the Kim family’s rule, should be viewed as a deliberate presentation of her as heir before her grandfather and father’s legacies.
Others cautioned that any formal move may be subtle. Koh Yu-hwan, former president of South Korea’s Institute of National Unification, was quoted by AP as saying that signals could come in the form of party messaging praising North Korea’s “successful inheritance of the revolution.”
“If you see comments like that, it would be reasonable to think that Ju Ae has been cemented” as heir, he said.
Limited information, dynastic legacy
Despite her growing public profile, North Korean state media have never officially confirmed her name, referring to her only as Kim’s “respected” or “most beloved” child.
The belief that she is named Kim Ju Ae stems from remarks by former NBA star Dennis Rodman, who said he held Kim’s baby daughter during a 2013 visit to Pyongyang.
South Korean intelligence has previously told lawmakers that Kim Jong Un and his wife, Ri Sol Ju, likely have an older son and a younger third child whose gender is unknown.
North Korea has been ruled exclusively by male members of the Kim family since its founding in 1948 — first by Kim Il Sung, then by Kim Jong Il, and now by Kim Jong Un.
Kim himself was officially named heir in 2010 at age 26, two years after his father suffered a stroke, and assumed power abruptly following Kim Jong Il’s death in 2011.
Analysts have suggested that Kim Jong Un’s decision to introduce his daughter early may reflect his own experience of being rapidly elevated to leadership with limited preparation.
If confirmed, her designation would mark a historic shift in the male-dominated leadership structure of the isolated state, though observers say much will depend on how prominently she is featured at the upcoming party congress.