South Korea’s National Intelligence Service has concluded that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has formally designated his teenage daughter, Kim Ju Ae, as his successor, a development that could shape the future of one of the world’s most secretive regimes.
The assessment was disclosed in Seoul after intelligence officials briefed lawmakers on recent developments in Pyongyang. According to the agency, its conclusion rests on Kim Ju Ae’s rising public profile and her repeated presence at high level state and military events, a pattern viewed as deliberate and symbolic in North Korea’s tightly controlled political system.
Lawmaker Lee Seong-kwen told reporters that Kim Ju Ae, previously described by the agency as being groomed for leadership, has now reached what officials consider the stage of successor designation. He cited her attendance at key national ceremonies, including events marking the anniversary of the Korean People’s Army and a visit to the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, the mausoleum of North Korea’s founding leaders.
The intelligence agency is also watching closely to see whether she will take part in the next Workers’ Party congress, the country’s most important political gathering held every five years. The congress is expected to outline North Korea’s direction on foreign policy, military doctrine and nuclear strategy, making any appearance by Kim Ju Ae highly significant.
Kim Ju Ae, believed to be about 13 years old, is the only child of Kim Jong Un and his wife, Ri Sol Ju, to be publicly acknowledged. Although South Korean intelligence suspects the North Korean leader may have an older son, that child has never appeared in state media nor been formally introduced.
Her existence first became known to the outside world through former American basketball player Dennis Rodman, who in 2013 said he had met and held “baby Ju Ae” during a visit to Pyongyang. She made her official debut on North Korean state television in 2022, appearing beside her father during the inspection of an intercontinental ballistic missile. The images were widely circulated and interpreted as a signal of her emerging role.
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Since then, Kim Ju Ae has been seen at missile launches, military parades and diplomatic engagements, including a high profile visit to Beijing where she reportedly travelled with her father. In carefully staged photographs released by state media, she is often positioned at his side rather than behind him, a subtle but telling shift in symbolism within a system where imagery is tightly managed.
South Korean lawmaker Park Sun-won said her steady participation in public events suggests she is being treated as the de facto second figure in the leadership hierarchy. Observers note that her distinct appearance and privileged status, often reflected in her clothing and grooming, further set her apart from her peers and reinforce her standing.
North Korea’s leadership has passed through three generations of the Kim family, from Kim Il Sung to Kim Jong Il and now Kim Jong Un. If confirmed, the formal elevation of Kim Ju Ae would mark the fourth generation of dynastic rule in the nuclear armed state.
While Pyongyang has not made any public declaration on succession, analysts say the increased visibility of Kim Ju Ae, especially at events linked to the military and strategic weapons programmes, sends a clear message about continuity and control at the highest level of power.
