North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un has chosen his teenage daughter to succeed him as ruler of the hermit kingdom, South Korea’s intelligence agency has claimed.
The National Intelligence Service assessed that Kim Ju Ae, believed to be around 13 years old, has moved from being groomed for leadership to formally designated heir.
Officials cited her increasing visibility at major state events and signs she has begun contributing to policy discussions.
Her September trip to Beijing marked her first confirmed overseas visit, where she accompanied her father at a large-scale military parade.
South Korean lawmaker Park Sun-won said her increasing public role suggests she is effectively being treated as the regime’s second most powerful figure.
The world first became aware of Ms Ju Ae in 2013 when former NBA star Dennis Rodman told The Guardian he had held the baby during a visit to the secretive state.
She remained out of sight until 2022, when North Korean state television showed her inspecting an intercontinental ballistic missile with her father.
Since then, she has appeared frequently in official media, often pictured in designer clothing and styled hair – luxuries out of reach for ordinary citizens.
North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un has chosen his teenage daughter to succeed him as ruler of the hermit kingdom
|
GETTY
During her Beijing visit, she was seen stepping off her father’s armoured train at the capital’s railway station ahead of what was billed as China’s largest military parade.
Recent images show her walking alongside – rather than behind – her father, a symbolic shift in a regime where positioning carries meaning.
Lawmaker Lee Seong-kwen said the intelligence service had upgraded its assessment from “trained” successor to formal designation.
“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,” Mr Seong-kwen said.
NORTH KOREA – READ THE LATEST:
Recent images have shown Kim Ju Ae walking alongside – rather than behind – her father
|
GETTY
The agency will closely watch whether she appears at the upcoming Workers’ Party congress, Pyongyang’s most significant political event, where key foreign policy and military priorities are set.
Her selection raises eyebrows in a society known for deeply entrenched patriarchal norms, with analysts previously considering female leadership in North Korea unlikely.
However, Mr Jong-un’s sister Kim Yo Jong already holds a senior role within the Workers’ Party Central Committee and is widely viewed as one of the regime’s most powerful figures.
Why the North Korean dictator, still relatively young and said to be in good health, would name a 13-year-old heir remains unclear.
The agency will closely watch whether she appears at the upcoming Workers’ Party congress
|
GETTY
Ms Ju Ae is the only publicly acknowledged child of Mr Jong-un and his wife, Ri Sol Ju.
Should the 13-year-old assume power, she would become only the fourth leader of the reclusive state since the Korean peninsula was divided at the end of the Second World War.
Kim Il Sung founded North Korea and ruled from 1948 until his death in 1994, posthumously declared as the country’s Eternal President.
He was succeeded by his son, Kim Jong-il, who remained in power until 2011.
Mr Jong Un then assumed control at just 27 years old.
