South Korea's National Intelligence Service (NIS) has told lawmakers it believes Kim Jong-un is close to designating his teenage daughter, Kim Ju-ae, as his successor, extending the Kim dynasty to a fourth generation. The assessment comes as North Korea prepares for a major political conference this month, where Kim is expected to outline policy goals and tighten his grip on power.
NIS officials said they are monitoring whether Kim Ju-ae, believed to be about 13 years old, will appear with her father at the Workers' Party congress. She first appeared publicly at a long-range missile test in November 2022 and has since attended weapons tests, military parades, factory openings, and a trip to Beijing with Kim last September.
Speculation intensified after she joined her parents on a New Year's Day visit to the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, a mausoleum for her grandfather and great-grandfather. Some experts see this as a sign she is being positioned as heir. The NIS previously described her as undergoing 'successor training', but now uses the term 'successor-designate stage', a significant shift according to lawmaker Lee Seong Kweun.
The agency cited her growing presence at military events, the family mausoleum visit, and signs that Kim seeks her input on policy. Her name has never been officially published; it is believed to be Kim Ju-ae based on a 2013 account by former NBA star Dennis Rodman. South Korean intelligence also believes Kim has an older son and a younger third child of unknown gender.
North Korea has been ruled by male Kim family members since 1948. Kim Jong-un became heir at age 26 in 2010, two years after his father's stroke, and assumed power abruptly after Kim Jong-il's death in 2011. Analysts suggest Kim's early introduction of his daughter may reflect his own rushed succession experience.
