North Korea’s Kim Jong Un's young daughter will be his "most likely" successor, South Korea’s spy agency has said.
It is the first time the South Korean National Intelligence Service (NIS) has acknowledged Kim Ju Ae as Mr Kim's heir.
However, the agency added that it was considering “all possibilities” for the line of succession in the ruling Kim dictatorship in North Korea.
Miss Kim is thought to be around ten years old, and first appeared in public in late 2022, where she watched a long-range missile test launch with her father.
She has since accompanied Kim Jong-un to major public events, with state media calling her the North Korean leader’s “most beloved” child.
“Based on a comprehensive analysis of public activities and the level of respect for Kim Ju Ae since her initial public appearance, at present, she appears to be the most likely successor," said the NIS.
“But we are keeping our eyes open for all possibilities because Kim Jong Un is still young, has no major health problems, and there are many variables."
The youngster is thought to be the North Korean leader's second oldest child.
It comes as North Korea fired more than 200 artillery rounds into the sea on Friday near a tense maritime border with the south.
Residents of two South Korean islands were ordered to seek shelter as a result.
An official on Yeonpyeong island, which sits just south of the disputed Northern Limit Line (NLL) sea border, said the evacuation was ordered for residents to move into bomb shelters on the island at the request of the South Korean military.
The firing by North Korea caused no civilian or military damage in the South, South Korea's military said in a news briefing.
"This is an act of provocation that escalates tension and threatens peace on the Korean peninsula," Lee Sung-joon, a spokesman for the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff, said.
The North Korean artillery shells all landed on the northern side of the sea border, Lee said, adding the South Korean military has been monitoring the North's moves along its shores with the cooperation of the US military.
He warned the South will take "corresponding measures" in response to the North's actions.
