South Korea’s intelligence agency now considers Kim Jong Un’s teenage daughter his heir, its strongest assessment yet on her rising political status and potential to extend her family’s rule into a fourth generation.
Dubbed Kim’s "most beloved" or "respected" child by state media, she has accompanied her father to numerous high-profile events since late 2022, fuelling speculation she is being groomed as North Korea’s future leader.
National Intelligence Service (NIS) director Lee Jong-seok confirmed this view in a closed-door briefing to the National Assembly, stating she could be considered Kim’s successor, according to lawmaker Lee Seong Kweun.
Regarding Kim’s sister, Kim Yo Jong, long seen as the North’s No. 2, the NIS director stated she has "no substantial powers", lawmaker Lee reported, citing unspecified "reliable intelligence".
This assessment is stronger than previous ones. In early 2024, the NIS called her a "likely heir", its first official evaluation.
By February, it was believed she was "close to being designated" as the country’s future leader.
Some observers disagree with the NIS’ assessment, saying North Korea’s extremely male-centered society won’t likely embrace a woman leader. They also said Kim, 42, is too young to name his successor, a development that could weaken his grip on power.
The girl is reportedly named Kim Ju Ae and aged about 13, but North Korea’s state media hasn’t released such personal details. Her reported name is based on an account by former NBA star Dennis Rodman, who recalled holding Kim Jong Un’s baby daughter during a trip to Pyongyang in 2013.
Established in 1948, North Korea has been successively ruled by male members of the Kim family. Kim Jong Un inherited power upon his father Kim Jong Il’s death in late 2011. Kim Jong Il took over power after his father and state founder Kim Il Sung died in 1994.
Some of the girl’s recent public appearances included her driving a tank during army training supervised by her father and the pair firing pistols during a visit to a light munitions factory.
During Monday’s briefing, the NIS said North Korean authorities appeared to have organized such events to build up her military credentials and “dispel skepticism about a woman successor,” lawmaker Lee said.
Park Sunwon, another lawmaker who attended the briefing, made similar comments on the NIS’ assessment on the girl’s recent military appearances.
