SEOUL, South Korea — Intelligence officials in South Korea now believe it’s reasonable to consider North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un’s teenage daughter as his likely successor, marking their most definitive statement yet about the girl’s rising prominence in the isolated nation’s power structure.
The teenager, whom North Korean state media has called Kim’s “most beloved” or “respected” child, has been appearing alongside her father at major public events since the end of 2022, fueling international speculation that she’s being prepared to take over leadership.
During a private briefing with South Korea’s National Assembly, National Intelligence Service director Lee Jong-seok told lawmakers the girl should be viewed as Kim’s potential successor when questioned about her political position, according to lawmaker Lee Seong Kweun who was present at the meeting.
When lawmakers asked about potential objections from Kim’s sister Kim Yo Jong, who has long been considered the regime’s second-most powerful figure, the intelligence director indicated she lacks meaningful authority, citing what he called “reliable intelligence” sources.
This represents the intelligence service’s most confident evaluation of the girl’s status to date. Earlier in 2024, the agency first officially suggested she was probably being groomed as her father’s heir. By February, intelligence officials said they believed she was nearly certain to be named the country’s future leader.
However, some experts question this analysis, arguing that North Korea’s deeply patriarchal culture makes it unlikely to accept female leadership. Others point out that Kim, who is 42 years old, may be too young to designate a successor, which could potentially undermine his current authority.
The girl is believed to be named Kim Ju Ae and approximately 13 years old, though North Korean media has never confirmed these personal details. Her suspected name comes from former basketball player Dennis Rodman, who mentioned holding Kim Jong Un’s infant daughter during a 2013 visit to Pyongyang.
Since its founding in 1948, North Korea has been continuously governed by male members of the Kim dynasty. Kim Jong Un assumed control following his father Kim Jong Il’s death in late 2011. Kim Jong Il had previously taken power after the death of his father and the nation’s founder, Kim Il Sung, in 1994.
Recent public appearances by the girl have included operating a tank during military exercises overseen by her father and both of them shooting handguns during a tour of an ammunition manufacturing facility.
During Monday’s intelligence briefing, officials suggested North Korean leadership has deliberately arranged these military-focused events to strengthen her defense credentials and “dispel skepticism about a woman successor,” lawmaker Lee reported.
Park Sunwon, another legislator who attended the briefing, provided similar accounts of the intelligence agency’s analysis regarding the girl’s recent military-themed public appearances.
