South Korea intel points to Kim Jong Un’s daughter as future leader - Reuters
Kim Ju Ae, daughter of Kim Jong Un (Photo: kcna.kp)
South Korea's intelligence agency believes that the underage daughter of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has been designated as his successor, according to Reuters.
The National Intelligence Service told lawmakers that its assessment is based not on circumstantial evidence but on reliable intelligence information gathered by the agency.
According to lawmakers, the intelligence service reported that a photo of the North Korean leader's daughter at the helm of a tank was intended to highlight her supposed military capabilities and to dispel doubts about a female successor.
This refers to the fact that in March, North Korean state media KCNA published photographs of Kim Jong-un and his daughter Kim Ju Ae at the helm of a new tank. This followed earlier images showing her firing a rifle at a shooting range and using a pistol.
Lawmaker Park Sun-won from the ruling South Korean Democratic Party stated that such footage is intended to pay homage to Kim Jong Un's public appearances in the military in the early 2010s, when he was being groomed to succeed his father as leader.
Lawmakers, citing data from the National Intelligence Service, also said that Ju-ae's repeated presence at defense-related events is aimed at dispelling doubts about a possible female successor and accelerating the formation of a narrative about succession.
Earlier, officials said that in the intelligence agency's view, the increasingly prominent role of Kim Jong Un's daughter indicates that she is already being treated as the de facto second most important figure in North Korea's leadership.
Reuters notes that the latest intelligence assessment regarding Kim's daughter, about 13-year-old Ju Ae, is an extension of earlier analysis by the intelligence agency. At that time, it was believed that she was likely being groomed to succeed her father as head of state.
Successor to Kim Jong Un
In September 2025, South Korea's intelligence agency believed that the daughter of the North Korean leader had significantly strengthened her status as a potential successor after her trip to China.
By February 2026, the media reported that the role of the country's leader's daughter was growing. Specifically, the teenager had already been assigned a managerial role within a structure related to the missile program. Moreover, some decisions are now being channeled through her.
