North Korea’s Kim Jong Un allegedly designates daughter, Kim Ju Ae, as successor

North Korean leader, Kim Jong Un, has reportedly selected his daughter, Kim Ju Ae, as his heir, South Korea’s spy agency told lawmakers on Thursday.

Kim Ju Ae — believed to be about 13 years old — has in recent months appeared alongside her father at high-profile events, including a visit to Beijing in September, her first known trip outside North Korea.

According to the BBC, South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS) said it considered a “range of circumstances”, including her increasingly prominent public presence, in assessing that Kim Ju Ae has now entered the stage of “successor designation”.

The NIS said it would monitor closely whether she attends the ruling Workers’ Party Congress later this month — North Korea’s biggest political gathering, held once every five years — where Pyongyang is expected to outline priorities on foreign policy, war strategy and nuclear ambitions.

Lawmaker Lee Seong-kwen told reporters that Ju Ae, previously described by the NIS as being “trained” for succession, is now showing signs of offering input on state policies.

“As Kim Ju Ae has shown her presence at various events, including the founding anniversary of the Korean People’s Army and her visit to the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, and signs have been detected of her voicing her opinion on certain state policies, the NIS believes she has now entered the stage of being designated as successor,” Lee said.

Ju Ae is the only acknowledged child of Kim Jong Un and his wife, Ri Sol Ju, although the NIS believes he has an older son who has never appeared in state media.

News of Ju Ae first emerged from an unlikely source — American basketball star Dennis Rodman — who told The Guardian in 2013 that he had “held baby Ju Ae” during a visit to North Korea.

She made her first appearance on state television in 2022, inspecting an intercontinental ballistic missile while holding her father’s hand. Since then, she has featured frequently in state media, contributing to a softer public image of her father.

Ju Ae accompanied Kim Jong Un to Beijing for China’s largest-ever military parade, where she was seen stepping off his armoured train at Beijing Railway Station. She is often depicted wearing long hair — a style reportedly forbidden for her peers — and designer clothing, far beyond the reach of most North Koreans.

Another South Korean lawmaker, Park Sun-won, said Ju Ae’s growing role in public events suggests she has begun to give policy input and is being treated as the de facto second-highest official in the regime.

Power in North Korea has passed through three generations of the Kim family, and analysts widely believe Kim Jong Un intends for Kim Ju Ae to inherit leadership.

In recent months, state media images have shown her walking beside her father — sometimes appearing taller — rather than following behind him.

Given the symbolic weight of state photography in North Korea, it is rare for anyone other than Kim Jong Un to be positioned so prominently.

WARNING! All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express permission from ZAMBIA MONITOR.