Kim Jong Un’s daughter, 14, ‘is set to be unveiled as his heir this month and is already advising on policy’
Kim Jong Un’s daughter will be announced as his heir at a landmark party congress this month and is believed to already be advising on state policy, according to South Korean intelligence.
The North Korean leader has effectively appointed his daughter Ju Ae as his successor following a briefing from the country’s National Intelligence Service, lawmakers in Seoul said.
The spy agency has now clearly been “identified as the successor”, lawmaker Lee Seong-kweun told reporters after a closed parliamentary session.
Lee said Seoul’s intelligence agency’s assessment was made “taking into account a number of circumstances, including its increasingly prominent public presence at official events.”
Analysts say Ju Ae’s appointment could pave the way for him to take on a more formal party role at the upcoming congress, or even the possibility of becoming First Secretary of the Central Committee, the second most powerful position in the ruling Workers’ Party.
Ju Ae’s exact age has never been publicly disclosed by Pyongyang. While he is widely reported to be 14 years old, South Korean authorities believe he is between 12 and 14.
The Kim family has ruled North Korea with strict rule for decades, and a cult of personality surrounding the ‘Paektu lineage’ dominates daily life in the isolated country.
Ju Ae has long been seen as the likely heir, and this perception has been strengthened by a series of increasingly prominent appearances alongside her father.
This photo, taken on February 8, 2024 and published by North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on February 9, shows North Korean leader Kim Jong Un (C) and his daughter (L) visiting the Ministry of National Defense in Pyongyang.
Lawmakers in Seoul said the North Korean leader had effectively appointed his daughter Ju Ae as his successor following a briefing from the country’s National Intelligence Agency.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un (center L) and his daughter Ju Ae (center right) inspect training of the Korean People’s Army at an undisclosed location in North Korea in 2024
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un (left) and his daughter watch the test launch of the Hwasongpho-18 intercontinental ballistic missile
South Korea’s spy agency said Ju Ae, who accompanied Kim on his high-profile visit to Beijing last year, appeared to be next in line.
State media showed him in January paying his respects to Kim at the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, which houses the mummified bodies of state founder Kim Il Sung and his son Kim Jong Il.
The photos, released ahead of a rare political convention later this month, have further fueled speculation that an official announcement could be imminent.
Pyongyang will hold a landmark party congress at the end of February, its biggest political event, laying out its foreign policy, war planning and nuclear ambitions for the next five years.
The National Intelligence Service said it would closely monitor Ju Ae’s involvement, as well as the level of protocol granted to her.
Ju Ae was introduced to the world in 2022 when she accompanied her father on an intercontinental ballistic missile launch.
Since then, North Korean state media have referred to him as ‘the beloved child’ and ‘a great guidance person’ (‘hyangdo’ in Korean); The term is often used for senior leaders and their successors.
Before its debut, the only confirmation of its existence came from former NBA star Dennis Rodman, who visited North in 2013.
