South Korean Intel Agency Says Kim Jong Un’s Teenage Daughter Will Be His Potential Successor

Last Updated:February 12, 2026, 15:51 IST

South Korea’s NIS believes Kim Jong Un’s daughter Kim Ju Ae, around 13, is now a successor-designate, with her rising public profile hinting at a fourth-generation Kim family rule.

South Korea’s spy agency has told lawmakers that it believes the teenage daughter of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is now close to being formally positioned as his successor, potentially extending the Kim family’s rule into a fourth generationas reported by Associated Press.

In a closed-door briefing, officials from the Intelligence Service (NIS) said they are closely monitoring whether Kim’s daughter, widely believed to be named Kim Ju Ae and around 13 years old, appears alongside him at the upcoming Workers’ Party Congress later this month. The major political gathering is expected to set out North Korea’s key policy goals for the next five years and could offer signals about succession planning.

Lawmaker Lee Seong Kweun, who attended the briefing, said the agency’s language had shifted noticeably. While the NIS previously described Kim’s daughter as being in “successor training," it now characterises her as being at the “successor-designate stage", a significant change in assessment.

Kim Ju Ae first appeared publicly in November 2022 at a long-range missile test. Since then, she has accompanied her father to an increasing number of high-profile events, including weapons launches, military parades, factory visits and a summit in Beijing last September with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Her growing visibility in state media has fueled speculation about her political future.

Attention intensified last month when she joined her parents at Pyongyang’s Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, the mausoleum housing the embalmed bodies of her grandfather Kim Jong Il and great-grandfather Kim Il Sung. Analysts viewed the visit as a powerful symbolic gesture, suggesting she was being presented as heir before the country’s founding leaders.

Despite her prominence, North Korean state media have never officially named her, referring only to Kim’s “respected" or “most beloved" child. The name Kim Ju Ae is widely believed based on remarks by former NBA star Dennis Rodman, who said he met Kim’s baby daughter during a 2013 visit to Pyongyang. South Korean intelligence believes she was born that year.

North Korea has been ruled exclusively by male members of the Kim family since 1948. Kim Jong Un himself was officially named heir in 2010 at age 26, two years after his father suffered a stroke, and assumed power following Kim Jong Il’s death in 2011.

Analysts say the upcoming Workers’ Party Congress, last held in 2016 and 2021, could provide a platform for Kim to formalise his daughter’s role, potentially by assigning her a senior party title. However, others caution that any move may be subtle, given that party rules require members to be at least 18 years old.

Observers suggest that signs of succession could emerge indirectly, for instance, through official statements praising the “successful inheritance of the revolution" as a pillar of North Korea’s longevity. If such language appears prominently, experts say it may indicate that Kim Ju Ae’s position as heir has effectively been cemented.

News world South Korean Intel Agency Says Kim Jong Un’s Teenage Daughter Will Be His Potential Successor

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