Kim Jong Un’s daughter will soon be named as the future leader of North Korea, the spy agency said

SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea’s intelligence agency told lawmakers Thursday it believes the daughter of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is close to being named the country’s next leader as he seeks to extend the family’s dynasty to a fourth generation.

The assessment by the National Intelligence Service comes as North Korea prepares to hold its biggest political summit later this month, where Kim is expected to outline his major policy goals for the next five years and take steps to strengthen his ruling power.

In a closed-door briefing, NIS officials said they are keeping a close eye on whether Kim’s daughter – believed to be Kim Ju Ae and about 13 years old – appears with him in front of thousands of delegates at the upcoming Workers’ Party Congress, said lawyer Lee Seong Kweun, who attended the meeting.

Making her first public appearance at a long-range missile test in November 2022, Kim Ju Ae has accompanied her father to more and more events, including weapons tests, military exhibitions and factory openings.

He accompanied him to Beijing last September for Kim’s first summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in six years on the sidelines of World War II.

Speculation about his political future intensified last month when he joined his parents on a New Year’s Day visit to the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, Pyongyang, the sacred family mausoleum that displays the embalmed bodies of his late grandfather and great-grandfather, the country’s first- and second-generation leaders.

Some experts saw the visit as a clear sign, however, that he was being positioned as his 42-year-old father’s heir.

South Korean officials initially expressed skepticism that he could be elected as North Korea’s leader, citing the country’s strong male leadership culture. But his increasingly prominent appearance in the national media has caused him to be re-examined.

In its previous assessment of Kim Ju Ae’s status in September, the NIS told lawmakers that Kim Jong Un’s decision to accompany him on his trip to China was likely part of an effort to create a “story” that could pave the way for his follow-up.

“In the past, (NIS) described Kim Ju Ae as being in ‘next training.’ “What was notable today was that they used the term ‘next stage,’ a very significant change,” Lee said.

According to Lee, the agency noted his increased presence at high-level military events, his inclusion in family visits to Kumsusan, and signs that Kim Jong Un was beginning to seek his opinion on certain policy issues.

Not much is known about Kim’s daughter

Despite her increased publicity, North Korean state media have never published the name of Kim Jong Un’s daughter, referring to her only as his “respected” or “most loved” child.

The belief that she was named after Kim Ju Ae is based on an account by former NBA star Dennis Rodman, in which he recalled holding Kim Jong Un’s daughter during a trip to Pyongyang in 2013. South Korean intelligence officials believe he was born sometime that year.

In 2023, South Korea’s spy agency told lawmakers that Kim Jong Un and his wife may have an older son and a third younger child whose gender is unknown.

Since its founding in 1948, North Korea has been ruled by the men of the Kim family, starting with the country’s founder Kim Il Sung and then his son, Kim Jong Il.

Kim Jong Un was just 26 years old when he was officially named heir apparent during the party’s 2010 congress, two years after Kim Jong Il suffered a stroke.

After his father’s death in December 2011, he was suddenly thrust into the throne.

Some commentators suggest that Kim Jong Un’s decision to take his daughter out for the first time early reflects his experience of being rushed to power.

A group conference may provide advice on succession planning

Kim Ju Ae’s first known visit to Kumsusan was last month and it was her father’s first visit to the place in three years.

Given the palace’s status as an important symbol of the Kim family’s rule, the trip should be seen as a sign for Kim Jong Un to present his daughter as his heir in front of her grandfather and father as he prepares for a major meeting of the ruling party, said Cheong Seong-Chang, a senior analyst at South Korea’s Sejong Institute.

The Workers’ Party congress in late February, which was last held in 2016 and 2021, may give Kim Jong Un a platform to formally outline his succession plans, possibly by giving his daughter the position of first secretary of the party, his No. 2 job, although the decision may not be disclosed immediately to the outside world, Cheong said.

Some commentators doubt whether he will get such a high position or an official role in the group, as the rules of the group require members to be at least 18 years old.

If Kim Jong Un were to use the party’s congress to consolidate his daughter as heir, the signs could be subtle, said Koh Yu-hwan, former president of the South Korea Institute of National Unification.

For example, a party might issue a self-praise about how North Korea has survived longer than many other communist states and give credit for how the country has established a “successful revolutionary legacy,” he said.

“When you see such a comment, it would be reasonable to think that Ju Ae has been cemented,” said the heir, Koh said.