South Korean Intelligence Agency Says North Korea is Preparing Kim Ju-ae as Kim Jong-un's Successor

Kim Jong-un and his daughter Ju-ae at the site of the launch test of North Korea's Hwasong-17 ICBM. (Source: KCNA)

North Korea appears to have entered the stage of designating Ju-ae, the daughter of the country's leader, Kim Jong-un, as her father's successor, according to a statement by the intelligence agency quoted by South Korean lawmakers on Thursday, marking an upgrade from an earlier assessment that named her as the "most likely successor."

The National Intelligence Service (NIS) said Ju-ae's remarks reflected her views on the policies of certain countries as one of her latest assessments during a closed briefing to a parliamentary intelligence committee, lawmakers Park Sun-won and Lee Seong-kweun told reporters.

"Because Kim Ju-ae has shown her presence at various events, including the Korean People's Army anniversary and her visit to the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, and has shown signs of voicing her opinions on certain state policies, the NIS believes she has now entered the stage to be designated as a successor," Lee said, launching The Korea Times (12/2).

Lee said the latest assessment marked a step up from an earlier view that described Ju-ae as a figure "trained" to be a successor, to now assessing she is at the stage of "designation of successor."

NIS also said it would continue to monitor whether he would attend the North Korean ruling party's congress later this month.

Previously, NIS in January 2024 assessed Ju-ae, believed to have been born in 2013, as the "most likely successor" in North Korea in its first evaluation of the possibility of his succession in the closed regime.

In early January, Ju-ae paid her respects at the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, the Kim family mausoleum, for the first time, with her parents amid growing speculation about her potential succession.

If Ju-ae appears at the party congress or is awarded an official title at the event, speculation about her being groomed as Kim's successor is likely to intensify.