South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS) briefed lawmakers this week that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is actively grooming his daughter, Kim Ju Ae—believed to be around 13 years old—as his designated successor, advancing her from prior “successor training” to the stage of formal “successor designation” in a bid to extend the Kim family dynasty into a fourth generation.
The assessment, shared in a closed-door session with the National Assembly’s Intelligence Committee and cited by lawmakers including Lee Seong-kweun, points to Kim Ju Ae’s growing public visibility—such as appearances at the founding anniversary of the Korean People’s Army, visits to the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, and instances of her reportedly voicing opinions on state policies—as key evidence of this shift, per Reuters.
The NIS is closely monitoring her potential participation in the upcoming 9th Workers’ Party Congress later this month, watching for indicators such as protocol level, use of her name, or symbolic references that could confirm her elevated status, according to the Korea Herald.
While this marks a significant step toward a female heir in North Korea’s patriarchal system, it could trigger internal rivalries.
Reports highlight potential resistance from Kim Jong Un’s influential sister, Kim Yo Jong—long seen as a powerful figure who could serve as regent or alternative leader—potentially setting up a high-stakes family power struggle, reported The Telegraph. Some analysts caution that media coverage has occasionally outpaced the NIS’s exact wording, which describes an “internal designation” rather than a fully public or finalized naming, with North Korean state media yet to openly confirm her role or name.
The NIS confirmed to South Korean lawmakers that Ju Ae has entered the formal stage of “heir designation,” per Reuters, a big milestone in the Kim dynasty’s succession process.
The teen girl appears to be elevated to a potential leadership role despite North Korea’s deeply conservative, male-dominated political tradition. Kim Jong Un is 42 years old, though his health has long been a subject of international speculation.
Ju Ae’s transition to power is obstructed by one of the most feared women in the world: Kim Yo Jong, 38, the younger sister of Kim Jong Un. She is widely regarded as the second most powerful person in all of North Korea.
Rah Jong Yil, former deputy director of South Korea’s National Intelligence Service and former South Korean ambassador to the United Kingdom, has been direct about what he believes would happen if Kim Jong Un dies, while his daughter remains young and politically untested.
“It depends on the timing, but I believe if Kim Yo Jong believed that she had a chance of becoming the top leader then she would take it,” Rah told The Telegraph. “For her, there are no reasons to refrain from putting into effect her own political project.”
History offers little reassurance that a North Korean power conflict would resolve peacefully.
When Kim Jong Un took power in 2011 following his father’s death, he moved quickly to eliminate threats within his inner circle. The Guardian reported that his uncle and one-time political mentor, Jang Song Thaek, was arrested on charges of “anti-party, counter-revolutionary, factional acts” and executed by firing squad in 2013. His half-brother, Kim Jong Nam – once considered a potential heir – was assassinated in 2017 at Kuala Lumpur International Airport. Two women, apparently deceived into believing they were participating in a prank show for a Japanese YouTube channel, smeared a deadly nerve agent on his face while four North Korean agents watched from the sidelines.