Kim Jong Un Picks 13-Year-Old Daughter as Successor, South Korean Intelligence Reveals

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has reportedly chosen his 13-year-old daughter, Kim Ju Ae, as his successor, according to South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS), raising global questions about the future of the secretive nuclear-armed state.




South Korea’s National Intelligence Service disclosed the development while briefing lawmakers on Thursday, noting that Kim Ju Ae’s growing presence at high-level state events suggests she has entered the formal stage of successor designation.

According to the NIS, the assessment was based on a combination of factors, including her frequent public appearances alongside her father and her increasingly symbolic positioning in official North Korean media.

In recent months, Kim Ju Ae has been seen attending key political and military engagements with Kim Jong Un, including a high-profile visit to Beijing in September — her first known trip outside North Korea. 

She has also appeared at events marking the founding anniversary of the Korean People’s Army and visits to the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, where past leaders lie in state.
South Korean lawmaker Lee Seong-kwen, quoting intelligence findings, said Kim Ju Ae has moved beyond being “trained” and has now reached the stage of being formally designated as heir.

“As Kim Ju Ae has shown her presence at various events and signs have emerged that she is expressing views on certain state policies, the NIS believes she has entered the successor designation phase,” Lee said.

Another lawmaker, Park Sun-won, added that her visibility suggests she may already be offering policy input and is being treated as the de facto second-most important figure in the regime.

Kim Ju Ae is the only publicly acknowledged child of Kim Jong Un and his wife, Ri Sol Ju. While intelligence officials believe Kim may have an older son, he has never been officially recognized or shown in state media.

Her first appearance on North Korean television came in 2022, when she was filmed inspecting an intercontinental ballistic missile alongside her father — a moment that drew global attention.

Observers have also noted that Kim Ju Ae is frequently positioned beside her father rather than behind him in official imagery — a rare and highly symbolic choice in a system where hierarchy is visually enforced.

Power in North Korea has remained within the Kim family for three generations, and analysts believe Kim Jong Un is determined to preserve the ruling dynasty. However, the apparent selection of a daughter as successor raises questions in a deeply patriarchal society.