The teenage daughter of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un could be considered his successor, Seoul’s spy agency has been reported as saying.
The child, believed to be named Kim Ju Ae and aged around 13, has accompanied her father to several high-profile events since late 2022.
And the pair rode in a tank together last month, sparking further speculation she is being positioned as the North’s future leader.
On Monday, South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS) director Lee Jong-seok said in a closed-door briefing at the National Assembly the girl could be considered Mr Kim‘s successor, according to Lee Seong Kweun, one of the politicians in attendance.
NIS said its assessment was based on “credible intelligence” collected by the agency.
Asked about potential protests from Mr Kim’s sister Kim Yo Jong, who has been long regarded as North Korea‘s number two figure, the NIS director responded that she has no substantial powers, Mr Lee told a briefing.
It is the agency’s strongest assessment yet on the rising political status of the teenager who it believes could extend her family’s rule into a fourth generation.
In early 2024, the NIS described the child as Mr Kim’s likely heir, and in February this year, the agency said it believed she was close to being designated as the nation’s future leader.
Some observers disagree with the assessments, arguing North Korea’s extremely male-dominated society won’t likely embrace a woman leader.
Pic: KCNA/Reuters
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They also say Mr Kim, 42, is too young to name a future leader, a development that could weaken his ruling of the country.
In a public appearance in March, the pair fired pistols during a visit to a light munitions factory.
Kim Jong Un and his daughter are pictured on a tank at a military training base. Pic: AP
The NIS, during Monday’s briefing, said North Korean authorities appeared to have organised such events to build up her military credentials and “reduce scepticism about a woman successor”, Mr Lee said.
The girl’s reported name is based on an account by former NBA star Dennis Rodman, who recalled holding Mr Kim’s baby daughter during a visit to Pyongyang in 2013.
Kim Jong Un and daughter Kim Ju Ae. Pic: Reuters
North Korea, established in 1948, has been successively ruled by male members of the Kim family.
Kim Jong Un inherited power upon his father Kim Jong Il’s death in late 2011. Kim Jong Il took control after his father and state founder Kim Il Sung died in 1994.
