Seoul/Beijing — South Korea’s spy agency has told lawmakers that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un appears to be positioning his daughter, widely identified as Kim Ju-ae, as his likely successor — a move underlined, the agency said, by what it described as carefully orchestrated efforts by North Korean staff to remove traces of the leader’s and his daughter’s presence after a recent trip to China.
The National Intelligence Service (NIS) briefed lawmakers that the daughter’s presence on the visit and the regime’s steps to shield personal and biological clues — which reportedly included transporting waste on a special plane and restricting their accommodation to diplomatic premises — were intended to protect her identity and cultivate her credentials abroad.
Kim Ju-ae, whose name and exact age have never been confirmed by North Korean state media, has been shown on rare occasions alongside her father at missile tests, military parades and state openings since 2022, prompting analysts and South Korean officials to flag her as a possible heir within the Kim dynasty. The NIS assessment that she is being groomed is based on protocols surrounding her appearances and the role she has been given at high-profile events.
Outside experts remain cautious. Some analysts say the public display of a young daughter would be an unprecedented break in North Korea’s male-dominated succession history and point to alternative explanations — including the possibility of an unseen male heir or a carefully managed public narrative designed to reinforce dynastic stability — while underscoring the difficulties of firm conclusions given the regime’s secrecy.
The episode has drawn fresh attention from neighbouring capitals, where intelligence services and diplomats monitor Pyongyang for signs of instability or shifts in leadership planning. If the NIS reading is accurate, analysts say, the staged appearances and protective measures around Kim Ju-ae would form part of a long-term programme to normalize her public role and build internal and external legitimacy for a future transition.
