The espionage agency, the National Intelligence Service, told lawmakers on Thursday that it believes North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s teenage daughter is close to being designated as the regime’s future leader, The Associated Press reported.
Kim is the third generation of men in his family to rule.
During a closed-door briefing, NIS officials said they are closely watching whether Kim’s daughter — thought to be named Kim Ju Ae and approximately 13 years old — will appear with him before thousands of delegates at the upcoming Workers’ Party Congress, according to lawmaker Lee Seong Kweun, who attended the meeting.
“Previously, (NIS) characterized Kim Ju Ae as being in the middle of ‘successor training.’ What was notable today is that they used the term ‘successor-designate stage,’ a very significant shift,” Lee pointed out, according to the .
In 2023, South Korea’s National Intelligence Service told lawmakers that the North Korean leader and his wife likely have an older son as well as a younger, third child of unknown gender, according to The Associated Press.
North Korea is one of the world’s few nations, making it a unique threat on the global stage.
A 2025 U.S. Intelligence Community stated, “Kim remains committed to expanding the number of North Korea’s nuclear warheads and enhancing its missile capabilities to threaten the Homeland and U.S. forces, citizens, and allies, and to weaken U.S. influence in the Asia-Pacific region, as evidenced by the pace of North Korea’s missile flight tests and the regime’s public promotion of its uranium enrichment capabilities.”
“Russia is increasingly supporting North Korea’s nuclear status in exchange for Pyongyang’s support for Moscow’s war against Ukraine,” the assessment noted.
The Associated Press contributed to this report