Seoul spy agency says Kim’s daughter enters succession stage
“In the past, Kim Ju Ae was described as being ‘in successor training'
Author of the article:Bloomberg News
Bloomberg News
Shinhye Kang and Hyonhee Shin
Published Feb 12, 2026 • 3 minute read
This picture taken on November 28, 2025 and released by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on November 30, 2025 shows North Korean leader Kim Jong Un (3rd L) and his daughter Ju Ae (2nd L) watching a demonstration flight commemorating the 80th anniversary of the founding of the Korean People's Army Air Force at Kalma Airfield in Wonsan, Gangwon Province. Photo by STR /KCNA VIA KNS/AFP via Getty Image
(Bloomberg) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s teenage daughter appears to have entered a phase of being designated as his successor, South Korea’s National Intelligence Service told lawmakers, offering Seoul’s clearest assessment yet that a fourth generation of the Kim family dynasty is in the making.
In a closed-door briefing to parliament, the NIS said the girl — often referred to as Ju Ae by South Korean officials — has increasingly assumed a symbolic and political role consistent with succession training. The agency cited her repeated public appearances at key military events and her prominent positioning alongside her father during on-site inspections.
“In the past, Kim Ju Ae was described as being ‘in successor training,’ but notably today the NIS used the term ‘stage of being designated as successor,’” lawmaker Lee Seong-kweun, who attended the briefing, told reporters Thursday.
Lawmakers were told that the daughter’s protocol treatment, frequency of appearances and portrayal in state media point to structured preparation. That has included her attendance at military events such as Air Force Day celebrations as well as a visit to the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun — a symbol of hereditary succession. Both events were covered extensively by the Korean Central News Agency.
Seoul’s spy agency also cited instances in which she appeared to express views on policy initiatives during on-site inspections. Taken together, the NIS assessed that she has entered the stage of having been designated as successor.
The assessment builds on a steady stream of state media coverage over the past two years showing the daughter accompanying her father to intercontinental ballistic missile launches, military parades and meetings with senior defence officials.
Last year, Ju Ae — then believed to be about 12 or 13 — made a surprise trip to China with her father in what was seen as her first international appearance, intensifying speculation that she was being groomed as Kim’s eventual successor. She arrived aboard a bulletproof train to attend a military parade in Beijing, emerging just behind her father in a dark jacket with a navy ribbon in her hair.
While Kim attended the parade, his daughter wasn’t pictured at that venue in state media broadcasts.
The prospect of a female successor would mark a historic shift in North Korea’s deeply patriarchal political system, although the regime’s opaque inner workings make definitive conclusions difficult. Kim Jong Un himself was publicly confirmed as heir apparent only shortly before the death of his father, Kim Jong Il, in 2011.
Still, the NIS assessment suggests Seoul believes the grooming process has advanced beyond symbolic exposure to a more deliberate phase.
North Korea has been ruled by the Kim family since its founding in the 1940s. Ju Ae is believed to be one of two or possibly three children of Kim and his wife, Ri Sol Ju. No other children have been publicly confirmed by Pyongyang.
The agency said it will closely monitor whether she attends the Workers’ Party Congress later this month, the level of protocol accorded to her, the use of symbolic titles or her real name, and any potential revisions to Workers’ Party rules that could signal succession.
If borne out, the move would underscore the durability of the Kim family’s dynastic rule and signal Kim Jong Un’s confidence in consolidating power more than a decade after taking office in his late 20s and carrying out sweeping purges of potential rivals.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s teenage daughter appears to have entered a phase of being designated as his successor.
torontosun.com
