South Korea’s intelligence agency announced on Thursday that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s daughter, Ju Ae, recently seen with him on a prominent visit to Beijing, is regarded as his appointed successor.
Earlier this month, the teenager gained international attention during her first official overseas trip with her father, meeting China’s Xi Jinping and Russia’s Vladimir Putin.
Experts have long considered her as Kim’s probable successor, although there are speculations about Ju Ae having an older brother secretly being prepared for leadership.
According to lawmaker Lee Seong-kweun, South Korea’s spy agency believes Ju Ae has established a strong ‘revolutionary narrative’ during her China visit, bolstering her position as the likely successor.
The agency views Kim Ju Ae as the acknowledged heir, with her participation in the China visit as a step in solidifying the succession narrative.
Seoul’s intelligence agency noted Ju Ae’s prominence in state media photos and a special documentary showing her accompanying Kim Jong Un in China.
North Korean state media released an image of her inside the country’s bulletproof train with her father and other officials, returning from Beijing.
Seoul’s agency reported that Kim and his daughter stayed at the North Korean embassy in China, with items and even waste transported via special aircraft.
Ahn Chan-il, a defector-turned-researcher from the World Institute for North Korea Studies, told AFP that North Korea’s strict protection of its leader’s biometric data proves Ju Ae’s high likelihood as a successor.
‘Great Person of Guidance’
Ju Ae was introduced to the public in 2022, accompanying her father to an intercontinental ballistic missile launch.
Since then, North Korean state media have called her “the beloved child” and a “great person of guidance” or “hyangdo” in Korean—a term usually reserved for leaders and successors.
Before 2022, her existence was only confirmed by former NBA star Dennis Rodman, who visited North Korea in 2013.
Initially, Seoul stated that Kim and his wife Ri had their first child, a boy, in 2010, with Ju Ae being the second child.
However, in 2023, Seoul’s unification minister said the government could not confirm the existence of Kim’s son.
MP Lee mentioned rumors of another child, possibly with a disability or studying abroad, but these are “not deemed credible.”
“Especially regarding studying abroad, the NIS noted that such information would eventually surface, making the possibility very low,” he added.
Also on Thursday, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung stated that the previous Yoon Suk Yeol administration sent drones over Pyongyang, now under special investigation.
Last year, North Korea claimed it “proved” that South Korea’s military sent a drone over Pyongyang to drop propaganda leaflets, which South Korea’s defense ministry has not confirmed.
South Korea has launched a special probe into whether the drones’ deployment was an illegal attempt to provoke the North and justify martial law.
Yoon was eventually ousted for his failed attempt to undermine civilian governance.
