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By Micah McCartney
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North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is likely training his daughter Kim Ju Ae to be his eventual successor, South Korea’s intelligence agency told lawmakers Thursday, offering its strongest and most confident assessment yet of a potential hereditary transfer of power.
Who is Kim Ju Ae and How Old Is She?
Speculation over succession has swirled around the girl—believed to be named Ju Ae and around 13 years old—since her public debut.
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She has since accompanied Kim on a series of high-profile appearances, from weapons tests to diplomatic events, and has been described by state media as a "person of great importance," an honorific traditionally reserved for supreme leaders.
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Recent developments have further reinforced the view that Ju Ae is the "most likely successor," South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS) told lawmakers Thursday, according to Yonhap News Agency.
The spy agency pointed to her appearances at symbolically significant public events alongside her father, including—for the first time—a New Year’s Day visit to the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, the mausoleum where her grandfather and great-grandfather, former leaders Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il, are entombed.
The NIS said it would closely monitor whether Ju Ae appears at the upcoming Ninth Party Congress, expected later this month. If she attends or is granted any form of official recognition, the agency assesses it would further strengthen the view she is being positioned as Kim's heir.
Newsweek reached out by email to the North Korean embassy in Beijing with a request for comment.
Why Does It Matter?
The future of the Kim dynasty is of particular interest to U.S.-allied South Korea.
It will shape the trajectory of inter-Korean relations, which have sharply deteriorated in recent years as Kim cut remaining linkages with Seoul, stepped up the pace of missile tests, and enshrined North Korea's nuclear weapons program into its constitution.
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Some North Korea watchers urge caution over the chatter around Jue Ae, however, citing the opacity of Pyongyang’s internal politics and her father’s relative youth at 41.
Succession calculations could also be affected by a number of factors in the years ahead, including Ju Ae’s siblings and the influence of her aunt, Kim Yo Jong, already a central figure in the regime’s power structure.
What People Are Saying
Hans Horan, strategic analyst at The Hague Centre for Strategic Studies, wrote in a December analysis for 38 North: "Whether her visibility signals the beginning of an orchestrated succession process is entirely unclear, and precedent offers little guidance.
"The public revelation of any Kim child at such a young age is unprecedented, and speculation about the existence and potential role of Kim’s other children, including a reported son, leaves ample room for caution in drawing conclusions at this stage."
What Happens Next
Despite ongoing tensions, the NIS said Pyongyang has not ruled out the possibility of renewed diplomacy with Washington, including a potential meeting between Kim and President Donald Trump .
"North Korea has expressed dissatisfaction with the U.S. over the South Korea-U.S. fact sheet and the deployment of U.S. strategic assets on the Korean Peninsula, but it has not ruled out talks with the United States and has refrained from criticizing President Donald Trump," the agency reportedly stated.
Trump met Kim three times during his first term in an ultimately unsuccessful effort to persuade the North Korean leader to scale back his United Nations-sanctioned nuclear weapons program in exchange for limited sanctions relief. Trump has since said he would be open to meeting Kim again.
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