South Korea’s National Intelligence Service has reportedly told lawmakers that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un appears to be positioning his teenage daughter — widely believed to be Kim Ju Ae — as his successor, signaling a rare potential transfer of power in the isolated state.
According to intelligence briefings, evidence of her elevated role includes a marked increase in high-profile public appearances. She recently stood at the center of the front row during a New Year’s visit to the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, a site of immense symbolic importance in North Korea. Reports also suggest she has begun providing direct input on state policies during field inspections alongside her father.
State media has mirrored this shift, increasingly referring to her with the honorific “great person of guidance,” language typically reserved for members of the ruling Kim family. Although she is believed to be about 13 years old, her prominent placement at military parades and diplomatic engagements — including a high-stakes visit to China — has drawn global attention.
Observers are now closely watching the upcoming Workers’ Party Congress. Any formal party title granted to her at the gathering could cement her status as the future leader of the nuclear-armed nation.
