South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS) told lawmakers in that country on Thursday that communist North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un has begun the process of formalizing his daughter, believed to be named Kim Ju-ae, as his heir to the leadership of the country.
The repressive and secretive North Korean stage rarely offers information about the ruling Kim dynasty’s members and little is known about Kim Ju-ae. Her existence was first confirmed by former basketball star Dennis Rodman, who called her “Ju-ae” in public comments, and she is believed to be about 13 years old, though no official birthday is publicly known. Kim Jong-un first confirmed her existence by bringing her as a special guest to the launching of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) in 2022.
Kim Ju-ae has since become a fixture at communist government events. On one occasion last year, the child attended an event alongside Russian diplomats, which many foreign observers took to mean that Kim was introducing her formally to public officials from friendly nations in an attempt to prepare her to be the next dictator.
According to lawmakers present at a closed-door session at the South Korean National Assembly on Thursday, NIS officials stated that they believe the elder Kim is in the process of formalizing the line of succession to his daughter. It is not publicly clear whether Ju-ae is Kim’s only child, though she is believed to be his eldest; some reports suggest she may be the oldest of three.
“The NIS reported that Kim Ju-ae appears to have entered the stage of being designated the successor,” South Korean lawmaker Rep. Lee Seong-kweun, of the conservative People Power Party (PPP), told reporters, according to the Korean JoonAng Daily. “Her presence has continued to be highlighted at events such as the North’s Military Foundation Day ceremony and visits to the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun. There are also signs that she has expressed views on certain policies.”
“In previous briefings, the NIS described her situation as ‘successor-in-training,’” Lee reportedly explained. “Today, it used the phrase ‘stage of being designated successor,’ which indicates some progress.”
Another lawmaker, Rep. Park Sun-won of the ruling leftist Democratic Party, noted that Kim Ju-ae has “directly visited sites, listened to difficulties and worked to resolve them,” suggesting that she is being offered active training on how to rule North Korea.
“Kim Ju-ae has expressed opinions on policy implementation. In that sense, we assess that she has entered the stage of being designated the successor. This assessment is from the NIS’s analysis and judgment,” Park added.
North Korea has been ruled by the iron fist of the Kim family since its establishment as a communist rogue state in 1948, immediately before the onset of the Korean War, which has never been formally concluded. Founder Kim Il-sung passed down control of the country to his son Kim Jong-il, who died in 2011 and left his son, Kim Jong-un, in power. Kim is believed to be about 42 years old and thus was believed to be about 28 or 29 when he became dictator. Unlike Kim Ju-ae, Kim Jong-un was kept far from the public eye prior to taking power – allowing him to be sent abroad to study in Switzerland at Ju-ae’s age.
The South Korean newswire service Yonhap noted in its reporting on Thursday that the NIS, the South Korean intelligence agency, had identified Kim Ju-ae as the “most likely successor” to Kim Jong-un should the middle-aged dictator die in office. At the time, however, intelligence reports did not suggest that any formal training of the girl had begun, but instead the slow accustoming of the captive North Korean population to her presence in the public eye in a leadership position.
The first public confirmation on Kim Ju-ae’s existence occurred far from the control of North Korean state media. Dennis Rodman, who followed his career in the NBA with an informal quest to serve as a diplomatic bridge between America and North Korea, told reporters after returning from Pyongyang that Kim Jong-un was a “good dad” to a baby girl, who he called “Ju-ae.”
The world first saw images of Kim Ju-ae published by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), the flagship state media network in North Korea, in November 2022, when she accompanied her father to a test of the Hwasong-17, an ICBM. State media referred to the younger Kim as the “beloved daughter” and published photos of her arm-in-arm with her father, strolling casually in front of the missile. Shortly after the test, Kim Ju-ae appeared again at an event to celebrate the purportedly successful ICBM test.
“When General Secretary Kim Jong-un appeared at the photo session venue together with his beloved daughter, all the participants broke into stormy cheers of ‘Hurrah!’” Rodong Sinmun, the national state newspaper, detailed of the celebration.
Kim Ju-ae has received sporadic but consistent mentions in North Korean state media since then. In May 2025, she appeared at the most high-profile event yet, a celebration at the Russian embassy to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. Kim was dressed in a navy professional suit and allowed to interact with the Russian officials; she was seated towards the front to listen to her father address the Russian attendees.
“She has now been introduced publicly to the international diplomatic community,” researcher Cho Han-bum explained in comments to Radio Free Asia (RFA) at the time. “While this strengthens the impression that she is being groomed as a successor, I don’t think North Korea is in a position where it needs outside backing to solidify this path.”
The event did, Cho noted, formalize “the fact that she is undergoing succession training.”
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