North Korea appears to have moved into the phase of formally positioning leader Kim Jong-un’s daughter, Ju-ae, as his successor, according to South Korea’s spy agency.
Lawmakers relayed the assessment Thursday, describing it as a stronger conclusion than the agency’s earlier view that she was the “most likely successor.”
The National Intelligence Service (NIS) delivered the update during a closed-door session with the National Assembly’s intelligence committee, lawmakers Park Sun-won and Lee Seong-kweun told reporters.
“As Kim Ju-ae has shown her presence at various events, including the founding anniversary of the Korean People’s Army and her visit to the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, and signs have been detected of her voicing her opinion on certain state policies, the NIS believes she has now entered the stage of being designated as successor,” Lee said.
Lee noted that this assessment goes beyond the agency’s earlier characterization of Ju-ae as being “trained” for potential leadership, indicating a shift to what it now views as a stage of “successor designation.”
The NIS said it plans to closely monitor whether Ju-ae attends the ruling party’s major congress scheduled for later this month, a potential indicator of her rising status.
In January 2024, the NIS identified Ju-ae — believed to have been born in 2013 — as the North’s “most likely successor,” marking its first formal evaluation of her potential role in the country’s leadership succession.
Earlier this January, she made her first recorded visit to the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, the mausoleum for North Korea’s ruling family, accompanying her parents.
The appearance fueled speculation that she is being prepared for a future leadership role.
Observers say that if Ju-ae participates in the upcoming party congress or receives an official title during the event, it would likely intensify speculation that she is being groomed to succeed her father.
Separately, the NIS addressed prospects for dialogue between Washington and Pyongyang.
“There is a possibility that North Korea could respond to dialogue with the U.S. if certain conditions are met,” the agency said.
“North Korea has expressed dissatisfaction with the U.S. over the South Korea-U.S. fact sheet or the deployment of U.S. strategic assets on the Korean Peninsula, but it has not ruled out the possibility of talks with the U.S. and has refrained from criticizing President Donald Trump,” the spy agency said.
The agency added that Pyongyang appears to have avoided launching intercontinental ballistic missiles in recent months, seemingly to avoid provoking Trump, who has been sensitive to such tests.
