Kim's Daughter May Be on the Cusp of a Big Designation

South Korea's spy agency told lawmakers on Thursday that it believes the teen daughter of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is close to being designated as the country's future leader as he moves to extend the family dynasty to a fourth generation. The assessment by the National Intelligence Service comes as North Korea is preparing to hold its biggest political conference later this month, where Kim is expected to outline his major policy goals for the next five years and take steps to tighten his authoritarian grip, per the AP.

In a closed-door briefing, NIS officials said they're closely monitoring whether Kim's daughter—believed to be named Kim Ju Ae and around 13 years old—appears with him before thousands of delegates at the upcoming Workers' Party Congress, said lawmaker Lee Seong Kweun, who attended the meeting. First appearing in public at a long-range missile test in November 2022, Kim Ju Ae has since accompanied her father to an increasing number of events, including weapons tests, military parades, and factory openings. She traveled with him to Beijing last September for Kim's first summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in six years on the sidelines of a World War II event.

Speculation about her political future intensified last month when she joined her parents on a New Year's Day visit to Pyongyang's Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, a sacred family mausoleum displaying the embalmed bodies of her late grandfather and great-grandfather, the country's first- and second-generation leaders. South Korean officials initially expressed doubt that she could be chosen as a North Korean leader, citing the country's deeply conservative culture and tradition of male-dominated leadership. Her increasingly prominent appearances in state media, however, have prompted a reassessment.

Despite her increased visibility in propaganda, North Korean state media have never published the name of Kim Jong Un's daughter, only referring to her as his "respected" or "most beloved" child. The belief that she's named Kim Ju Ae is based on an account by former NBA star Dennis Rodman. In 2023, South Korea's spy agency told lawmakers that Kim Jong Un and his wife also likely have an older son and a younger third child whose gender is unknown. More here.