Kim Jong Un reportedly names 13-year-old daughter as successor

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has chosen his daughter as his heir, South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS) told lawmakers on Thursday.

Kim Ju Ae, who has rarely been seen publicly until recent years, has appeared alongside her father at high-profile events, including a visit to Beijing in September – her first documented trip abroad. Her exact age is not known in public records, but she is reportedly born in 2012 or 2013, making her somewhere 12 to 14 years old.

The NIS said its conclusion was based on “a range of circumstances,” notably her increasing visibility at official ceremonies and state functions. Officials will also closely monitor whether she attends North Korea’s upcoming party congress later this month, the regime’s largest political gathering held once every five years.

The congress is expected to outline Pyongyang’s priorities over the next five years, including foreign policy, military planning, and nuclear strategy.

Lawmaker Lee Seong-kwen told reporters that Kim Ju Ae, previously described by the NIS as “being trained” to succeed her father, is now considered to be in the formal stage of “successor designation.”

Lee said, “As Kim Ju Ae has taken part in events such as the Korean People’s Army anniversary and visits to the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, and appears to have expressed views on certain state policies, the NIS believes she is now designated as the successor.”

Kim Ju Ae is the only publicly acknowledged child of Kim Jong Un and his wife, Ri Sol Ju. The NIS believes the leader may have an older son, though he has never been officially recognised or shown in North Korean media.

The world first learned of Kim Ju Ae in 2013 when American basketball player Dennis Rodman revealed to The Guardian that he had held her as a baby during a visit to North Korea.

Now believed to be around 13 years old, Kim Ju Ae made her first state television appearance in 2022, inspecting an intercontinental ballistic missile while holding her father’s hand.

Since then, she has appeared frequently in state media, helping soften Kim Jong Un’s image. She accompanied him to China’s largest-ever military parade in Beijing, stepping off his armored train at the station. In public appearances, she often wears long hair, uncommon for North Korean youth, and designer clothing beyond the reach of ordinary citizens, said a news report by BBC on Thursday.

Another lawmaker, Park Sun-won, said her prominent role at events suggests she is already contributing policy input and is treated as the regime’s second-in-command.

The Kim family has traditionally passed power down through three generations, and analysts now widely believe Kim Ju Ae will inherit leadership. Recently, state media images have positioned her alongside or even slightly ahead of her father, an unusual symbolic choice in North Korean imagery.

Despite the NIS assessment, questions remain. Selecting a daughter over a possible older son is notable in North Korea’s patriarchal society, where female leadership has historically been rare. Still, Kim Jong Un’s sister, Kim Yo Jong, serves as a precedent for women in powerful positions, currently holding a senior role in the party’s Central Committee.

It is also unclear why Kim Jong Un, who appears young and healthy, is already naming a 13-year-old as heir. How her succession might affect North Korea’s future is also uncertain. Many had hoped that Kim Jong Un, educated abroad, would open the country to the world, a hope that remained unfulfilled. As his designated successor, Kim Ju Ae could now wield substantial influence over her nation’s direction.