The South Korean intelligence agency informed parliament members that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is preparing his teenage daughter to take over leadership of the nuclear-armed country. The young Kim Ju-ae, whose age has not been confirmed, has been seen alongside her father on several occasions since 2022, leading to speculation that she may one day succeed him and form the fourth generation of leadership in the world's only communist dynasty.
Member of Parliament Lee Seung-kwon stated, after a briefing where the intelligence agency updated lawmakers on the situation, that the agency believes she has been chosen to succeed her father. Lee added, "It is clear that Pyongyang is training Kim Ju-ae as an heir, indicating that she is the most likely person to succeed him."
The national intelligence agency also clarified to lawmakers that Kim Jong Un "suffers from significant weight gain," reaching "about 140 kilograms," which exposes him to "a great risk of heart disease." Known to be a smoker, he is generally believed to have high blood pressure and diabetes since he turned thirty, as reported by Lee citing the national intelligence agency.
Additionally, the intelligence agency indicated that Pyongyang seems to be controlling how much Kim Ju-ae appears in public events to gauge how North Koreans react to the possibility of her playing a role in succeeding her father. They reported that more than half of her outings with her father were related to military activities, such as overseeing drills.
In March of last year, state media awarded Kim Ju-ae the honorary title "Hyangdo" in Korean (Senior Advisor), leading to speculation that she could succeed Kim Jong Un. Another South Korean lawmaker, Park Sang-won, told reporters that "given the use of the term Hyangdo, which is reserved for a leader or his successor, the national intelligence agency believes that the outlines of a succession project are taking shape."
However, the national intelligence agency has not ruled out the possibility of another son emerging as an alternative in the succession plan, according to Park, as North Korea has not made any succession announcements. Prior to 2022, the only confirmation of Kim Ju-ae's existence came from former NBA star Dennis Rodman, who confirmed that he met a daughter of the leader named Ju-ae during a visit to North Korea in 2013.
Seoul had initially clarified that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and his wife Ri Sol-ju, a former singer likely to have married him in 2009, became parents to their first child, a boy, in 2010, and that Ju-ae was their second child. However, in 2023, the South Korean unification minister announced that the government was "unable to confirm the existence" of a son for Kim Jong Un.
Kim Jong Un, who was likely born in 1983 or 1984, was 30 years old when he succeeded his father, Kim Jong Il, in December 2011. His sister, Kim Yo-jong, also wields significant influence.
The Kim dynasty, also known as the "Paektu bloodline," has ruled North Korea since 1948. Paektu Mountain is considered a "sacred" site in Korean culture, regarded as the mythical birthplace of the Korean people, where Kim Jong Il was born, according to North Korean propaganda, who also succeeded his father, Kim Il Sung.
