South Korean intelligence indicates that Kim Ju-ae, daughter of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, has been officially designated as the successor. Her appearances at significant events and the use of high honors confirm her status as the next generation of the "Paektu bloodline."
Members of Parliament Park Sun-won and Lee Seong-gwon told reporters that the National Intelligence Service (NIS) revealed this assessment during a closed briefing to the parliamentary intelligence committee today (12 Feb). They stated that the North Korean government has now "clearly identified its successor," who is Kim Ju-ae, daughter of Kim Jong-un, based on her increasingly prominent role in major national events.
Intelligence agencies and analysts point to several factors confirming her status. In January, state media released images of Ju-ae alongside her father paying respects at the funerals of Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il at the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, a tradition reserved for the supreme leader.
Additionally, North Korean official media have begun referring to her as "Hyangdo," meaning "Great Guiding Person," a term specifically reserved for the supreme leader or designated heir.
She first appeared publicly in 2022 during an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) test and recently joined a delegation to Beijing, China, establishing her international profile.
North Korea is scheduled to hold a major Workers' Party congress in late February, a key forum for setting foreign policy, military plans, and nuclear objectives for the next five years. The NIS stated it will closely monitor Kim Ju-ae's role and the level of protocol she receives.
Analysts predict that Ju-ae may be appointed "First Secretary of the Central Committee," the second most powerful position after the supreme leader. If confirmed, this would publicly affirm her status as heir before the members of the North Korean Workers' Party.
Before 2022, the world had scarcely seen Ju-ae’s face, with only former NBA basketball player Dennis Rodman, who visited North Korea in 2013, claiming to have held Kim Jong-un’s daughter. Now, she has become a key figure under close watch as the likely first female leader of a country ruled by the Kim family for decades.