- Kim Jong Un may appoint his daughter Kim Ju Ae as North Korea's next leader, say South Korean lawmakers
- Kim Ju Ae, believed to be 13, has appeared at missile tests and state events with her father since 2022
- Traditionally male leadership in North Korea may shift, following precedent set by Kim Yo Jong's senior role
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un may choose his daughter Kim Ju Ae as his successor, South Korean lawmakers revealed on Thursday, citing a spy agency briefing. There is speculation that Kim Jong Un is taking steps to consolidate the teen as the country's fourth-generation leader.
South Korean lawmaker Lee Seong-kweun told reporters after a closed-door briefing from South Korea's National Intelligence Agency (NIS), “In the past, the NIS described Kim Ju Ae as being 'in study as successor', but today the expression used was that she 'was in the stage of being internally appointed successor'.”
The NIS will be closely watching whether Kim Ju Ae attends the meeting of the ruling Workers' Party on Wednesday and how she is presented at the event, including any potential titles being given to her, Reuters reported.
Who Is Kim Ju Ae?
Not much is known about the teenager, who is believed to be 13 years old. The world came to know about her in 2013 when American basketball star Dennis Rodman made a controversial visit to North Korea's capital Pyongyang. He later told The Guardian, “I held their baby Ju Ae and spoke with (Kim's wife) as well.”
Experts believe that Kim Jong Un has three kids and Ju Ae is the middle one, but nothing has been confirmed.
The teenager's first public appearance was in 2022 at the test launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile. She has been photographed alongside her father at numerous state events since, CNN reported.
In January, Kim Ju Ae was photographed alongside her father at the test launch of a large-calibre multiple-rocket launch system.
In September, in what is believed to be her first trip abroad, she travelled by an armour-plated train with Kim Jong Un to Beijing to attend Xi Jinping's military parade.
The young girl is often seen wearing her hair long, which is forbidden for her North Korean peers. Kim Ju Ae has been spotted in designer clothes that are out of reach for most in her country, BBC reported.
Experts and defectors had earlier dismissed the idea of a woman leading North Korea, considering the country's entrenched traditional gender roles. However, Kim Jong Un's sister - Kim Yo Jong - offers a stark departure from the norm. She currently holds a senior post in the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea.
It is also unclear why Kim Jong Un, who still appears relatively healthy, is designating his teen daughter as his successor.
Since North Korea's establishment in 1948, it has been ruled by male members of the Kim family, beginning with founder Kim Il-sung, followed by his son Kim Jong-il and grandson Kim Jong Un.
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