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In a significant revelation, South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS) has suggested that Kim Jong Un’s teenage daughter is on the brink of being recognized as North Korea’s future leader. This development, reported by The Associated Press, comes as Kim continues the dynastic leadership of his family, being the third generation to rule the secluded nation.
During a private briefing with lawmakers, NIS officials shared that they are keenly observing whether Kim’s daughter, believed to be named Kim Ju Ae and approximately 13 years old, will make a public appearance alongside her father at the forthcoming Workers’ Party Congress. This was disclosed by lawmaker Lee Seong Kweun, who was present at the meeting.
Adding weight to these speculations, a photograph taken on January 27, 2026, and released by the Korean Central News Agency the following day, shows Kim Jong Un with his daughter inspecting a rocket launcher system test, underscoring her increasing public presence. This image, distributed via KCNA and KNS/AFP, was captured at an undisclosed North Korean location.
Lee highlighted a notable shift in the language used by the NIS, stating, “Previously, the agency referred to Kim Ju Ae as undergoing ‘successor training.’ However, today they used the term ‘successor-designate stage’, indicating a significant advancement in her role.” This subtle, yet important change in terminology points to Kim Ju Ae’s emerging prominence within North Korea’s leadership framework, according to the Associated Press.
“In the past, (NIS) described Kim Ju Ae as being in the midst of ‘successor training.’ What was notable today is that they used the term ‘successor-designate stage,’ a shift that’s quite significant,” Lee noted, according to the outlet.
In 2023, South Korea’s National Intelligence Service indicated to lawmakers that the North Korean leader and his wife probably had an older son as well as a younger, third child of unknown gender, according to The Associated Press.
This picture taken on Jan. 27, 2026, and released by KCNA on Jan. 28, 2026, shows Kim Jong Un and his daughter Kim Ju Ae inspecting the test firing of a rocket launcher system. (KCNA via KNS/AFP via Getty Images)
North Korea is one of the world’s few nuclear-armed nations, making it a unique threat on the global stage.
A 2025 U.S. Intelligence Community Annual Threat Assessment stated, “Kim remains committed to increasing the number of North Korea’s nuclear warheads and improving its missile capabilities to threaten the Homeland and U.S. forces, citizens, and allies, and to weaken U.S. power in the AsiaPacific region, as evidenced by the pace of the North’s missile flight tests and the regime’s public touting of its uranium enrichment capabilities.”
This picture taken on Dec. 20, 2025, and released by KCNA via KNS on Dec. 23, 2025, shows Kim Jong Un and Kim Ju Ae inspecting the Milyong Hotel, in the Samjiyon tourist district of Ryanggang Province. (KCNA via KNS/AFP via Getty Images)
“Russia is increasingly supporting North Korea’s nuclear status in exchange for Pyongyang’s support to Moscow’s war against Ukraine,” the assessment noted.