North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has chosen his teenage daughter Kim Ju Ae as his “successor”, South Korea’s spy agency told lawmakers on Thursday.
In recent months, Kim Ju Ae has been seen standing taller than her father and walking beside him (AP).South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS), which said the North Korean leader had chosen his daughter as his successor, said it took into account a “range of circumstances” before making that assessment, the BBC reported.
Kim Joo Ae, believed to be 13 years old, has had an “increasingly prominent public presence at official events” in recent days, according to the NIS, and has been seen alongside her father at high-profile events.
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He also made his first known public visit abroad when he visited Beijing in September, according to the BBC. Ju Ae is the only known child of Kim Jong Un and his wife Ri Sol Ju. Although the NIS believes the North Korean leader has an older son, he has not been publicly acknowledged or seen.
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The lawmaker said Kim Ju Ae had signs of expressing opinions on some state policiesAmong the alleged disclosures by the NIS, South Korean lawmaker Lee Seong-kuen told reporters that Joo A, who was previously described by the spy agency as “trained”, was now at the stage of “successor designation”.
“…detecting signs of him voicing his views on certain state policies, the NIS believes he has now entered the stage of being nominated as a successor,” BBC Lee said.
The NIS has already said it will keep a close eye on whether Xu A will attend the party congress of the North later this month. The congress, the biggest political event held every five years, is where Pyongyang is expected to detail its foreign policy, war plans and nuclear ambitions.
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Signs of Ju Ae’s legacy in recent yearsSouth Korean lawmaker Lee said that recently, Kim Joo A was present at various events including the founding anniversary of the Korean People’s Army. He also visited the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, BBC reported.
He made his first public appearance in 2022, when he was seen holding his father’s hand while inspecting North Korea’s latest intercontinental ballistic missile.
Since then, the appearance of Xu Ae has become more frequent. Lawmaker Park Sun-won told the BBC that her role during public events indicates that she is beginning to provide policy input, and is also seen as the de facto second-in-command.
In past months, he has been shown standing taller than his father and walking beside him instead of following him. Photos released by North Korean state media carry symbolic weight, with the North Korean leader positioned equally with other individuals in a frame a rarity.
Another factor is North Korea’s power transition, where the role of head of state has been handed down to three generations of the Kim family. Kim Jong Un is expected to follow suit.
