Kim Jong Un: North Korea is grooming daughter as successor

The South Korean secret service NIS expects that North Korea will groom the daughter of ruler Kim Jong Un to be his successor. Ju Ae is being trained to be the future head of state, said the member of the parliamentary intelligence committee, Lee Seong Kweun, after the committee was briefed by the NIS on Monday. State media in the isolated North Korea have reported on the daughter’s public appearances, but not on possible political plans for her future.

Little is known about Kim Jong Un’s daughter

In November 2022, Kim’s daughter was shown for the first time in state media. At that time, she attended the test of a ballistic missile with her father. During the test, she held hands with her father. A few months later, she was seen at a sporting event. Despite the photos, she was not mentioned by name in the state press reports. The texts speak of Kim’s “beloved child” or “respected child”.

Little is known about the girl. The NIS assumes that the girl is Ju Ae. After visiting Kim in 2013, former US basketball player Dennis Rodman reported seeing a toddler named Ju Ae. It is speculated that she could be 14 to 15 years old. According to experts, Kim has up to three children, two girls and a boy.

In North Korea, Kim’s successor in the event of his incapacity was never discussed. Since few details are known about his children, experts speculated that his influential sister Kim Yo Jong and loyalists could form a regency until a successor is old enough to take over. The Kims have ruled the communist country since North Korea was founded in 1948. Experts assume that the Kim dynasty will continue even after Kim Jong Un’s rule ends.