Kim Jong Un Signals Daughter as Future Leader

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has formally designated his teenage daughter, Ju Ae, as his successor, according to South Korea’s National Intelligence Service.

The assessment, briefed to lawmakers in Seoul, confirms that Ju Ae has been “clearly designated as a successor” based on her increasingly prominent public appearances, including at missile launches, alongside her father at the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, and during New Year celebrations where she showed rare public affection toward Kim.

State media now refers to her using terms previously reserved for top leaders, calling her “the beloved child” and a “great person of guidance.”

The announcement comes ahead of a landmark party congress at the end of February, where analysts believe Ju Ae could be elected to the Workers’ Party’s second-highest position, cementing the fourth generation of Kim family rule over the nuclear-armed, isolated nation.

If confirmed, she would become one of the youngest political heirs in modern history, continuing a dynastic tradition that has dominated North Korea since its founding.