South Korean Intelligence Identifies Kim Jong-un's Daughter as Successor-in-Waiting
South Korea's National Intelligence Service (NIS) has assessed that Kim Ju-ae, the daughter of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, has effectively entered the stage of being designated as his successor. This assessment was shared during a closed-door briefing to the National Assembly’s intelligence committee. According to Youn Kun-young of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, the NIS believes Kim Ju-ae's increasingly frequent appearances in state media are a deliberate effort to establish her image as a future leader in the minds of the North Korean populace. Kim Ju-ae made her public debut in November 2022, accompanying her father to the test launch of a Hwasong-17 intercontinental ballistic missile. Since then, she has been seen at various military and political events, often in prominent positions alongside her father. Despite her growing public presence and the NIS assessment, North Korea has not officially named her, confirmed her age, or acknowledged her as Kim Jong-un’s heir. 
