February 13, 2026 | 08:47 am
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Kim Jong Un's teenage daughter is close to being designated as his successor to lead North Korea, according to South Korea's spy agency.
South Korean lawmaker Lee Seong-kweun on Thursday shared details from a closed-door briefing with Seoul's National Intelligence Agency (NIS).
"In the past, the NIS described Kim Ju Ae as being 'in study as successor' but today the expression used was that she 'was in the stage of being internally appointed successor'," he told reporters.
Lee said the NIS is "taking into account a range of circumstances — including her increasingly prominent public presence at official events."
Who is Kim Ju Ae?
Little information has been officially confirmed about Kim Ju Ae, but she has increasingly appeared beside her father at high-profile engagements in North Korea, beginning with a long-range missile test in 2022.
Her name was made known in the West by American basketball icon Dennis Rodman, who visited Pyongyang in 2013.
She is believed to be around 13 years old.
Lee, the South Korean lawmaker who shared details of the intelligence briefing on Thursday, said there were signs that Kim Ju Ae had started to weigh in on policy decisions.
Some experts also believe that Kim Jong Un may have other children, including a son who has not been presented to the public.
All eyes on Workers' Party congress
North Korea's ruling Workers' Party will hold a landmark congress at the end of February, where it is expected to lay out its foreign policy and nuclear ambitions for the next five years.
Seoul's spy agency said it would closely monitor Ju Ae's attendance, including what level of protocol is accorded to her.
Read: North Korea Claims It Shot Down South Korean Drone
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