Kim Jong-un’s Daughter Is His Likely Successor, South Korea Says

The young daughter of North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong-un, who has frequently accompanied her father at public events, including long-range missile tests, is Mr. Kim’s most likely successor should he die, the South Korean intelligence agency told lawmakers on Thursday.

Although North Korea has not revealed any personal details about the daughter, including her name and age, South Korean officials have identified her as Kim Ju-ae. As a baby, Ju-ae drew headlines when the retired N.B.A. star Dennis Rodman said he was allowed to hold the child upon meeting Mr. Kim in Pyongyang in 2013.

The North’s state media has referred to her as a “most beloved” or “respected” child of Mr. Kim and has shown military generals and other high-ranking officials kneeling before her. Such scenes have triggered widespread speculation among outside analysts that the daughter was being groomed as heir apparent to her father.

But until now, the South Korean government has been cautious in speculating about the girl’s status within Pyongyang’s secretive regime. South Korean officials have said that although the dynastic rule of the Kim family would probably continue in the North after Mr. Kim’s death, they were not sure which child would succeed him.

Mr. Kim had another child younger than Ju-ae, according to South Korean officials. They said they were checking intelligence that Mr. Kim may also have a child older than Ju-ae who might be a son. So far, Ju-ae is the only child of Mr. Kim known to have appeared in public.

“As of now, Kim Ju-ae is seen as the most likely successor,” the National Intelligence Agency, South Korea’s main government-run spy agency, said in an assessment released on Thursday through a member of the National Assembly. The